Romulus and the Sabines (1961) User Reviews (13)

"Wrap 'Em Up Like Them Their Romans Did, Least That's What Plutarch Said"

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 14 December 2010]

For those of us who love Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and want to know just what inspired those Pontipee Brothers to court their women the way they did we have Romulus And The Sabines out of Roman legends to tell us. Least that's what Plutarch said.

Romulus And The Sabine Women is a cut above the usual peplum product from Italy at the time. It stars Roger Moore as Romulus one of the legendary founders of Rome and we're at the pioneer days of Rome when Romulus who is the son of Mars and therefore half divine has talked a bunch of men to pull up stakes and settle on a promising site on the banks of the Tiber River. But like pioneers depicted in such films like Westward The Women or Paint Your Wagon these guys have cleared the land and made a city, but there aren't any women.

Even the leader is feeling some pangs and he does realize that we do need the other sex if the city is to grow and prosper. Those folks from Sabinia in the next county have women, so get women from them one way or another.

The story is presented accurately as has come down to us. Roger Moore is definitely nice to look at, but for once the leading man in a peplum is not dependent on his physique for attention. The particular object of his affection Mylene Demongeot, Sabine princess and consecrated vestal virgin and French cinema legend is also an eyeful.

Speaking of eyefuls Romulus And The Sabines has as a real treat a meeting with the Gods. In a dream sequence Romulus seeks advice from dear old dad, Mars the God of War, but that other Roman deity Venus insists on putting her two cisterces in. They're played by Jean Marais and Rosanna Schiaffino and they have the best dialog in the film, even dubbed.

This is not bad and might even prompt a reading of the classics by some young viewers. That's always worthwhile, at least that's what Plutarch said.

Early Italian Love Nest

[sanzar · 4/10 · 30 October 1999]

Roger Moore (of "The Saint" and 007 fame) toplines this all but forgotten Sword and Sandal excursion, assaying the role of Romulus, the founder of Rome. As King, his mission is to find women for his ragtag (and nearly 100% male) congregation of Roman "citizens".

So what does he do? He sets his sites on a vestal virgin from nearly Sabinia, along with as many unattached women he can round up. Successful in corraling an army of lasses, he presides over their pairing off with his host of horny men (this is where the raping starts, I guess, although most of the captured women seem happy with the prospect of hitting the sack in no time flat with their new mates).

But the men of Sabinia, deprived of their wenches, mount an attack against Rome to rescue the damsels, leading to a conflagration of swordplay as the film winds it's way towards conclusion.

Yet another poorly dubbed Italian Peblum, one of hundreds produced in the late 50's and early 60's in the wake of the success of "Hercules" starring Steve Reeves. This one is mostly bereft of action, replaced instead with much wooing and pseudo lovemaking. Several of the ladies appear quite fetching, however, as their bosoms heave with desire in their low cut frocks.

Not much to recommend it, other than the guilty pleasure of watching a future James Bond, in his salad days, slumming about the Italian countryside.

ROMULUS AND THE SABINES (Richard Pottier, 1961) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 2 December 2006]

Below-par peplum which, more than anything else, serves to demonstrate that Roger Moore (playing Romulus, ruler of Rome and the son of a deity!) is as ill-suited to the genre as John Wayne or Alan Ladd had been!! Dealing with the popular legend of the Rape Of The Sabine Women - which also inspired the musical SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954) - the film is strictly a potboiler, with colorful scenery but little real action and obligatory hit-or-miss comedy relief provided by Moore's pint-sized, myopic spokesman. Mylene Demongeot - who seemed to have been a fixture with this type of film - is, as ever, a most lovely heroine (sparring for Moore's attentions with the duplicitous Scilla Gabel, who eventually expires in an incredible manner by way of a deflected arrow); meanwhile, Giorgia Moll and Marino Mase' fill in for the secondary romantic interest - while the thing is given some measure of dignity by the presence of Folco Lulli, playing the jovial Sabine king, and cameos (in the film's most interesting scene) by Jean Marais and Rosanna Schiaffino as Roman Gods, respectively Mars and Venus, who appear before the sleeping Romulus - pretty much in the style of the Tom & Jerry cartoons! - to 'influence' his thoughts (i.e. whether to pursue the path to war or love). While not quite as bad as the similar (and similarly-titled) COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN (1960), the best film to incorporate the Battle Of The Sexes into the peplum genre remains AMAZONS OF ROME (1961; co-directed by Vittorio Cottafavi).

