''Gladiators 7'' is a 1962 film directed by

Pedro Lazaga Pedro Lazaga Sabater (3 October 1918 – 30 November 1979) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 90 films between 1948 and 1979. Selected filmography * '' The Black Siren'' (1947) * '' María Morena'' (1951 ...

. The film has several elements from

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's film ''

The Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...

''.

Plot

A Greek gladiator seeks revenge for the murder of his father and finds his lover captured by an evil tyrant.

Cast

* Richard Harrison as Darius *

Loredana Nusciak Loredana Nusciak (born Loredana Cappelletti; 3 May 1942 – 12 July 2006) was an Italian actress and model. Biography Born in Trieste, she won the beauty contest "Miss Trieste" in 1959, while still a high school student. After making her film deb ...

as Aglaia *

Livio Lorenzon Livio Lorenzon (6 May 1923 – 23 December 1971) was an Italian actor who was mainly active during the 1950s and 1960s. Biography He played minor roles in some memorable commedia all'Italiana movies directed by the likes of Dino Risi and ...

as Panurgus *

Gérard Tichy Gerard Tichy (also Gérard Tichy, Gerhard Tichi and Gerardo Tichy, 11 March 1920 – 11 April 1992) was a Spanish actor of German descent, who appeared in numerous movies, including several international productions. He was born in Weißenfels ...

as Hiarba *

Edoardo Toniolo Edoardo Toniolo (22 November 1907 - 31 December 1986) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Turin, the son of the stage actors Antonio and Rosa Rosaz, at young age Toniolo debuted on stage in supporting roles. He late ...

as Milon *José Marco as Xeno * Barta Barri as Flaccus *

Nazzareno Zamperla Nazzareno Zamperla (25 April 1937 – 19 March 2020) was an Italian actor and stuntman. Career Born in Treviso into a circus family, Zamperla came to Rome in 1949 and worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s as a stunt performer. His focus was on ...

as Vargas (credited as Tony Zamperla) *Franca Badeschi as Licia *Enrique Ávila as Livius *

Antonio Molino Rojo Antonio Molino Rojo (14 September 1926 – 2 November 2011) was a Spanish film actor who appeared primarily in Spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography He made nearly 90 appearances in film between 1955 and 1988 but is probably mos ...

as Macrobius *Antonio Rubio as Mados *Emilia Wolkowicz as Ismere

Production

The film was partially shot on some of the locations where ''

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

'' was filmed. Parts of the film were shot in Spain.

Release

''Gladiators 7'' was released theatrically in Italy on 11 October 1962 with a 105 minute running time and in the United States on 6 May 1964 with a 92 minute running time.

Reception

In contemporary reviews, "Tube." of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' found the film to have a cliche screenplay with "stiff acting" and "mechanical dubbing". "Tube." noted that among the action sequences, the best involved a bout between a bull and a bare-handed gladiator but that the film was "erratic in tempo and dramatically heavyhanded." A review in the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' stated that "the customary ingredients of colour, passion, and swordplay, here lavishly applied, add up to a lighthearted and lusty swashbuckling film."

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * *

External links

* Italian drama films Spanish drama films Films shot in Spain Films with screenplays by Giovanni Grimaldi Films about gladiatorial combat 1960s Spanish films 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Spain-film-stub