Very enjoyable Douglas Sirk one and only foray into the sword and sandal genre. Competently made, it has a lush look though obviously made on a small budget. With the stilted dialogue one might expect of such a saga, it somehow remains credible though at times teeters precariously on the borders of camp.
Jeff Chandler turns in a solid performance delivering his lines with diction suited to Shakespeare. Panther like Jack Palance sporting a Fu Manchu moustache is perfectly suited to playing Atilla the Hun which he does with much relish. Despite the numerous forgettable roles in equally numerous trivial movies, one senses that there was something there that never quite came to fruition. The closest he came to really great acting was "The Big Knife" made the following year.
Although Sirk wasn't originally allotted to this movie, it would seem he was willing to try his hand in a genre new to him. As with his only western "Taza Son of Cochise", he proved himself able to work in the genre as well as most, though added little extra of any note.
Expertly filmed by the great Russell Metty who Sirk wisely used on most of his movies.
Jeff Chandler turns in a solid performance delivering his lines with diction suited to Shakespeare. Panther like Jack Palance sporting a Fu Manchu moustache is perfectly suited to playing Atilla the Hun which he does with much relish. Despite the numerous forgettable roles in equally numerous trivial movies, one senses that there was something there that never quite came to fruition. The closest he came to really great acting was "The Big Knife" made the following year.
Although Sirk wasn't originally allotted to this movie, it would seem he was willing to try his hand in a genre new to him. As with his only western "Taza Son of Cochise", he proved himself able to work in the genre as well as most, though added little extra of any note.
Expertly filmed by the great Russell Metty who Sirk wisely used on most of his movies.