Thursday, May 16, 2013

Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (1961)

in 's second Ursus movie (he made three) we get his origin.  not that it matters, since they aren't really connected at all.  he is the heir to a kingdom which naturally was overrun by an evil warlord.  he was only a baby when he was rescued.  his bassinet was dropped in a valley of lions, and they raised him, complete with the ability to speak fluent English (or whatever language he gets dubbed with) thanks to passing caravans and he also knows how to shave and at least dress properly.  he also can speak to the lions, who understand him easily and do his bidding when asked.
it's an interesting beginning, and he seems happy once he obtains a mate- a former slave girl he frees, sort of.

naturally, the evil king finds out that Ursus is still alive and things begin to happen.  this is a fun little peplum, never dull.  the print I watched was in black and white, which doesn't really hurt the movie, though I would like to see what it looks like in color.  pretty sure this was only released to TV here in the States, but the poster above lets us know that some place got it in the theaters.

Ursus appeared in 9 peplums from this 60s cycle, a pretty good amount.  he teamed up with a few more characters in two, which would be fun to see.

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