Duel of Champions

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Duel of Champions is a 1961 Italian-Albanian historical epic about the Roman legends of the Horatii and the Curatii. The story follows three brothers from Rome (the Horatii) and three brothers from Alba Longa (the Curatii) who duel to decide which city will rule both nations. Horatio, a Roman hero, returns to fight after being wrongly mocked as a coward. In the end, he fights alongside his brothers, and all three Alban brothers are killed, including Curiazio, who loves Horatio’s sister Horatia. Horatia dies after learning of Curiazio’s death, and Horatio is free to marry Marcia.

The film was directed by Ferdinando Baldi and Terence Young, with a screenplay by Ennio De Concini, Carlo Lizzani, Giuliano Montaldo, and Luciano Vincenzoni. It was shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, with additional filming in Yugoslavia. It was produced by Lux Film with cooperation from Tiberia Films, aiming at international audiences. The movie, originally titled Horatio, was also released as Ojario and The Gladiator of Rome. It stars Alan Ladd (as Horatio) along with Franca Bettoia, Franco Fabrizi, Robert Keith, Luciano Marin, and Jacques Sernas. Running time is 90 minutes, and the language is Italian and English. Alan Ladd briefly left the set over pay issues and later quipped about having an “iron contract.”