Ursus in the Valley of the Lions is a 1961 Italian sword and sandal film starring Ed Fury as the titular Ursus, a strongman character in the same vein as Hercules. Ursus in the Valley of the Lions is an origin story of sorts, depicting Ursus as being raised by lions and eventually overthrowing the evil Ayak (Alberto Lupo) who usurped the kingdom from Ursus’ parents. What follows here are general and informal observations about the film.
In Chains
When Ursus is locked in Ayak’s dungeon, he is chained up in a fashion that mimic’s the iconic shot of Hercules (Steve Reeves) at the end of Hercules (1958): arms outstretched, chains pulled in opposite directions.
There is a major difference though: Hercules’ strength allows him to pull his chains and cause the pillars they are attached to to collapse. Ursus, on the other hand, is unable to break his bonds. Instead, Attea (Moira Orfei) frees him. This portrayl of Ursus diminishes the notion that the strong man in pepla are 100% independent and can rely solely on their body’s capabilities to best any situation. This dungeon scene, along with a scene later in the film where Simba the lion helps free Ursus from a cave, demonstrate that a strong man does, indeed, need the help of others. A better way to put it: as much as the strong man helps those in need, he, in turn, needs help when he is in need (and that is ok!).
Swordless and Sandals
Ursus doesn’t use a sword or any other melee weapons in the film. Aside from a few instances of improvisational weapons (such as the throwing of tables or other debris at attackers) Ursus relies entirely on fisticuffs in all his battles. This is exceptional, consideration a) his opponents typically have an arsenal of weapons (swords and nets) and b) being raised by lions he doesn’t really have a combat school to adhere to.
Tarzan and Romulus/Remus?
Some texts, such as the film’s Wikipedia entry and Barry Atkinson’s book Heroes Never Die! (pg 140) compare Ursus in this film to Tarzan in that both characters are considered feral children, with noble births, raised by animals (Ursus by lions and Tarzan by apes). Though the comparison is certainly apropos, it would be worthwhile to factor in the mythology of Romulus and Remus as well considering that many peplum films drew heavily from Grecian and Roman mythologies. Ursus’ upbringing, and eventual destiny, shares much in common with Romulus and Remus: as babies they represented threats to their respective kingdoms, they were raised by animals (lions/the she-wolf), and eventually go on to restore the throne to the proper heir. Echoes of Ursus (and Romulus and Remus) can also be found in episode four of the first season of the Netflix series Blood of Zeus where the character of Seraphim is also a baby that represents a threat to the throne and is eventually raised by bears.
The Revolt of the Slaves
The ending of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions shares similarities to The Revolt of the Slaves (1960). Both films end with rebels of sorts (Christians in Revolt and rebels proper in Ursus) being captured and put into an arena where many are burned alive for the amusement of others.
Depiction of Animals
As a low budget Italian genre film, it probably goes without saying that animals were, indeed, harmed in the making of this film. The beginning scenes showing Ursus trying to coerce a kiss from a lion who clearly didn’t want to give one, to the hyena pit, and the climatic end where elephants are forced down to their side. Of note when the film introduces an adult Ursus interacting with this lion family: any shots of Ed Fury’s face are close up with nary a lion in frame, while all instances of Ursus interacting with the lions are wide shots, with Ursus’ back to the audience. What can be inferred here is that these scenes don’t actually contain Ed Fury but an animal handler instead.
Some of the plot synopsis of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions claim that Lothar and his men kill all the lions (but Simba) by poisoning them. When Ursus finds the lions, they all appear to be on their sides in a drowsy state. Is can be surmised from the film that the lions were not killed, only tranquilized. Also, these are well kept lions and not dumb creatures, they can probably use their sense of smell to suss out that the meat they’ve been tossed is not consumable.
Ursus as a Hero and Political Leanings
Ursus is a hero with goals and motivations that seem to change throughout the film, which may be a combination of him adapting to the evolving narrative coupled with with his own naivety. The film implies Ursus is a feral child, raised by lions, however he contains a degree of civility, saying he has learned the language from caravans that pass by. The early scenes that show interactions between Ursus and the traveling slave trader convey that Ursus doesn’t know much about money or the value of objects (hence why he gives up his royal necklace so readily). However, there is a wink and a nod in the performance of Ed Fury that hints that Ursus knows more than he leads on, and is perhaps not as naive as the audience think he is.
Regardless, Ursus begins the film not as a hero and without a goal, save perhaps to make Annia (Mary Marlon) his love interest. When Annia is captured by Lothar (Gérard Herter) and his men, Ursus’ motivating goal is to rescue her. When brought before Ayak, Ursus’ goal now changes to vengeance, to kill Ayak. When finally freed and grouped with the rebels, Ursus states his revised motivation: “I didn’t come here to claim a throne, though your words touch me. I came for only one reason: to return all your lands to all of you, the rightful owners.”
As Michael C. Cornelius states in the introduction to Of Muscles and Men, one of the selling points of these peplum films is that (corrupt) empires topple (page 5) and certainly that occurs at the end of Ursus in the Valley of the Lions. Politically, the film is concerned with overthrowing overly maleficent dictators and warlords, but restoring the government back to one with a monarchy and landowners, probably a form of Feudalism.
Waterfalls of Monte Gelato
Towards the beginning of the film, Annia is swimming in a pool under a set of waterfalls. Later Lothar’s men attempt to capture Ursus here by throwing a net on him. These are the Waterfalls of Monte Gelato:
Lots of other films have been shot in these waterfalls. Other pepla filmed here include:
- Messalina (1960)