THE SLAVE

Quick, how many Stanley Kubrick films had a sequel? If you answered only one, you're wrong. Yes, his immortal 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) was followed up by 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT (1984 and reviewed elsewhere on this blog). But another Kubrick film had a sequel, even if it was an "unofficial" one.

While THE SLAVE aka THE SON OF SPARTACUS (1962) is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor, SPARTACUS (1960), it's light yeasr above the last Italian produced "sword and sandal" movie I watched (THE TARTARS, also reviewed elsewhere on this blog). There are two main elements that make THE SLAVE a fairly decent little film.

The first is the presence of American bodybuilder Steve Reeves in the title role. Reeves became an international star thanks to his first two sword and sandal films, HERCULES (1958) and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959). With his dark good looks, sparkling blue eyes and chiseled, weightlifter physique, Reeves is still, in my opinion, the best version of Hercules ever seen on the silver screen (with Nigel Green's portrayal of the man-god in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), a close second). Over the course of ten years, Reeves made a total of sixteen films in Italy, the majority of them sword and sandal features. His last Italian film was A LONG RIDE FROM HELL (1968), a sphagetti western.

In THE SLAVE, Reeves plays Randus, son of Spartacus who led a slave revolt against the "power of Rome" twenty years earlier. Randus doesn't know his true origin until midway in the film and when the secret is revealed, the action really picks up. Randus finds a short sword with a bejeweled hilt, some body armor and a helmet that looks like it's on loan from the DC comics character Dr. Fate. Donning this fabulous gear, the Son of Spartacus becomes a sort of "Zorro" of the ancient world, harrying his main enemy Crassus (who put Spartacus to death on the cross) and leaving behind his mark, a large "S" painted or carved on various doors and walls. 

The other element that makes THE SLAVE enjoyable is the direction of Sergio Corbucci, an Italian genre auteur who made various horror, sword and sandal and western films over the course of his long and illustrious career. Corbucci utilized striking compositions, inventive camera angles and unexpected camera movements all of which, in addition to fairly high production values, makes THE SLAVE a better than average adventure yarn. 

Exteriors were filmed in Egypt while interiors where shot in Rome. Reeves commands the action but he's aided by two beautiful co-stars, the treacherous Claudia (Gianna Maria Canale) and the virtuous Saida (Ombretta Colli). Claudio Gora is great as Crassus, who not only plots to capture and kill the Son of Spartacus, also schemes to challenge Julius Caesar (Ivo Garrani) himself for rule of the empire. 

If you want to see a truly great version of this material, I urge you to seek out Kubrick's SPARTACUS, a truly magnificent epic in every sense of the word. However, if you want to pass a couple of hours on a hot, lazy summer afternoon, give THE SLAVE a try. It's definitely worth seeing if you have any interest in Italian genre cinema.