Venus and Mars are all right tonight.....

[dbdumonteil · 18 January 2011]

...for they do appear ,when Romulus is fast asleep ,and try to change his destiny:after all ,he is Mars's son .The God and the Goddess are played by earnest thespian Jean Marais and Italian beauty Rossanna Schiaffino :they would team up again ,this time as the principals in André Hunebelle's remake of "Le Miracle Des Loups" the very same year.

Richard Pottier is an odd job man whose works are eclectic ,from the first version of "some like it hot" ("Fanfare D'Amour") to social concern (euthanasia in "Meurtres" ) to ...sword and sandals .His Peplum can be looked upon as the continuing story of Romulus which Sergio Corbucci began with "Romolo E Remo" the same year.Steve Reeves is replaced by Roger Moore who is not a muscle man but anyway was Romulus an athlete?Mylene Demongeot ,who provides the main love interest ,was considered a Brigitte Bardot clone and her career who brilliantly began with "Les Sorcieres De Salem" suffered accordingly.

It seems that Pottier did not know what he intended to do:the movie is now a comedy nay a farce ,now a dramatic tale with lots of death.Historical interest is thin and the low budget does not help :Moore and vestal Demongeot wear the same costume during the whole film.Francis Blanche ,as a myopic potential husband provides the movie with its comic relief (comic,so to speak).Women ,ahead of their time don't want to be treated as cattle :they want to choose their husband !

Fairly feeble peplum entry - of curiosity interest for its unexpected leading man.

[barnabyrudge · 4/10 · 29 May 2014]

Pre-stardom Roger Moore is preposterously cast as Romulus, the founder of Rome, in this enjoyably awful peplum made by a largely Italian cast and crew. It's quite something to witness Moore - skinny-armed, skinny- legged and curly-haired – issuing orders to massed ranks of horny Roman citizens as they plead with him to allow women into their lives. The film is undoubtedly cheap and feeble stuff… but there's a degree of innocent charm to be found in some of these old sword 'n' sandal offerings, especially ones which feature a future superstar in a role which will one day come back to haunt him. Romulus And The Sabines (or whatever title you know it by, for it has many… Rape Of The Sabines, L'Enlevement Des Sabines, El Rapto De Las Sabinas, etc. etc.) is definitely amusing on a curiosity level – if you are a collector of Moore's movies, for instance, this long-lost obscurity is an irresistible hoot.

As the story begins, Rome is little more than a village under the early stages of construction by various fugitives, travellers and vagabonds – all of them male - who have chosen to swear allegiance to King Romulus (Roger Moore). After months of hard toil, the men are growing weary and disillusioned. In particular, they long for women to be brought into their lives and rightly point out that their efforts will be for nought if no babies are being born to populate their newly built kingdom. Reluctantly, Romulus agrees to submit to their demands and asks Titus (Folco Lulli) - king of the neighbouring kingdom of Sabinia - if he will donate some of his women for marriage to the men of Rome. Titus refuses and instead sends a cartload of pigs to the Romans, greatly angering them. But Romulus comes up with another plan, to kidnap the Sabine women by force and bring them back to Rome to repopulate the rapidly expanding nation. Things are complicated further when Romulus finds himself falling desperately in love with Rhea (Mylène Demongeot) a vestal virgin and daughter of King Titus. Meanwhile, the Sabinian soldiers prepare to attack Rome and free their women… but the question is: do the women truly want to be rescued?

