A typical peplum adventure, in that it follows the simple peplum formula of having the same kind of plot as all the other films in the genre, but changing the characters and setting to make it look different. What makes this film particularly interesting is the hero, Ursus, who seems to be a mythic Italian variation on the character of Tarzan, in that he was brought up by lions (how?) in a cave and has had little human contact in his life. Of course, he also wanders around in a loincloth a lot too, which brings the comparison even closer to home.I loved a scene at the beginning of the film, which runs for over five minutes, and just shows Ursus hanging out with a pride of lions. Well, it's not actually Ursus who comes into contact with the lions, but clever cutting will make you think that it is. This period just shows him playing with the lions, making amusing dubbed remarks, and pulling their tails. Soon afterwards the generic storyline of a cruel ruler and rebellion is dragged in for the umpteenth time, and unfortunately this bogs down a larger part of the middle of the film. Thankfully things pick up again for the action-orientated finale.After being chained in a dungeon (a very spooky dungeon actually, which wouldn't look out of place in a Gothic - possibly it may have been left over from one of them), Ursus is freed by a rebel woman from his chains. Our faith in his power is considerably diminished in this scene, as other heroes, such as Gordon Scott or Gordon Mitchell, would have surely had the strength to rip the chains off themselves. Our faith is restored almost immediately when Ursus battles a squad of soldiers and pulls a load of bricks out of the wall, causing part of the dungeon to collapse.Afterwards, he manages to infiltrate the dungeons from outside once more, and accidentally falls into a pit of hyenas in what is arguably the film's most exciting scene; these hyenas are vicious, horrible animals and it looks like the stuntman who tamed them was in real danger. After defeating all the hyenas (and throwing an enemy to them, in what seems to be an unusually harsh action for a good-natured hero) Ursus must then battle three or four elephants who threaten to drag his friends into a flaming pit of fire. You can just tell that today, this guy would be perfectly at home hosting a nature documentary on a cable channel.As for everything else, the direction is okay but the acting is not; in fact, even for a dubbed Italian flick like this, the acting is below standard. Ed Fury is a particularly wooden muscular lunk, and probably the worst hero I've seen in a peplum film. He has to be given orders constantly and seems unable to think for himself; that childhood being reared by lions must have affected his brain somehow. Sure, he has the physique for the film, but just not the acting experience to carry it off, and his presence is a less than imposing one. The chief villain is distinctly unmemorable, and disappointing, and the females are just as bad. Yet another case of "pretty faces, no talent". The only other item which may be of interest to horror fans is the crediting of one Ruggero Deodato as assistant director - yes, the infamous director cut his teeth on these Italian spectacles before moving into the cannibal genre for which he is mainly known. This isn't a totally bad peplum flick, just one that's a bit unimpressive in places.

I can't help it. I can't.In spite of all of its many flaws and inadequacies, I quite enjoyed Ursus In The Valley Of The Lions (UITVOL). Of course, muscle-man Ed Fury, as Ursus, was this film's main attraction. Without Fury UITVOL (with its inferior "everything") wouldn't have amounted to very much as worthwhile entertainment.UITVOL's story has a lot more in common with that of Tarzan rather than it does with Hercules.Though he doesn't know it (until much later), Ursus is of noble blood. As a wee baby both his parents (the King and Queen of Atlea) were savagely murdered when evil King Simud ordered his ruthless army to conquer their tiny kingdom.Shortly after this tragedy occurs Ursus is taken under the care of a pride of lions, who, instead of eating him up for a snack, raise him to adulthood as though he were one of their own.Years later, now fully-grown, the brutally handsome and powerfully strong, (prince) Ursus soon ventures out to discover the great, big world beyond his home of the lion pride.At this point evil King Simud plots to eliminate our hero Ursus, thus preventing him from reclaiming his royal birthright.Released in 1961 - UITVOL, featuring a mighty impressive Ed Fury, is a fairly entertaining "Sword And Sandal" Epic-Adventure. But, with that all said, I sure am curious to know which one of those absolutely darling lions it was who cut Ursus' hair, regularly shaved him, taught him to speak perfect English and picked out his footwear for him.

