Maciste dans la vallée des lions

First thing to mention is this one is in black and white. It's not the colorful peplum that we are used to from the 1960s. B&W films are great, some of my all time favorite films are in B&W.

Secondly, the film feels like is was a television episode of something. The way it is filmed and acted out looks like a Studio One production.

The story of Ursus is similar to Tarzan. Tarzan was raised by apes while Ursus was raised by lions. How their stories plays out is a bit different but there are a few parallels. Let's not forget the story of the boy who was raised by wolves. - You get the idea.

Overall, I am unimpressed by the entire film... and displeased with the circus animals in the film being used the way there were.

1/10

Ed Fury as Ursus (Latin for the bear) in the lion pride

It's hard to believe that this extremely weak sword and sandal film by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia was able to sell 1.335 million tickets in West German cinemas in 1962.

It couldn't have been because of the emaciated and stunned lions that so many people stormed the cinemas. Even the American bodybuilder Ed Fury (*1928) in the title role is not the most impressive Peplum hero of those years. Moira Orfei (1931-2015), who, as we know, comes from a famous Italian circus family, is enchanting as the female antagonist. She probably also brought the all too lame movie lions to the set.

Not a highlight from the oil-soaked heyday of Italian sword and sandal films!

Exciting Peplum odyssey , regularly-plotted , with a likable acting from Ed Fury as Ursus ("Ursus" is Latin for "bear") . Sword and Sandals film centers upon Ursus (Ed Fury or Edmund Holovchik) , of noble blood , he is the typical bouncing hunk man who fights against evil people . Ursus' parents were overthrown , then he was raised among lions . The good guys are the blond and beefy Ed Fury (Ursus) , Maria Luisa Merlo (the beautiful girl) , Mariangela Giordano and the bad guys are Alberto Lupo , usual nasty Gerard Herter (Spaghetti's customary) and Moira Orfei (sister of Liana Orfei also ordinary in Peplum) who's usually in these flicks as a Femme-fatale slave . Ursus will defeat them at an thrilling finale with elephants , battles and a firing scaffold .

This moving Peplum contains emotion , noisy action sequences incorporating circus elephants , spectacular battles with lots of sword-wielding warriors , court intrigue , stirring ending with a burning gallows and many other things . This mythological movie is plenty of adventures , thrills , atmospheric settings , evocative soundtrack by Riz Ortalani and colorful scenarios well photographed by Tino Santoni . This is a regular spaghetti, myth-opera with action , love , battles and luxurious landscapes , but there are a few editing goofs . In addition to the muscular lead but always appealing sword and sandal elements are here ; however , this movie has not mythological accuracy neither expecting historical . The corpulent Ed Fury was a hunk man who made lots of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨ . He was one of a number of bodybuilder and physique model types who followed muscleman Steve Reeves out to Italy in the early 60s and won campy notice playing Herculean characters in those campy Italian sand-and-spear epics . Ursus, Maciste, Goliath, Samson , Hércules , Atlas..., those Italian muscle man producers must have had a hard time figuring out what to call the musclebound actors who played all these legendary muscleman heroes . Other stars by the time on this type of movies are Mark Forest , Gordon Mitchell , Alan Steel , Dan Vadis , Reg Park , Brad Harris , Samson Burke , Richard Harrison , Rock Stevens , Kirk Morris and 'Gordon Scott' and , of course , the great Steve Reeves , as nobody , nevertheless, topped Steve in popularity . Fury started off his beefcake run off as a body double . Ed was the subject of legendary photographer Robert Mizer and appeared on the cover of Mizer's infamous magazine "Physique Pictorial" ostensibly promoting Fury's role in Ursus (1961), billed as "The Mighty Ursus". Ed was posing front-and-center as Herk himself and entering in the star-system based on pumped-up heroes playing ¨Sansone¨ or ¨Samson¨ or ¨Ursus¨ . On numerous occasions Ed was asked to play the legendary Greek hero , as well as the equally well-built demigods Samson and Ursus , even though the film titles often fused (or confused) them in their titles . Some other familiar faces show up here , such as Alberto Lupo , Gerard Herter , Andrea Scotti and uncredited Salvatore Borghese as warrior at Ursus' saving . And including gorgeous women : the Spanish Maria Merlo , Moira Orfei and Mariangela Giordano , they are insanely beautiful, and their flowing dresses and magic hair styles supplement this . The Ursus's love interest is very sympathetically and believably played by pretty Maria Luisa Merlo , or Mary Marlon , best in the cast .

