As expected, Yvonne plays the temptress while Rossana is the pious one. Though it's understandable that Yvonne is the 'bad' one since it was sorta difficult to see Rossana in that light, it's still some bit of miscasting there, certainly when Rossana was much younger and had a lead role in HELEN OF TROY just a few years prior. Still looking for a nice widescreen copy of this one.
I generally prefer Peplum movies to steer clear of religious themes. Accordingly, despite its expensive production values I do not care for this 1958 film.
ReplyDeleteThe title THE SWORD AND THE CROSS was also used earlier for the 1956 Peplum SLAVE OF CARTHAGE. This has caused confusion on YouTube and elsewhere.