The second film in Ed Fury's "Ursus" trilogy, (though there's little in the way of story-line to connect the three movies), begins with an obligatory setting-the-scene prologue which establishes the infant Ursus as the true heir of a kingdom overrun and conquered by a villainous barbarian. Though faithful subjects manage to smuggle the infant Ursus out of the besieged city in a basket, the basket tumbles into the lair of a pride of lions and the lost heir soon becomes nothing more than the subject of wistful rumor and legend. Mercifully the movie quickly jumps forward to the adult Ursus, now grown into a strapping though naive young man who learned his language skills from men in passing caravans. Up to this point the second "Ursus" movie has shown little promise, primarily because the lions which raised our hero look and act like lethargic, second-rate sideshow attractions rather than wildly magnificent Kings of the Beasts. Then we have a routine sequence in which Ursus acquires a slave girl from a passing trader. However, once the evil usurper learns that the rightful occupant of his throne is alive in the land, various elements of the movie finally come together to create a lively and entertaining entry in the sword-and-sandal cycle. One element worth noting here are the two "beefcake-bondage" sequences which are among the best such sequences to be found in the whole gamut of this genre. In the first, a peplum-wearing Ursus -- played, of course, by Ed Fury -- stands as a captive in the usurper's court. A length of wood, (perhaps too thin for this purpose), has been bound to the backs of his outstretched arms. Chains around his wrists and ankles are held by nervous-looking soldiers. Other soldiers guard him with spears pointed menacingly toward him. The usurper taunts him but Ursus remains defiant. Later, having been taken to a torch-lit dungeon, the sweaty Ursus stands with outstretched arms chained to the stone walls. That wooden pole has been removed from his shoulders but a metal ring now encircles his neck and a chain attached to this ring leads up to the ceiling. Two long pieces of wood are fitted around his ankles, preventing him from kicking or changing position. Fury, about 32 or 33 years old at this time, is only ever-so-slightly past his prime -- his waist looks a bit thick -- but he's still a compelling hunk of manhood and his bondage poses are of iconic quality. What's more, his nipples are dark and sharply-defined against his skin. Unfortunately, there's no actual torture here, unlike the other two Ursus movies in which a series of whiplashes play a symphony of pain on Ed Fury's bare back as he's forced to turn grindstones. (As other reviewers have pointed out, the print under discussion here has lamentably faded into muddy-looking sepia tones.)

This was Ed Fury's second film in the Ursus character, and in this one we learn that Ursus, of noble blood, was raised among lions. When he enters the "human" world, he is wide-eyed and naive, but gradually adapts to the ways of the world, saves a beautiful woman who loves him, and overthrows an evil dictator. Fury plays the various phases of the character's evolution (from naivete to a kind of disgusted smirking to a regal heroic bearing) well. The scenes among the lions and the wolves will be an easy mark for those who want to nit-pick, but the techniques used here will be familiar to any fan of low budget films and won't bother anyone familiar with the concept of "willing suspension of disbelief." As is common among budget-conscious Italian "spectacle" films, the art direction and production design are quite imaginative and suggest a lot for a few lira. I've got to give some credit to a film that takes a lot of chances, and this film is, like an old serial, so over-the-top in its entertainment value that anyone looking to have some fun and set aside any critical questions should have an enjoyable 90 minutes with Ed Fury and crew. I've been digging out the old Ed Fury films recently, and I must say that he brings a special charm to the peplum genre--it was nice to see him honored with a retrospective at UCLA last year. Director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia has credits dating back to the 1930s, but his 1960s credits tend to be costume adventures and comedies. With this film, he's created a unique mix of peplum heroics, fantasy, and wit that I found quite entertaining.