Last Glory of Troy (1962)

"The Last Glory of Troy" (1962), a.k.a. The Avenger, stars Steve Reeves as Aeneas, hero and prince of Troy, who after the destruction of that city by the Greeks, has led his people to Latium which we know will become the future site of Rome, the great city. There he encounters a group of small states held in weak alliance, but jealous and watchful of one another. A kindly king allows Aeneas and his group sanctuary, giving them land to settle and hope of a brighter future. But when the old king's trusted advisor is treacherously slain by the evil upstart Tourno, a civil war erupts. Though the disruption that follows, the royal princess Lavinia, keeps her faith in Aeneas, and pledges her love for him, before a climatic one on one duel between him and Tourno. The outcome will settle the future of all the peoples of Latium. The film which is one of the slew of sword and sandal epics that followed the success of the original Steve Reeves' classic, "Hercules," is a bit too staid and static to reach the level of excitement of that film and it's equally exciting sequel, "Hercules Unchained." One can feel the director reaching for respectability, but falling a bit short. Action scenes are few and only the final duel is truly engaging. Well mounted for it's time, and with a captivating score, but the DVD copies in circulation seem to be copied from pan and scan video tapes, and with color sadly faded, I would recommend this effort only to true fans of the genre. Other audiences will likely be disappointed. There is one haunting scene that deserves mentioning. When Aeneas visits the palace of the old king, he is shown a room decorated with murals depicting legendary scenes from the Trojan War... famous battles, the deaths of Hector and Achilles, the Trojan horse and the burning of the city. It is heart-rending to him to see his own tragic past so vividly presented as the stuff of legends. (Sorry, but the Rotten Tomatoes page on this film carries no image.)