I sette gladiatori (1962)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Pedro Lazaga

Writers:

Sandro Continenza (screenplay)
Bruno Corbucci (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 May 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Seven Heroes! The Valiant Sons of Sparta

Plot:

Framed for the escape of five gladiators from the arena, the son of one of Sparta's leading citizens...

Plot Keywords:

Gladiator | Arena | Arrow In Chest | Arrow In Back | Sword Fight

Cast

Richard Harrison	...	Darius
Loredana Nusciak	...	Aglaia
Livio Lorenzon	...	Panurgus
Gérard Tichy	...	Hiarba
Edoardo Toniolo	...	Milon
José Marco	...	Xeno (as Joseph Marco)
Barta Barri	...	Flaccus
Nazzareno Zamperla	...	Vargas (as Tony Zamperla)
Franca Badeschi	...	Licia
Enrique Ávila	...	Livius
Antonio Molino Rojo	...	Macrobius (as Antonio Molino)
Antonio Rubio	...	Mados
Emilia Wolkowicz	...	Ismere

Also Known As:

Gladiators 7 (USA)
Los siete espartanos (Spain)

Runtime:

Spain:93 min | USA:92 min | Italy:105 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Atenea Films

Quotes:

Hiarba: You let him get away again. Now I'm warning you, Macrobius, I made you but I can always send you back to rot in the quarries where I found you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 7 (2002) (V)

The Magnificent Seven It Is Not

As far as sword and sandal movies go, Gladiators 7 is acceptable. It has a relatively fast-paced zip, some interesting sets and costumes, some bad yet not horrible acting, and loads of action - the primary reason anyone is watching this in the first place. The story deals with Darius from Sparta, having beaten a slew of Roman adversaries in the arena in Rome and being spared for his fighting abilities, going back home to find his father dead and a new, villainous ruler in place(his name sounded like Yaba?). Anyway, Darius returns home and finds soldiers out to kill him so he enlists the aid of six former gladiator-friends - very much like the fashion seen in The Magnificent Seven or The Seven Samurai - only not nearly as convincing in either of those great classics. I will confess that some of the gladiator actors were pretty decent and humour is laced liberally throughout the film. The film does, as aforementioned, have some pretty good action scenes, some big fights, and a couple beauties(though we so see oh too little from either). Again, as sword and sandal films go, this one is not all that bad.