Charge of the Black Lancers

Some compare Giacomo Gentilomo to Vittorio Cottafavi ;their works, be they sword and sandals (peplum)or swashbucklers like this one were a notch or two above the usual stuff. The film features an international cast ,American Mel Ferrer , French Jean Claudio ,French -Italian Yvonne Furneaux,among Italian thespians as the supporting actors ,but does not suffer for it.

The duels and the charge of the lancers on the plain are well directed but the main interest is the two brothers' relationship : there's the good virtuous chivalrous Andrea (Ferrer) true to his country ,and the nasty ruthless go-getter Sergio (Claudio)who in fact looks like a pawn in the barbars queen 's game (Furneaux) as cruel and more sadistic than her lover ; it's a Lady Macbeth of sorts who,consumed with ambition, urges him to turn against the king of Poland who has chosen his brother as the commander in chief of the army ; sadism includes torture ,and flogging (I won't kill you,the wicked queen says to virtuous patriotic Mascia ,but I'll have you flogged every day!)

Besides the love/hate relationship Andrea/Sergio is more ambiguous than at face value ;their very last scene is revealing.