Ursus in the Land of Fire

1963
Ursus in the Land of Fire
4.5| 1h27m| en| More Info
Released: 31 October 1963 Released
Producted By: Cine Italia Film
Country: Italy
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Hamilan, a cruel and ambitious general, murders his king and places himself on the throne with the former king's evil niece as his queen. He then wages war against his peaceful neighbors, killing their women and enslaving their men. A hero named Ursus appears at a tournament to challenge Hamilan's authority. Though victorious at the tournament, Ursus is arrested and forced to turn a grist-mill under an overseer's lash. Meanwhile, the former king's virtuous daughter, Diana, is tormented by her evil cousin, the new queen. Sentenced to a slow and tortuous execution, Ursus breaks free and a revolt breaks out. Ursus throws Hamilan to his death in a fiery pit and then Ursus and Diana enjoy the cheers of a grateful populace. - Written by dinky-4 of Minneapolis

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unbrokenmetal The evil Hamilkar (Adriano Micantoni) wants to dethrone old king Lotar (Nando Tamberlani) and become king himself. But besides King Lotar, there are three other people blocking his way to the throne: the high priest who accuses him of sacrilege and murder, the popular hero Ursus (Ed Fury) and the king's daughter, princess Diana (Luciana Gilli). Hamilkar needs another mind's help (namely his wife's) to come up with a plan how to kill them all! Especially in the case of our hero Ursus, he'll find that very hard, though.It's an OK genre movie, all the usual trademarks, but nothing outstanding. Good studio sets, but the outdoor scenes look cheap. The volcano is shoddy, and the lake is supposed to be the border between two countries, so they should not have picked such a small pond... The most memorable action scene is the tournament, when 5 opponents try and push Ursus into a spiked pit.
doug1717 I found this film in a collection of old films on eBay. I certainly wasn't expecting "Spartacus" , just some matinée fun like the old Sinbad features. Ursus is the sort of predictable film you could add your own smart-alec dialog to and still have fun. Well the film doesn't have a cast of thousands, but it really isn't that bad. The film revolved around Ed Fury's pre-steroid abuse hulking frame and his diminutive little brother. They end up on a quest to help a princess Ursus had a romantic history with. During the first battle scene, Ursis kicks butt bare handed until he reaches into a cart and finds a conveniently placed 5 foot long club replete with spikes that looks like it came from the Flintstones. The bad guy looks amazingly like "Lost!" actor Terry O'Quinn, and is reminiscent of Ming The Merciless. The women are all buxom and tightly clad, and there are Herculean challenges and evil plots for Ursus to surmount. I always wondered why these sort of films gave these strong men feats of strength to prove their innocence. In Ursus's case, he might have defeated an elephant, but I bet a math test would have laid him low.
dbborroughs Actually they are five muscle men tossing make believe rocks but in a run of the mill film of good guy freeing oppressed people you take what you can get.The action is good but the story is average and the same one we've seen in just about every film like this. Worse its paced much too slowly. The dubbing is interesting as voices change depending on whats being said. Its a bland exercise that is best summed up by its semi volcanic eruption- its not quite the spectacle anyone hoped for.
dinky-4 Having heard good things about this sword-and-sandal movie, I found myself a tad disappointed with some of its aspects, but in general, this is superior to most of its competition and "Hercules" fans will find it well worth a look. Of particular note are several of the imaginative and impressive indoor sets which are a clear cut above the plywood-columns sort of decorating one often sees in this genre. Of course, any "Hercules" movie must largely be judged on the appearance and appeal and talents of its main actor, and here we're fortunate to have Ed Fury, who not only looks good with his shirt off but who has some personal flair as well. He plays the part with an agreeable touch that's a welcome break from the "grimly determined muscleman" school of acting. Another way of judging these movies lies in the quality of the tortures which are inflicted on the hero. Here, we have two good ones. In the first, Fury is chained to one of those wooden poles which protrudes from a circular grist-mill. "Encouraged" by a burly overseer who lashes him across his bare back, Fury must walk around in a circle, pushing that pole and turning that grist-mill. (And boy, is this a big grist-mill!) Unlike other such sequences, such as that involving Victor Mature in "Samson and Delilah," this horizontal pole is not at waist level but rather positioned above Fury's head so that his chained arms are extended upward from his body. This seems to make the ordeal even more strenuous and painful and effectively showcases Fury's physique. In the second torture, he's forced to stand on a dungeon floor amid a number of sharp metal spikes which protrude upward. He's also forced to hold above his head an enormous flat stone. Eventually his arms will weaken and the weight of that stone, pressing inexorably downward, will impale him on those spikes just before it crushes him. The appeal of this torture is that it turns the hero's chief asset -- his strength -- against him. The longer he's able to hold up that stone, the more he prolongs his agony. And in the process, of course, the more entertainment he provides for his captors -- and for the movie audience as well!