I like the production design of this popular musical even if I'm not a big fan of the film itself. IMO, like so many PEPLUM comedies (it's a musical comedy), it tries too hard to get a laugh and sometimes it just falls flat. But the production design is, oddly enough, more accurate than most serious Roman-based films. My favorite part in the film is Patricia Jessel as Domina. The recurring joke about her was her "beauty" but like the production design she looked more Roman than most of the decidedly un-Roman cast. Patricia died just a few years after making this picture.
The old Buster Keaton was marvellous in this, great of Lester to have included him, a year before Buster departed. Young Michael Crawford was fun too, and that guy playing the Hannibal-type warrior was very peplum.
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