The Slave (The son of Spartacus) – Colosseo-Film (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1962
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Writers: Adriano Bolzoni, Giovanni Grimaldi, Bruno Corbucci
Cast: Steve Reeves, Jacques Sernas, Gianna Maria Canale, Claudio Gora, Ombretta Colli, Roland Bartrop, Franco Balducci, Enzo Fiermonte, Renato Baldini, Gloria Parri

Release Date: April 14th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: FSK 12 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German
Subtitles: English, Italian, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: 14,99 EUR

"In 48 BC, the young Roman centurion Randus was secretly sent by Julius Caesar to his adversary Crassus in Syria. There the centurion learns of his true origins: He is the son of the legendary slave leader Spartacus, who died on the cross in 71 BC after the defeat of his army in southern Italy. The son of Spartacus takes the side of the enslaved population. When Crassus finds out who is fighting him in the sign of Spartacus, Randus seems lost. But with the help of the beautiful slave girl Zaida, he can escape from his captors..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Slave comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB

Though no information is provided about this transfer source, it is in great shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image looks crisp, compression is very good, and though black levels fare well, there are a few instances where they are not as strong as they should be. Also, there are a few minor instances where the quality of the source drops. That said, when compared to other peplums that have made their way to Blu-ray, this transfer is one of the stronger ones.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and a DTS-HD mono mix in German. For this review, I only listened to the Italian and English tracks. These two tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or distortion. Also, dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. That said, the English-language track sounds more robust than the Italian-language track. Included are removable English, Italian, and German subtitles. The English subtitles appear to be a direct translation of the Italian track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (47 images - posters/stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), historical introduction (56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), an interview with Steve Reeves stunt double Giovanni Cianfriglia (7 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable German subtitles), a documentary about the peplum film genre titled Kino Kolossal (60 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German, no subtitles), reversible cover art, and a slipcase.

Summary:

Directed by Sergio Corbucci, who is most remembered for directing the nihilistic Spaghetti western Django. Key collaborators on The Slave include screenwriter Bruno Corbucci (Cop in Drag), cinematographer Enzo Barboni (My Name is Trinity), editor Ruggero Mastroianni (Conversation Piece), and composer Piero Piccioni (The 10th Victim).

Where far too many peplums rely more on the spectacle of what is occurring on screen. The Slave finds the perfect balance between well-rounded characters and spectacle. Also unlike many Italian films at the time, which often took titles from other similar movies that were successful at the time. This film makes a genuine attempt to be a film that stands on its own. Despite its main character being drawn from the ancestry of Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus.

The narrative does a superb job setting up who everyone is and what their motivations are. And it also throws in a few well-timed misdirections to keep things interesting throughout. And though there is a considerable amount of time spent building the main characters backstories, The action sequences never suffer, as they are all well executed and inventive. Another area in which this film often stands out from its contemporaries are its death scenes, most notably the way in which this film’s main villain is disposed of.

Without a doubt, Steve Reeves (Hercules) is the most recognizable face to ever appear in the Peplum genre, and The Slave would mark his final appearance in the genre that he has become synonymous with. Performance-wise, he gives what is arguably not only his strongest performance in a Peplum film, but what is easily his strongest performance of his career.

Performance-wise, the rest of the cast are all very good in their respective roles; unfortunately for them, Steve Reeves is just so damn good in this film that his performance towers head and shoulders above all the other performances in this film.

Not to be overlooked is Sergio Corbucci’s solid direction. The Slave also re-teams him with Steve Reeves, whom he had previously directed in the film Duel of the Titans. And though he is more known for his forays into the Spaghetti western and Poliziotteschi film genres, It is not hard to see his immersion style in The Slave when it comes to action and violent set pieces.

Though made near the end of the Peplum cycle in Italy, with the arrival of the Spaghetti western just around the corner, The Slave is a surprisingly strong entry in the Peplum genre.

The Slave gets a strong audio audio/video presentation from Colosseo-Film, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer