(1964, Anamorphic Widescreen) Ray Danton, Franca Bettoia, Guy Madison, Mario Petri, Mino Doro. Ray Danton, as Sandokan, is perfectly cast as the dashing warrior and do-gooder. In this lively film, Sandokan’s beautiful future wife, Samoa (Bettoia) is kidnapped, hidden in a cave, and held under a hypnotic spell by her evil cousin, who seeks revenge against Sandokan. Accompanied by his European pal (Madison), Sandokan sets out to crush his enemies and rescue Samoa. They run into many obstacles along the way, including jungle moors, a vicious tiger, a python, quicksands, etc. This is all topped off by an action-filled climax where Sandokan and his pals are pitted against the Leopard of Sarawak and his hooligans. Watch for the water torture scene, which is one of the film’s best moments. As far as we know, this is the first release of this grand swashbuckler in English from color 35mm elements—and the print is just beautiful. A great addition to your sword & sandal collection.
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