Jack Palance was the main reason I wanted to see Sword of the Conqueror in the first film. While Sword of the Conqueror is forgettable and less than brilliant, provoking a mixed reaction from me, it is a long way from a bad film.Sword of the Conqueror looks great, the sets are splendidly crafted, the colours are rich and the film's beautifully filmed. It's also rousingly scored, Alboino and Rosmunda are interesting characters and their chemistry has a nice degree of tension.The cast are mostly fine, with the most memorable being a splendidly over-the-top but also sinister Jack Palance(reminding one how good he was playing villains), there have been some instances where he is so much so it takes one out the film but that is not the case in Sword of the Conqueror, this is one such case where he is a lot of fun to watch and makes the film more interesting than it is. Eleonora Rossi Drago is very sensual and like Palance sinks her teeth into the role of Rosmunda and Vitorrio Sanipoli, Carlo D'Angelo and Raf Baldassarre are decent in supporting roles.Guy Madison however goes through the motions and looks bored, the character felt a little underwritten too. The script lacks flow and can be superficially melodramatic and aside from the chemistry between Alboino and Rosmunda the story doesn't really compel. The storytelling is not much new and pedestrian in pace and the action at times is chaotic and lacking in tension.In conclusion, Sword of the Conqueror is not bad and has a good amount to recommend but at the end of the day to me it just felt rather forgettable. 5.5/10

If you want to see a sort of 'remake' of this film, albeit in about 6 minutes, go to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0pF7HlZ9cUwhere the Aunty Jack team over-dubbed it for Australian audiences, around 1971. The plot and name are changed a bit: "Herco the Magnificent", where Herco Barbuto is fighting his evil brother Euripides for the name of their father's fruit shop, Barbuto's Fruitarama. Some great lines: "You reckon Herco can grow a better apple? Well clap your eyes on that!" "Bring on the surfies!" "It's a bone china beer mug!" (Shirl's father's skull) "She must have a gut like a gorilla." As Euripides is stabbed by Shirl: "I've heard of pinning the tail on the donkey, but this is ridiculous." As he falls dead to the floor: "Never could hold his grog."This style of 'remake' pre-dated the work of Double Take by about a decade. Double Take would take a forgettable film and re-dub it in its entirely, live in the cinema. They would draw attention to the gaffes and continuity errors.There is a place for poor (and even awful) films, but it may not be the one that the original makers intended.

I first saw this movie about 20 years ago, and I recently found a tape of it, so I can now enjoy it whenever I want, although I close the curtains and lock the doors so no one can see me.Judged against other sword and sandal flicks, this is pretty good. The production values are better than average, and the acting and direction at least try. However, in some ways, this is an odd movie. The heroine is in love with Guy Madison's character (Amalchi), and Palance is the ostensible villain (who kills her father and forces her to marry him). But Amalchi is such a whiner, and seems so ineffective, that her love for him is incomprehensible. On the other hand, Alboin (Palance) does do some villainous acts: invading the kingdom, killing the heroine's father, etc. But it's made clear from the very beginning that he and everybody else are being manipulated into war and hatred by the slimy machinations of the king's adviser (who is secretly in the pay of the Byzantine emperor). *****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT****** So, at the end of the movie, when the heroine kills Alboin and marries Amalchi, you are left there asking, "Is this really a happy ending?" Alboin came across as a smart, shrewd ruler, and all that Amalchi has going for him is that he knocked up the heroine before the movie started. Not only that, but the Byzantine emperor is still out there scheming to destroy our happy pair, and let's face it, Amalchi is useless. Every time I watch it, I hope that Rozmunda ditches the loser and makes it with Alboin, for a truly happy ending.

Taking place in the year of our Lord 566., this Titanus production stars the incomparable Jack Palance as 'Alboin, Konig der Langobarden'. Ravaging the country during the opening credits, this barbarous war lord has his eyes set on princess Rosmunda (Eleonora Rossi Drago) and her father agrees to a marriage of convenience. This is merely so she can't be with her one true love Amalchi (Guy Madison), who has already passed every fairy tail test her daddy came up with. Instead the good king almost puts Amal into an Iron Maiden before he catches on to the Barbarian opportunity. After this I will not be mentioning any more character names, as they are far to confusing and similar sounding. There are too many talky scenes taking place in tents, only occasionally interrupted by fighting. At one point even Palance has had enough and starts a gladiator contest inside his briefing tent. None of the other guys in this meeting interfere when the lead warrior takes on one of his most trusted advisers. They say Jack's over acting borders on self parody, but this is less apparent in the German dub I saw, because here Palance had rather a sissy voice. The one exception is his final scene, but isn't every actor allowed to go OTT when the end is near? Anyhow, our Pally kills the king and leaves Amalchi floating in the river. When the widow queen proves herself a big blabbermouth, Alboino bribes Rosmunda into marrying him on account of her bastard baby (by Amalchi). The mighty Alboingo claims to know everything yet still misses the fact that the young hero has escaped to start some revolting developments. Some time later, under yet another piece of draped cloth, Albonio is trying to convince Rosmunda he is not an animal, but the next king (she is still the heir to the throne). So he takes her on a romantic date watching her people being thrown to the lions. Rightfully suspecting Rosmunda of waiting for an opportunity to kill him, King Jack gives her several tests, including sentencing her servants to death and forcing her to drink from her fathers jewel embedded skull, When their wedding day finally comes, he goes out to hunt some more of her former subjects, giving the righteous Amalchi the opportunity to enter the castle by (wait for it) a hidden passage known only to his pals from the peasant resistance. The wedding orgy turns into a spectacular sprawling mess, but nothing compares to the final scene I more or less spoiled somewhere during the last paragraph. 6 out of 10