MESSALINA, IMPERIAL VENUS, (MESSALINA VENERE IMPERATRICE),Vittorio Cottafavi's classical movie loosley telling the story of the infamous Empress Messalina, the young woman who rocked the very foundations of Rome. The Emperor Caligula of Rome was killed by his Praetorian Guards and both they and the aristocrats are undecided who to elect next. Finally they reach a decision and the elderly Claudius becomes Emperor. Meanwhile there are already plots being made among the various factions in Rome. The aristocrat Suplicus, contacts the beautiful Valeria, (Belinda Lee),who is due to become a priestess of the Temple of Vesta, and he tells her of his plans to get Claudius to marry her so that he can use her position and take power in Rome. However Valeria has bigger plans of her own. In the garden of the Temple of Vesta, Valeria meets Lucius Maximus, (Spiros Focàs) whose risking his life in being there and they fall in love. It is decided that Claudius will marry Valeria Messalina, a cousin of Augustus Caesar and Nero On the night before her wedding she murders Suplicus. Lucius Maximus is sent campaigning in Armenia and returns to Rome to find Valeria but the priestesses at the temple won't let him in.? When he returns to Rome he finds that the woman he loves is now, Messalina, Empress of Rome, who is burning the Christian suburbs of Rome to gain riches. Not only do you get the evil and blood thirsty Messallina, you also get the most beautiful Belinda Lee in one of Peplum's more mature movies with lots of political intrigue and plenty of characterisation rather than the run of the mill monster/dragons and ridiculously impossible feats of strength. Though there is plenty of action, especially those of Claudius's ambush towards the end of the movie. The scene with the ballet dancers coming out of the barrel of wine and doing their pirouettes at Claudius's banquet seem out of place. It can seem insensitive though not to fall to the charm of Silvia, the young Christian girl who adores Lucius Maximus. All in all it is certainly one of the better Peplum films. It's certainly worth the watch. Brian Carruthers

To begin with, years ago I had watched a 1951 film (with Luis Bunuel alumni Maria Felix and Georges Marchal, the latter also a Cottafavi regular) about the same notorious historical figure – for the record, she would be played in the interim by Susan Hayward in DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (1954). I would love to be able to re-acquaint myself with that earlier version (incidentally, I still recall the protagonist's hysterical come-uppance) also for the sake of comparison with this one. By the way, the film under review makes for an indirect addition to my stalled Josef von Sternberg retrospective, given that it deals with the era of the Roman Emperor Claudius (though he is a rather ineffectual presence here). While I did manage to acquire a much-superior copy to the one I already owned in time for the Epic Easter marathon I have embarked upon all through this month, my viewing of it still did not occur under the most congenial of circumstances – as the English-dubbing left a lot to be desired!

The short-lived Belinda Lee is ideally-cast in the title role: Cecil B. De Mille had described Cleopatra – actually dealt with by Cottafavi in his subsequent effort LEGIONS OF THE NILE, released the same year and which I have just checked out – as "the wickedest woman of all time", but this epithet would serve this famous harlot ruler even better! Ordained to be a Vestal Virgin, she still manages to seduce her way to the throne (albeit ridding herself of any conquest/associate once his purpose is fulfilled) and even causes discord among childhood pals! The male lead, then, is Spiros Focas – why the role was not given to an Italian actor is a mystery, but he acquits himself quite well under the circumstances. The hero falls for Messalina before her ascent to power, which happens while the young officer is off to war; later, he even commits atrocities in her name – before being brought back to his senses as much by the death of a Senator friend as the love of a Christian girl played by a young Evelyn Stewart (still billed under her Italian birthname).

The rest of the cast includes: Giulio Donnini, a minor genre fixture as virtually the only man not to fall under Messalina's spell and, in fact, is the one to deal her the deadly blow; Arturo Dominici, who bafflingly exchanges loyalties along the way and even becomes Emperor prematurely (after an attempt on Claudius' life is thwarted but, ingeniously, he still sends news to Rome of its success!); and a pre-stardom Giuliano Gemma in a brief role early on as a would-be assassin, subsequently lover/victim, of Messalina's – his head being disdainfully presented on a plate to her befuddled enemies (with this in mind and in view of the vibrant colors on display here, one regrets the fact that Cottafavi steered clear of the horror genre throughout his career)!

In this opulent spectacle the corruption that was at the heart of the Roman Empire is embodied by the infamous empress Messalina, portrayed by Belinda Lee with surprising range from a vulnerable Vestal to the power mad, sexually insatiable, callous mudereress she supposedly became. If anything, the film underplays her infamy, though she is certainly evil enough.

In a memorable scene, a young would-be assassin (Giuliano Gemma) is lured into her bed only to be beheaded before fully awake the following morning. Messalina triumphantly parades into the palace quarters of the desperate plotters bearing the gift of his severed head. Spiros Focas is fine as the naif and devoted centurion who fell in love with her before the rot set in. As mounting evidence of her treachery and licentiousness builds, the enamored lover struggles to break free of her amorous toils and to eventually oppose her reign. Although present and participating in her last violent moments, he at last admits the necessity of her death.