There is some incredibly banal dialogue in the film at times. "Hey! There's no need to pull my hair!" declares a Sabine girl, rather prissily, as a Roman attempts to drag her away from her home and family forever. "She's a vestal virgin, Romulus. We have consecrated her to the Gods", warns Rhea's mother as he lecherously ogles the young princess. "Why didn't you consecrate her to the SONS of the Gods?" Romulus ruefully retorts, referring to his self-proclaimed title as the son of Mars. The whole film is stuffed with similarly over-ripe exchanges. Some of the crowd scenes and battle sequences betray the film's ultra-low budget, but there are a handful of decent moments amid the morass – the kidnapping of the Sabine women is enjoyably handled, and the climactic clash between the Sabinians and Romans (prematurely aborted at the discovery of a baby's birth which unites the bloodline of both kingdoms) is competently done. In other aspects the film is something of an embarrassment, especially its cringeworthy attempts to inject humour via a short-sighted Roman ambassador whose visual impairment results in numerous zany pratfalls. Overall, there can be no serious argument that Romulus And The Sabines has genuine artistic merit, nor that it is a neglected gem, but strictly on a curiosity level it has a degree of charm and interest.

Another Lame Peplum Comedy

[Rainey-Dawn · 2/10 · 21 January 2017]

Romulus, the founder of Rome and his men want wives. The Romans decide to take them from the Sabines and they head to Sabinia to find them. The men of Sabinia will fight back to save their wives and daughters from the first Romans.

The movie is just okay (being generous), it's not really funny these days - but might have been humorous at the time of it's release.

This film has 007 himself, Roger Moore, in his early career. Roger Moore fans might find this film interesting for that reason.

Overall I was not happy with the film. It's just not funny to me.

2/10

Roger Moore's good value in a peplum movie, but the rest is rather weak

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 4 November 2016]

ROMULUS AND THE SABINES starts off on a strong footing as it keeps the action moving with plenty of peplum staples: there are plenty of gorgeous Italian women in low-cut dresses, sweaty guys on horseback, people chasing each other through the woods, and a little fighting here and there. The biggest novelty value of this film is the appearance of a pre-SAINT Roger Moore, playing Romulus, the founder of Rome! I admit I was a little bit sceptical of how Moore would 'fit' into a production like this, and it's hard to separate his suave, James Bond-type persona with the ancient hero and leader of men he plays here. Indeed Moore's character isn't much of a fighter either, preferring to spend his time seducing the ladies – so nothing new there then. However Moore's performance grew on me as the film went on, and it's as good an acting job as you'll find anywhere in a peplum film. And at least he dubs his own voice in this one.

Otherwise the film is pretty low par, losing momentum about halfway through the proceedings and never really picking up from there. The simple story of kidnapped women isn't really enough to last the running time, so things are padded out with some laboured comedy involving a short-sighted comic character and an Amazon-type woman who only really appears at the beginning and end of the production. The filmmakers attempt to inject some excitement into the proceedings with a last-reel mass battle, but it ends on a ludicrous note – the attackers suddenly deciding they don't want to attack, after all – and unwisely takes place at night time, somewhat ruining the spectacle of guys getting arrows through their necks and women dying to protect their lovers.

Aside from Moore, the film boasts plenty of decent roles for women, who take more of the centre stage here than usual. The likes of the classically beautiful Mylene Demongeot and Giorgia Moll certainly make this film easy on the eye. Folco Lulli gives Moore a run for his money as the wise king of Sabinia and there are cameo appearances from French star Jean Marais as Moore's father, who coincidentally is Mars, God of War! It's a shame the plot wasn't a little more involving, as with the talent involved it could have been something special.

part "peplum", part comedy

[myriamlenys · 4/10 · 12 August 2019]

The tale of the kidnapping of the Sabine women, which is well-known to any lover of Roman mythology, may very well be based on an historical event. If so, it is likely that the event in question was a bloody, tear-drenched tragedy. In our own lifetime we have witnessed the "Boko Haram" kidnappings, where unsuspecting girls were torn from their families in order to get raped and impregnated at gunpoint. There is nothing happy or edifying about the idea of innocent people being used as slaves and brood mares, just as there is nothing happy or edifying about the idea of sanctimonious fanatics explaining how they saved their victims from a life of heathen debauchery.

However, "Il ratto delle sabine" is not interested in grim and gritty realism. Neither is it interested in a searching examination of ancient myth. It's a pretty fluffy and silly movie, part "peplum" and part comedy, which mixes action scenes with romance, comic relief and a "Make love not war" message. It's not entirely clear why it was made ; me, I strongly suspect something along the lines of "Our props department stocks 5000 spears, 1000 shields, 280 wigs and 3 royal thrones, so we might just as well use a few of these things".

"Il ratto" is not a very good movie, although it does have its moments, such as a scene where the statues of Venus and Mars take on life and movement in order to discuss the true happiness of the warrior. (What is the highest a warrior can hope for - everlasting fame or the tender embrace of a lovely woman ?) However, lovers of involuntary humour will find much to grin about, such as the casting of a quintessentialy British Roger Moore as Romulus. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Moore is an early Roman in the same way that I am a late Mayan. Near the end of the movie he finds True Love in the arms of Miss Demongeot, who is blessed with a remarkable golden blonde hairdo, because why not?

Young Mr. Moore looks very handsome indeed, with a noticeable twinkle in his eyes. Well does one understand him. ("I'm having the best vacation of my life, I get to wear silly fur shoes, I'm surrounded by magnificent women showing lots and lots of cleavage - and they're paying me for all this ? My late great-grandfather earned five shillings a month, ridding the streets of dog corpses.")

An average Peplum

[doctorsmoothlove · 4/10 · 21 December 2022]

"Romulus and the Sabines" is a relatively obscure peplum film starring Roger Moore as the titular Romulus in the real-life story of how the Romans kidnapped women from the Sabine nation during the very early days of Rome. If you live in the United States or have access to a VPN, you can watch the film on many free streaming services. It is also part of Mill Creek's out-of-print "Warriors" DVD set. Be warned that the image quality is very bad.

The film suffers from the lack of plot that many films of this genre have. It opens with the Romans riding along a river with no context. We are not told who the "Romans" even are. An understanding of history is required to have an idea of what's happening. Romulus visits the Sabine ruler to ask nicely for access to his women. When he refuses Romulus returns under the guise of throwing a big party. The Sabines become too drunk to realize that their women are being kidnapped. The Sabines return, actors bop each other for a while and the film just ends in a manner wholly unsatisfying to the real-life history.

There is no consistent tone. The reality was surely terrifying for the women involved. Yet, the kidnapping has a light-heartedness about it as if the Romans are involved in a college prank. The women even get to choose their husbands and are undisturbed after being forcibly extracted from their homeland. The comedy contrasts poorly with the real-life sexual violence that surely happened.

Moore as Romulus is competent with how inconsistent the writing is. He is imposing as the leader of a military expedition and governor in some scenes. Alternatively, he is quite wooden in the many romance scenes in the film. It is hard to believe he would later be cast as James Bond. For whatever reason he has two love interests, one of whom is abandoned for plot convenience early in the film. This is a catalyst for the later conflict that isn't necessary. It just leaves you thinking he is a dick.

The film's greatest comedy is actually the dream sequence in which Romulus's "father" Mars and Venus come to him in his dreams to try and persuade his behavior. They are the angel and devil on the shoulder you see in the cartoons. The interchange is the closest thing the film has to real history in that the Roman gods were often very human in their mannerisms. The scene could easily be a conversation about the myth of Romulus a real Roman would have someone in school.

A treasure trove for nostalgics of Sir Roger.

[zorzalcg · 6/10 · 26 July 2015]

This is really a rare movie. A totally forgotten one. In its times, it was lost among the deluge of others, more fortunate films of the genre so called "swords and sandals". It was a veritable Tower of Babel, mixing English, French, Italian, German and another languages between the cast and the crew. Today, it has survived in versions with dubbing in German, Spanish and French but not in English or Italian. Even it exists a copy in Russian, with the voices that make the translation, overlaying to the dialogue in German. And the formats are a nightmare. There are in the old 4:3 proportion, and in the new 16:9 standard, even in the original 2.35:1. And the editions of the film are also different, so don't dream about putting the sound track that you understand, in place of the one in another language because it's a task for the Mission Impossible Force. Nevertheless I confess that I like this unwanted concoction. Let's begin with the cast. Romulus is Roger Moore. This was the year 1961 and The Saint, The Persuaders! and James Bond were in the future. Sir Roger came from Hollywood, where in the fifties he had participated in a series of films for MGM and WB without much of a success. But in TV, already, he had three series under his belt: Ivanhoe, The Alaskans and the Fourth Season of Maverick replacing the great James Garner. Instead of muscle he created a very likable Romulus. Handsome, proud, ambitious, cunning but also vulnerable and caring. If you are a fan of Sir Roger, he will not disappoint you in this role. The romantic interest is brought about by french actress Mylene Demongeot, a sight for a sore eyes. She is Rea, the daughter of the King of the Sabines. She is breathtakingly beauty but she is consecrated as a Vestal, truly a precarious position for such alluring girl. Today Mylene is recognized as an excellent actress. But Romulus also elicits passions. Scilla Gabel, is the other woman in his life, the Fenician amazon Dusia. Scilla was the Stand-in of Sophia Loren and, in order to earn this job, a woman would have to be voluptuous and very well built. Scilla filled the bill and also had a volcanic temper. But the picture not only deals in lust and passion, there is also tenderness. The young lovers, Lavinia and Lino are very well represented by Giorgia Moll and Marino Mase. Giorgia was known for her part of a Vietamese girl, in the movie The Quiet American (1958). And the Olympic Gods, Venus and Mars, enter in a dream sequence while Romulus is asleep in the temple, debating about the merits of love and war as the driving force in the souls of little mortals. Specially invited for these roles were the Italian temptress, Rossana Schiaffino and the tough and multifaceted French actor, Jean Marais. Furthermore, among the beautiful Women of the Sabines, there is Luisa Mattioli as Silvia. For those who loves trivia, Luisa would become the third wife of Sir Roger and would abandon her incipient cinematic career in favor of the role of mother in real life. And acting as Titus Tasio, king of the Sabines, we found the experienced Italian actor Folco Lulli. The man who prevented the collapse of this Tower of Babel was the Austrian director Richard Pottier. Evidently, an expert in juggling different languages. The result was incredibly good. The story is based in the well known legend of the Kidnap of the Sabines Women, it has action and sense of humor, and it is apt for all audiences. It's not all about war and heroism and brute force. It's about how to be a just leader, a king and a companion and in the end choosing between a glorious future as a powerful monarch or the anonymous destiny beside the woman that one loves.

CUT SCENES OF THE SABINES TOPLESS.

[larryanderson · 8/10 · 8 February 2022]

There are many versions of this movie kicking around but the original is still the best. LBX and all the topless scenes included. If you watch the TRAILER on Y/T you can see glimpses of the topless bits. If you watch any of the movies, those breast scenes are all cut out. I have the original with everything showing. Plus in LBX and great colour it fantastic. Roger Moore is perfect for the role of the Roman leader.

No Oscar Material but Entertaining All the Same

[ldeangelis-75708 · 6/10 · 20 October 2023]

This wasn't a bad film, another take on those horny Roman guys and the Sabine women they kidnap. (I often wonder what really happened back then, as you get myths, stories, songs by Howard keel, etc. But you'll never know unless you time travel.)

It was nice to see Roger Moore in his pre-Bond days (was this pre-Saint, too?) he made a good Romulus, though a bit on the fickle side, and a bit tactless when he told his soon-to-be-discarded girlfriend "I no longer want you." (That's right Rom, break it to her gently!) Just his luck, his second love is a dedicated vestal virgin, torn between her love for him and duty to her vows.

There was some action as well as comedy, and I like the way the kidnapped ladies remained independent and feisty, rejecting Romulus's plan to have a lottery to assign partners, no way! These ladies were choosing their own husbands! Just because they were kidnapped, didn't mean they'd be bossed around!

A fun movie !

almost nice

[Vincentiu · 25 July 2012]

childish, heroic in few moments but not impressive. testimony of a time , in which blockbusters are skin for historical subjects, it is seductive only for cast. and for ambiguous intentions of director. sure, Roger Moore or Jean Marais are perfect names for epic but, in same time, important source of frustration. because the beautiful story is a strange mixture of feminism, myths, jokes and love story. all in same place, maybe the public is master of choices. the tale is thin, the fight scenes - nice, the beauty - not spectacular but interesting for understand sensitivity of a time. but the central error is its role of page from a movie type. after so many films inspired by Antiquity it is difficult to be happy at meeting with "Il ratto delle sabine". not for the force of the other creations - it is not Spartacus or Ben Hur - but for the ambition of director to say all in not well manner.