URSUS IN THE VALLEY OF LIONS (1961)

 

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *sociological*

A note on two of the tropes mentioned here: the only thing that's uncanny about the titular lions in this flick is that they manage to raise a human baby to become a big strapping muscleman, who, unlike the lions, wears clothes before he ever meets people. The "bizarre crime" referenced is that old peplum favorite the "tug-o-war" between a muscleman and some incredible opponent. Sometimes I subsume these under "diabolical devices," as when the hero's being pulled into a wall of spikes. Here the villain forces a bunch of ordinary people to play a tug-o-war with a brace of elephants trying to drag the people into a blazing inferno. Crime yes, device no.

At any rate this fourth outing gave Ursus an origin of sorts, though the writers weren't really making any attempt at a "continuity" for the character. For one thing, the hero of the first film seems to be a peasant who's extremely strong for no particular reason. VALLEY makes Baby Ursus the last surviving member of a royal line overthrown by a pretender named Ajak (Alberto Lupo). The baby survives Ajak's usurpation and through various contrivances ends up in the care of a pride of lions. Twenty-something years later, Ursus dwells in the pride's valley, having no contact with other humans until a slave-caravan breaks down. This scene provides the film's only humor, as the aggrieved master of the caravan complains about his ill fortune that has prevented him selling his slaves in the nearest big city-- also the city where Ajak reigns. But the most important thing is that among the female slaves are the movie's Good Girl and Bad Girl, Annia (Mariangela Giordano) and Diar (Moira Orfei). There's just enough to establish that Diar nurses a deep resentment for Annia before Ursus takes a fancy to Annia and whisks her away to his lair to become his mate. (No sexy scenes here of course: all Annia is seen to do is cook for the big guy.)

Diar is sold to Ajak's court, but in dealing with the slave-master Ajak beholds a medallion the slaver got from Ursus. Ajak realizes that it's an emblem of the royal family he deposed, so he's anxious to wipe out the last trace of any rivals. Diar, ambitious to rise above her station, volunteers to help the evil ruler find Ursus.

The main hero gets a smattering of fight-scenes here, particularly when he has to employ his strength against that brace of elephants, but as a character he's a cipher. The dramatic meat of this opus is between the two females, particularly when Diar, a slave all her life, reveals that her resentment stems from knowing that Annia was a royal at some time in the past. Diar's resentment, though, blinds her to Ajak's treachery and she meets the usual bad end, though only after she's been of help to the hero.

The "Tarzan" borrowings don't do anything to make VALLEY more than a thoroughly average peplum, distinguished only by the hotness of Orfei and Giordano.