Damon and Pythias

Director: Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt

Overview

This classic Greek tale of a friendship that overcomes even death makes for an interesting sword-and-sandal saga, with Guy Williams in the role of Damon. An apt choice since Williams is himself an expert swordsman, as partially demonstrated in his role as Zorro on American television (1957-59). Pythias (Don Burnett) has been caught plotting the assassination of King Dionysis I of Syracuse (Arnoldo Foa). Before his execution, Dionysis grants Pythias leave to put his affairs in order because Damon volunteers to stand in his stead if Pythias does not come back to face the executioner. Damon's act is considered foolish. He was safe, why should Pythias come back? But the two are devotees of the Pythagorean mysteries, and their faith in brotherly love goes beyond self-interest. When Pythias does return in the allotted time, King Dionysis is impressed enough to have a change of heart.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/31/2012
UPC:	0883316608210
Original Release:	1962
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	53,425

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Guy Williams	Damon
Don Burnett	Pythias
Ilaria Occhini	Nerissa
Liana Orfei	Adriana
Arnolda Foa	Dionysius
Marina Berti	Mereka
Carlo Giustini	Cariso
Andrea Bosic	Arcanos
Carla Bonavera	Mereka
Osvaldo Ruggeri	Demetrius
Maurizio Baldoni	Dionysius the Younger
Franco Fantasia	Fencing Master
Lawrence Montaigne	Flutist
Carlo Rizzo	Libia
Gianni Bonagura	Philemon
Aldo Silvani	Patriarch
Carolyn Fonseca	Chloe
Al Silvani	Digenis
Giovanna Maculani	Hermione
Enrico Salvatore	Actor
Tiberio Murgia	Actor
Enrico Glori	Nikos
Luigi Bonos	Actor,Digenis
Franco Ressel	Actor
Tiberio Mitri	Actor
Arnoldo Foà	Dionysius

Technical Credits

Barry Oringer

Curtis Bernhardt	Director
Sam Jaffe	Producer
Barry Oringer	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Sword-and-sandals pictures like Damon and Pythiasusually provide a decent amount of fun, even when they're actually very poor films. It's a shame that Damon falls squarely into the "very poor film" category but doesn't qualify -- at all -- in the fun category. One of the problems is that Damon takes itself too seriously; it has a message to present about brotherly love, self sacrifice, belief in humanity, etc. It's very laudable, and hard to argue against -- but it's delivered in the most ham-fisted, obvious way that it's also hard not to groan and roll one's eyes. Director Curtis Bernhardt treats the material much too reverently, resulting in a turgid piece that drags for most of its running time. There are a few moments that are lively, but too much of Damon simply is boring. The film doesn't even resort to the cheesecake and beefcake that most other examples of the genre revel in, despite a very attractive cast. In the title roles, Guy Williams does fairly well as the more outgoing Damon, while Don Burnett is too stolid for the already-heavy Pythias. Neither Ilaria Occhini nor Liana Orfei is much of an actress, but they do provide appropriate eye candy. Arnoldo Foa has some nice scenery hewing moments, but not enough to make Damon come to life.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler