Romulus and the Sabines (1961)

Director: Richard Pottier

Starring: Roger Moore, Mylene Demongeot, Jean Marais, Francis Blanche, Luisa Mattioli, Scilla Gabel

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The warrior who founded Rome! The kidnapping that founded an empire!

Plot: This chronicles the problem of the men at the founding of Rome. In fact, that is the problem -- there are only men in early Rome. Their leader is the son of the war god Mars and so the tendency is to fight first and ask questions later. But among the Sabine women who do not live so far away are some very attractive females. Needless to say, the Romans see the answer to their problem, though in the end the answer does avert a war between the two cities.

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again? Maybe, just maybe, if a nice widescreen print turns up with an English dub.

#46 on 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

Aka THE RAPE OF THE SABINES. I love that trailer, especially at the 1:16 mark - "You see, while some young ladies resented it...there were others who delighted in...the RAPE of the Sabines!" Ahahahahahahaha. Classic. I'm a huge fan of Roger Moore and of the Sword and Sandal genre the Italians pumped out. No musclemen here, just the future James Bond being a complete and utter asshole ruler who thinks everything belongs to him.


For reasons I'm not sure about, there are no women at all in Rome (which was just built, by the way). I must have been sick that day when the teacher explained how the new Romans had to steal gorgeous, and apparently willing, women from a neighboring town. Despite the alternate title, there isn't a single rape but it slays me how happy they seem to be about it in the trailer. This flick isn't all that serious as we get some typical broad comedy from an idiot who is nearsighted. Zoinks! I hate that shit. Roger Moore shouldn't have been in this movie. He's much better suited for other things. A Roman he is not. Everything else is just OK at best. There's nothing special except for an early leading role for James Bond.