''Messalina'' ( it, Messalina Venere imperatrice) is a 1960 Italian ''peplum'' film directed by

Vittorio Cottafavi Vittorio Cottafavi (30 January 1914 – 14 December 1998) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1943 and 1985. His film '' Il diavolo sulle colline'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at th ...

Plot

After the death of the Emperor Caligula, Claudius is chosen to replace him. Claudius decides to take a new wife, the Vestal Virgin Messalina, the niece of Augustus Caesar. The night before the wedding Messalina murders a noble via poison. An assassin is sent to kill Messalina; she seduces him, has him killed and presents his severed head.

Cast

Belinda Lee Belinda Lee (15 June 193512 March 1961) was an English actress. A profile for the British Film Institute's Screenonline website asserts: "of all the Rank Organisation's starlets, Belinda Lee stands out as the most notorious, yet paradoxically ...

Valeria Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputatio ...

Spiros Focás Spiros Focás ( el, Σπύρος Φωκάς; born 17 August 1937) is a Greek actor. Selected filmography * (1959) - Giannos * (1959) - Tasos Lygos * (1959) - Alekos * '' Death of a Friend'' (1959) - Bruno * (1960) - Lucio Massimo * '' Rocco ...

as Lucius Maximus *

Carlo Giustini Carlo Giustini (born 4 May 1923), sometimes credited as Carlo Justini, is an Italian retired actor. Life and career Born in Viterbo, the son of a railway employee, Giustini debuted at twenty years old in ''The Materassi Sisters'', after having ...

as Lucius Geta (as Carlo Justini) *

Giancarlo Sbragia Giancarlo Sbragia (14 March 1926 – 28 June 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor, stage director and playwright. Life and career Born in Rome, Sbragia graduated at the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947, and debuted on sta ...

as Aulo Celso (as Gian Carlo Sbragia) *

Arturo Dominici Arturo Dominici (2 January 1916 – 7 September 1992) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Palermo, Dominici became best known for his many villainous roles in horror and fantasy films. He is best remembered for ...

as Gaius Lilius *

Giulio Donnini Giulio Donnini (born 17 February 1924) is an Italian film actor. Life and career Born in Milan, Donnini made his film debut in 1946, in Giacomo Gentilomo's ''Teheran''. He got his first mayor role two years later, playing the epileptic murdere ...

as Narcissus *

Ida Galli Ida Galli is an Italian film actress best known for her roles in Spaghetti Western and giallo films in the 1960s and 1970s. Galli has appeared under several pseudonyms, including Arianna, Evelyn Stewart and Isli Oberon. Extremely prolific, som ...

as Silvia *

Mino Doro Mino Doro (6 May 1903 – 13 April 1992) was an Italian actor who appeared in more than a hundred films between 1932 and 1970. Doro generally played supporting and character roles. He appeared as a blackshirt in the 1934 Fascist propaganda fi ...

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

Giuliano Gemma Giuliano Gemma (2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's ''A Pistol for Ringo'' (1 ...

as Marcellus *

Annie Gorassini Annie Gorassini (born 8 January 1941 in Milan) is an Italian actress and singer, originally a participant in the 1957 Miss World beauty pageant, she went on to star in ''Messalina'' (1960), '' Vulcan, Son of Giove'' (1962), '' 8½'' (1963), and ' ...

as Courtisan lover of Aulo Ceso *

Lia Angeleri Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In America, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornelia, Ophelia, Rosa ...

as Vipidia *

Aroldo Tieri Aroldo Tieri (28 August 1917 – 28 December 2006) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1939 and 1969. Life and career Born in Corigliano Calabro, son of the journalist and playwright Vincenzo Tieri, Aroldo Tieri ...

as Pirgo Pollinice *

Vittorio Congia Vittorio Congia (4 November 1930 – 26 November 2019) was an Italian film actor and dubber.Paola Pitagora Paola Pitagora (born 24 August 1941) is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in 50 films since 1959. Biography Born in Parma, Pitagora attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and the acting school by Alessandro Fersen. In 1960 s ...

(as Paola Gargeloni) *

Bruno Scipioni Bruno Scipioni (29 July 1934 – 5 December 2019) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Rome, Scipioni graduated in accountancy and then, in 1958, he attended the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He started his film caree ...

Production

Belinda Lee's casting was announced in July 1959. ''Messalina'' was shot at Cinecitta Studios in Rome in November-December 1959. It was the first notable role for Giuliano Gemma.

Release

''Messalina'' was released in Italy on 12 March 1960 with a 96-minute running time. It was released in the United States in 1962 with an 84-minute running time.

Reception

'' FilmInk'' called the film "The most fun of Lee’s European movies", "a silly sword and sandal epic with Lee having a high old time as the notorious empress, taking milk baths and seducing gladiators." Film critic Gary Smith wrote that:

Of the many screen interpretations of Messalina this is probably the most satisfying due to the casting of
Belinda Lee Belinda Lee (15 June 193512 March 1961) was an English actress. A profile for the British Film Institute's Screenonline website asserts: "of all the Rank Organisation's starlets, Belinda Lee stands out as the most notorious, yet paradoxically ...
in the title role. This is not to suggest that ''Messalina'' is the most historically accurate or even the best produced version, but Belinda Lee’s pagan beauty seems to exude wantonness, and this is just the right quality needed for a successful portrayal of Rome’s most dissolute em- press. Lee, who played a number of memorable screen temptresses in her brief film career, including
Lucretia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...
in ''
The Nights of Lucretia Borgia ''The Nights of Lucretia Borgia'' is a 1959 Italian film. It was also known as Le notti di Lucrezia Borgia and Nights of Temptation. It was one of a series of sexually aggressive characters Lee played in European movies. Plot Diana d'Alva is part ...
'' and
Potiphar Potiphar ( ; Egyptian origin: ''pꜣ-dj-pꜣ-rꜥ'' "he whom Ra gave") is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Potiphar is possibly the same name as Potiphera () from Late Egyptian ''pꜣ-dj-pꜣ-rꜥ'' "he whom Ra has given." Potiphar ...
’s wife in ''
Joseph and His Brethren ''Joseph'' ( HWV 59) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel completed in the summer of 1743. ''Joseph'' is composed to an English language libretto by the Reverend James Miller, based on Apostolo Zeno's Italian language libretto for ''Gius ...
'', had beauty and charisma.

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Messalina
at BFI
Messalina
at Letterbox DVD 1960 films 1960s historical films 1960s biographical films Italian biographical films Peplum films Films directed by Vittorio Cottafavi Films set in ancient Rome Films set in the Roman Empire Films set in the 1st century Cultural depictions of Messalina Cultural depictions of Claudius Films scored by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino Sword and sandal films 1960s Italian-language films 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-film-stub