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The Two Gladiators

Original title: I due gladiatori
  • 1964
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
194
YOUR RATING
The Two Gladiators (1964)
ActionDrama

Once upon a time there were born two twin boys to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and for reasons of dynasty the birth of twins was kept secret. One of the twins was supposed to be drowned at birth ... Read allOnce upon a time there were born two twin boys to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and for reasons of dynasty the birth of twins was kept secret. One of the twins was supposed to be drowned at birth but fate intervenes and the kid is brought up in a good household and enters Rome's legion... Read allOnce upon a time there were born two twin boys to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and for reasons of dynasty the birth of twins was kept secret. One of the twins was supposed to be drowned at birth but fate intervenes and the kid is brought up in a good household and enters Rome's legions.

  • Director
    • Mario Caiano
  • Writers
    • Mario Amendola
    • Alfonso Brescia
    • Tamara Lees
  • Stars
    • Richard Harrison
    • Moira Orfei
    • Alberto Farnese
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.1/10
    194
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mario Caiano
    • Writers
      • Mario Amendola
      • Alfonso Brescia
      • Tamara Lees
    • Stars
      • Richard Harrison
      • Moira Orfei
      • Alberto Farnese
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

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    Top cast22

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    Richard Harrison
    Richard Harrison
    • Lucius Crassus
    Moira Orfei
    Moira Orfei
    • Marzia
    Alberto Farnese
    Alberto Farnese
    • Leto
    Mimmo Palmara
    Mimmo Palmara
    • Commodo
    Mirko Ellis
    • Pertinace
    Piero Lulli
    • Cleandro
    Enzo Fiermonte
    Enzo Fiermonte
    • Il generale Ottavio Cratico
    Ivy Holzer
    • Emilia
    Giuliano Gemma
    Giuliano Gemma
    • Orazio
    Álvaro de Luna
    Álvaro de Luna
    • Pannunzio
    Adriano Micantoni
    • Pompeo
    • (as Peter White)
    Gianni Solaro
    • Tarrunio
    Renato Montalbano
    Renato Montalbano
    • Il centuriano a guardia della prigione
    Nello Pazzafini
    Nello Pazzafini
    • Il capo dei decurioni
    • (as Giovanni Pazzafini)
    Fortunato Arena
    Franco Pasquetto
    Osiride Pevarello
    Renzo Pevarello
    Renzo Pevarello
    • Director
      • Mario Caiano
    • Writers
      • Mario Amendola
      • Alfonso Brescia
      • Tamara Lees
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    5.1194
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    10

    Featured reviews

    4Tera-Jones

    Twin Brother Fight For The Roman Throne

    The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius has died. Marcus' son Commodus, who is a thug and amateur fighter, is now on the throne and is ruining Rome with his ways. There is a secret that only the Roman Senator knows the truth and tells the respected Roman Solider, Lucius Crassus, the story. Marcus Aurelius has twin sons. Marcus kept Commodus but ordered the other child's death. Tarruntius was given the task to kill the child but he could not do it and gave the child to a foster family. The foster family named the child Lucius Crassus. Lucius has just as much right to the throne as his twin brother Commodus. Commodus finds out that Lucius is his brother and is angry, he wants Lucius dead. The populace will not challenge and rid Rome of the evil, childish Commodus even though he is bring Rome down. There is now a Gladiatorial battle between the two twin brothers, the better fighter will win and take the throne of Rome.

    Richard Harrison plays the heroic Roman solider Lucius Crassus. And there are a bunch of others with names I do not recognize but are fine Italian actors.

    This is not a big budget film but looks like quite a bit of money was put into it (just not BIG money). It's an okay film, not great but watchable.

    The copy I have is rather faded and poor, it is from one of those cheap Mill Creek 50-packs, Warriors. I cannot expect them to take the time to clean up each of the 50 films for a bargain price. Besides, most of the films are not worth the time to restore anyway.

    4.5/10
    Kirpianuscus

    spirit of the time

    It is just unfair to be too severe about this film. It reflects the spirit and the taste of a public, a form of easy heroic passion, a genre so explored than it gives nothing new, very easy entertainment. To expect more is just bizarre. Sand and sandals, historical episodes as pretextes and good memories for today about actors. So, this story about brothers, revenge and justice, friendship and identical gladiators, with the spice of the love story is just decent. Not high expectations, not great revelations only a nice time front to romantic to naive film.
    6CinemaSerf

    The Two Gladiators

    Anyone else think this was more an hybrid of "The Man in the Iron Mask" meets "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"? Well with the death of Marcus Aurelius, his errant son Commodus (Mimmo Palmara) accedes the throne and launches straight into a reign of gladiatorial games and equally grand state sponsored larceny and brutality. Unbeknown to him, though, there is a twin brother who was secreted away at birth by senator "Tarrunio" (Gianni Solaro) and adopted with the name "Lucius" (Richard Harrison). In Rome, with his Praetorian prefect "Leto" (Alberto Farnese) running amok it seems that only his lover "Marcia" (Moria Orfei) might be able to rein in the new emperor, but when he cruelly gives her to his enforcer it falls to the ageing senator to send for the sibling in the hope that they can remove the tyrant before revolution brings the city to chaos and ruin. There is loads going on here with plenty of gladiatorial bouts, sword fights and action scenes to keep the pace fairly frenetic for most of the last hour of the drama. Twins they are, but there's barely even a passing resemblance between Palmara and Harrison which is a bit of a stretch later in the film, but I don't suppose that really mattered as this gathers an then sustains quite an entertaining swagger.
    6ZeddaZogenau

    Italian Peplum Film with Richard HARRISON and Giuliano GEMMA

    This sandal film is a copycat production based on the Hollywood success THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE with ACADEMY AWARD winner Sophia LOREN. Almost 40 years later, both films provide the blueprint for the mega-success GLADIATOR from 2000.

    A gladiator (Richard HARRISON) fights with his buddies (Giuliano GEMMA and Alvaro De LUNA) against the evil Emperor Commodus (Mimmo PALMARA can really play it big ;-) There is a scheming beauty (Moira ORFEI) and a blonde beauty (enchanting : Ivy HOLZER). There's a lot of fighting, but the fun isn't neglected either.

    Quite a passable sword and sandal film from Italy!
    2bkoganbing

    Roman Knockoff

    Whatever you think of his films, Samuel Bronston did spend a lot of money on them, gave them lavish sets, a topflight cast, good direction and script. So when his The Fall Of The Roman Empire came out in March of 1964 I'm sure Bronston was waiting for the inevitable imitations to come out.

    He didn't wait long. In June of 1964 probably using a lot of his abandoned sets and also those of Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur, came Two Gladiators which told the same story. Only the plot was reworked to have incorporated Alexander Dumas's The Man In The Iron Mask into the Roman Empire.

    Once upon a time there were born two twin boys to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and for reasons of dynasty the birth of twins was kept secret. One of the twins was supposed to be drowned at birth, but fate intervenes and the kid is brought up in a good household and enters Rome's legions and becomes a centurion. He's played by American expatriate Richard Harrison who stars here.

    The other grows up to be Commodus the emperor who for pleasure would compete in the gladiatorial games. He's too busy to be running the Empire so corrupt favorites do it for him. Some folks in the know feel it's time to bring out the lost twin.

    Just think of Two Gladiators as The Fall Of The Roman Empire done by Ed Wood with an Ed Wood budget.

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    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Italian censorship visa #43361 issued July 1, 1964.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Best in Action: 1965 (2021)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 10, 1964 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Two Gladiators
    • Filming locations
      • De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Prometeo Film S.r.l.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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