The Centurion

Jacques Sernas plays a Roman centurion sent to Corinth which, along with other Greek cities, is threatening to sever its ties with Rome. Diplomacy fails, revolt breaks out, and a Roman army must finally be brought in to restore order.

Despite being on different sides, Sernas and Genevieve Grad -- the daughter of Corinth's ruler -- manage to fall in love, and the ups-and-downs of their "forbidden" relationship provides much of the material for the movie's plot.

Although just one of the "Sword and Sandal" movies which came out of Italy following the worldwide success in 1958 of Steve Reeves' "Hercules," this entry in the cycle is done in a competent, efficient manner which neatly balances the "big" story of the revolt with the "personal" story of the Roman-boy-meets-Greek-girl romance. Scenes of armies on the march or in battle become a bit wearing, however, especially when accompanied by repetitious music.

One disappointment comes when Sernas is captured and thrown into prison by the Corinthians. One of these Corinthians then tells some cronies that the Roman prisoner has been whipped but still refuses to divulge necessary information. Rather than simply being told about this whipping, the movie should have provided a scene of Sernas, stripped to the waist and suspended by his wrists, writhing in pain as a whip slashes bloody cuts into his sweaty skin.

We do see him in prison after his whipping, with a few red marks on his arms and upper torso, but these marks don't really resemble whiplashes.

(Note: the opening titles spell "Centurion" as "Centurian.")