This serviceable – if slightly stodgy – Italian epic is a retelling of the ancient story of Damon and Pythias. These guys are the chalk 'n' cheese of ancient entertainment. Damon is a dodgy wide boy who'll do anything to make a coin or two, while Pythias is a noble Athenian who'll do anything for his fellow man. Their story is rather slight: they end up meeting and falling foul of the tyrannical ruler of Syracuse, and Pythias is captured and sentenced to death. Damon has discovered his humane side by this time and agrees to step in and take Pythias' place, allowing him freedom. The question is, will Pythias turn up to save his fellow man by the time the film ends?
All in all, it's a rather preachy story of brotherly love, commitment and honesty, but the themes are dealt with rather well. German director Curtis Bernhardt brought a lot of experience to the table – he'd been directing around the globe since the 1920s – and he ably adapts his talents to the peplum genre. If you go in expecting the kind of he-man-battling-giant-serpent entertainment of many of the other low-rent epics of this particular genre, because you'll be disappointed. There are only a small handful of action sequences to be enjoyed here, although the best of these is also the best of the genre: a mid-term chariot chase, in which stuntmen jump from horse to horse or are thrown from the speeding vehicle, is absolutely brilliant spectacle and the film's worth seeing for that alone.
However, there's no disguising that the storyline is a good one, and it helps that a couple of charismatic actors flesh out the leading roles. US actor Guy Williams bags the best role as titular rogue Damon, and he later went on to fame as the professor in LOST IN SPACE. Don Burnett has the more subtle turn and I thought he added a lot of gravitas to his performance. Unfortunately, the supporting female performers are rather histrionic and grating on the nerves, but Arnoldo Foa makes up for it with his fun, OTT performance as the tyrant. DAMON AND PYTHIAS isn't one of the classic films of the sword and sandal genre, but those weary of the usual muscleman epics might well find themselves enjoying being able to get their teeth into something a lot meatier.
All in all, it's a rather preachy story of brotherly love, commitment and honesty, but the themes are dealt with rather well. German director Curtis Bernhardt brought a lot of experience to the table – he'd been directing around the globe since the 1920s – and he ably adapts his talents to the peplum genre. If you go in expecting the kind of he-man-battling-giant-serpent entertainment of many of the other low-rent epics of this particular genre, because you'll be disappointed. There are only a small handful of action sequences to be enjoyed here, although the best of these is also the best of the genre: a mid-term chariot chase, in which stuntmen jump from horse to horse or are thrown from the speeding vehicle, is absolutely brilliant spectacle and the film's worth seeing for that alone.
However, there's no disguising that the storyline is a good one, and it helps that a couple of charismatic actors flesh out the leading roles. US actor Guy Williams bags the best role as titular rogue Damon, and he later went on to fame as the professor in LOST IN SPACE. Don Burnett has the more subtle turn and I thought he added a lot of gravitas to his performance. Unfortunately, the supporting female performers are rather histrionic and grating on the nerves, but Arnoldo Foa makes up for it with his fun, OTT performance as the tyrant. DAMON AND PYTHIAS isn't one of the classic films of the sword and sandal genre, but those weary of the usual muscleman epics might well find themselves enjoying being able to get their teeth into something a lot meatier.