Damon and Pythias (film)

Damon and Pythias
Damon and Pythias
Directed by	Curtis Bernhardt
Written by	Samuel Marx (story); Samuel Marx (screenplay) ; Franco Riganti (screenplay); Paola Ojetti/Franco Riganti (dialogue: Italian version); Bridget Boland (dialogue: English version)
Produced by	Sam Jaffe (associate producer); Samuel Marx (associate producer)
Cinematography	Aldo Tonti
Edited by	Niccolò Lazzari
Music by	Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	1962;
Running time	101 minutes (Italy); 99 minutes (U.S.)
Countries	Italy; United States
Language	English

Il tiranno di Siracusa (English Release Title: Damon and Pythias) is a 1962 Italian/American film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. The film is based on the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias, and set during the reign of Dionysius I of Syracuse (432-367 BC).

Plot summary[]

In ancient Greece, Pythias from Athens is on a trip to Syracuse. The tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse sees him as a dangerous follower of the philosopher Pythagoras and condemns him to death.

Pythias begs Dionysus to allow him to visit his wife in Athens promising to return to Syracuse to be executed. Pythias' friend Damon volunteers to be held hostage until Pythias returns. Dionysius sees this as the opportunity to demonstrate the falsity of Pythagoras' philosophy.

Dionysius allows Pythias to leave but does not expect him to return. Dionysius prepares to execute Damon, but at the last minute, Pythias returns to take Damon's place before the executioner. The tyrant's son intervenes and Damon and Pythias are both spared.

Cast[]

Guy Williams as Damon
Don Burnett as Pythias
Ilaria Occhini as Nerissa
Liana Orfei as Adriana
Marina Berti as Mereka - Nerissa's Friend
Arnoldo Foà as Dionysius the Tyrant
Carlo Giustini as Cariso
Aldo Silvani as Patriarch
Andrea Bosic as Arcanos
Franco Fantasia as Rumius the Fencing Master
Lawrence Montaigne as Flute Player
Enrico Glori as Nikos
Gianni Bonagura as Philemon
Carolyn De Fonseca as Chloe
Carlo Rizzo as Libia

Production[]

Jaffe and Marx wanted the leads played by John Gavin and James Garner.^[1]

Reception[]

The film made a profit of $6,000.^[2]

Release[]

The international distribution was taken over by MGM.^[3]

Biography[]

Hughes, Howard (2011). Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult. London - New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-608-0.

References[]

^ Garner and Gavin Sought as Costars: Wanted as 'Damon and Pythias'; Red Skelton's Friends Rallying Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times 23 Dec 1960: A4.
^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Hughes, p.53

External links[]

Damon and Pythias at IMDb
Damon and Pythias is available for free download at the Internet Archive

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[1] Garner and Gavin Sought as Costars: Wanted as 'Damon and Pythias'; Red Skelton's Friends Rallying Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times 23 Dec 1960: A4.

[Mannix-2] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[3] Hughes, p.53

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