This film belongs to a quartet about this hunk character , ¨Ursus¨ , such as : "The Vengeance of Ursus" (1961) by Luigi Capuano with Samson Burke , Wandisa Guida , Livio Lorenzon , ¨Ursus¨ (1961) by Carlo Campollani with similar actors as Ed Fury , Maria Luisa Merlo and Moira Orfei and "The Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire" (1963) by Giorgio Simonelli with Ed Fury , Luciana Gilli and Claudia Mori . ¨Ursus¨ movie is derived from Buddy Baer's character who is named "Ursus" , a secondary role in the famous colossal ¨Quo Vadis¨ (1951) directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starred by Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr . Evocative as well as atmospheric musical score by the prestigious as well as prolific Riz Ortalani . Colorful cinematography , being filmed on location in Lazio , Rome and Studios : Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio ; Studio Olimpia, Rome , Lazio, Italy . The film was regularly directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia who made many fables of this kind ("Semiramis , The Queen of Babylon" , ¨The Sword and the Cross¨ , "Mighty Crusaders" , "Amazons of Rome" , ¨Anibal¨ and "Hercules vs. the Hydra" or "The Loves of Hercules") . Carlo along with Vittorio Cottafavi , Carlo Campollani and Giorgio Ferroni continued to realize films in the historical-spectacular style , at which he developed an acceptable skill and mastery . The movie obtained success and originated sequels . Rating 4,5/10 , passable though mediocre .

The second film in Ed Fury's "Ursus" trilogy, (though there's little in the way of story-line to connect the three movies), begins with an obligatory setting-the-scene prologue which establishes the infant Ursus as the true heir of a kingdom overrun and conquered by a villainous barbarian. Though faithful subjects manage to smuggle the infant Ursus out of the besieged city in a basket, the basket tumbles into the lair of a pride of lions and the lost heir soon becomes nothing more than the subject of wistful rumor and legend. Mercifully the movie quickly jumps forward to the adult Ursus, now grown into a strapping though naive young man who learned his language skills from men in passing caravans. Up to this point the second "Ursus" movie has shown little promise, primarily because the lions which raised our hero look and act like lethargic, second-rate sideshow attractions rather than wildly magnificent Kings of the Beasts. Then we have a routine sequence in which Ursus acquires a slave girl from a passing trader. However, once the evil usurper learns that the rightful occupant of his throne is alive in the land, various elements of the movie finally come together to create a lively and entertaining entry in the sword-and-sandal cycle. One element worth noting here are the two "beefcake-bondage" sequences which are among the best such sequences to be found in the whole gamut of this genre. In the first, a peplum-wearing Ursus -- played, of course, by Ed Fury -- stands as a captive in the usurper's court. A length of wood, (perhaps too thin for this purpose), has been bound to the backs of his outstretched arms. Chains around his wrists and ankles are held by nervous-looking soldiers. Other soldiers guard him with spears pointed menacingly toward him. The usurper taunts him but Ursus remains defiant. Later, having been taken to a torch-lit dungeon, the sweaty Ursus stands with outstretched arms chained to the stone walls. That wooden pole has been removed from his shoulders but a metal ring now encircles his neck and a chain attached to this ring leads up to the ceiling. Two long pieces of wood are fitted around his ankles, preventing him from kicking or changing position. Fury, about 32 or 33 years old at this time, is only ever-so-slightly past his prime -- his waist looks a bit thick -- but he's still a compelling hunk of manhood and his bondage poses are of iconic quality. What's more, his nipples are dark and sharply-defined against his skin. Unfortunately, there's no actual torture here, unlike the other two Ursus movies in which a series of whiplashes play a symphony of pain on Ed Fury's bare back as he's forced to turn grindstones. (As other reviewers have pointed out, the print under discussion here has lamentably faded into muddy-looking sepia tones.)

The evil dictator Ajak sends his armies to attack a neighboring kingdom, and during the battle, the besieged King Annurius orders one of his subjects to take his son Ursus to a place of safety outside of the city, after first putting a royal medallion around the baby's neck. Ajak kills the king and usurps his throne, but the infant prince is smuggled out of the city to safety., and is reared by lions. Fate brings him to avenge his father's death ...

Ed Fury is Ursus, and he's given an origin story and he's the 'Tarzan of the Lions' living in a valley isolated from everyone- he's brought up by lions but it's odd that he speaks good English, but such illogic shouldn't be analysed, not if you want to enjoy this peplum. The villain is the standard power hungry barbarian who killed Ursus' dad but it's Moira Orfei who plays an interesting role - a scheming goldigger who helps the false king become aware of Ursus and his royal lineage, in order to sit on a throne beside him, but when king jilts her, takes Ursus' girlfriend as a possible queen, and sending her back to slave-Dom she changes sides. After all, if Ursus usurps the false king and wins his throne she gets to become the queen. The lion valley is well shot, and the action is energetic. There's some lull in the plot with some talking, a slow pace in the middle and the death of the villain by becoming the lion's snack is a little unconvincing, but overall, this is a decent picture. Boy, this genre certainly feature beautiful women.