For those of you who like movies about gladiators, Kirk Douglas did no wrong as "Spartacus". But several years previous, he went into Greek territory to play King Ulysses who has many adventures (and flings) after defeating Troy with that glorious wooden horse. He finds refuge as an amnesiac falling for a neighboring King's daughter, but slowly, his memory comes back to him as he re-counts his many adventures, including a visit with Neptune's son, a giant cyclops (with a memorable wine making scene), fighting the urge to crash his ship because of a beautiful singing voice calling him to their deadly shores, and finally dealing with the beautiful but possessive witch who wants Ulysses all to herself. Back home, his wife, Queen Penelope (Silvana Mangano), is urge by the people to re-marry, and the strong but arrogant Anthony Quinn is most determined to be the one. It's a battle of the strongest when Ulysses comes home to reclaim his wife, son, and kingdom.
Surprisingly well filmed in spite of an obvious low budget, it is a step above the Steve Reeves Hercules and Goliath films. Douglas didn't have to be dubbed like many of the other actors (whose voices don't match their looks), so he comes off unscathed. Special effects are good, characterizations and plot are well fleshed out, although some of the male costumes are quite skimpy and revealing of the male anatomy. This will never be in the category of Ray Harryhausen's mythic adventures, but overall, it is much better than average.
Surprisingly well filmed in spite of an obvious low budget, it is a step above the Steve Reeves Hercules and Goliath films. Douglas didn't have to be dubbed like many of the other actors (whose voices don't match their looks), so he comes off unscathed. Special effects are good, characterizations and plot are well fleshed out, although some of the male costumes are quite skimpy and revealing of the male anatomy. This will never be in the category of Ray Harryhausen's mythic adventures, but overall, it is much better than average.