Ursus (also known as Mighty Ursus) is a 1961 Italian peplum film directed by Carlo Campogalliani. It was originally theatrically released in the US on a double bill with Jack, the Giant Killer (1962) before being sold to television in the U.S. The film was later released to American television retitled Ursus, Son of Hercules. First in the Ursus trilogy, followed by Ursus nella valle dei leoni (Italian release date: 21.12.1961; U.S. release as Ursus in the valley of the lions) and Ursus nella terra di fuoco (Italian release date: 08.1963; U.S. release as Ursus in the land of fire).
Filmed in Madrid in 1960, and released in Italy on 1 February 1961, this movie stars bodybuilder Ed Fury as the legendary Ursus, and Moira Orfei as the evil queen Attea, in a sword-and-sandal adventure. Ed Fury is the actor most often associated with the Ursus series, although he only played him in three of the nine films. The film is rife with villains, in the true peplum tradition, including Moira Orfei as the evil queen, Luis Prendes as the smarmy Setas, and Rafael Luis Calvo as Mok, the grand vizier.
A young Soledad Miranda plays the beautiful virgin Fillide who is to be sacrificed at the end of the film. Miranda was later "discovered" by Spanish horror film director Jesus Franco who used her in a number of his 1969-1970 productions, beginning with his 1970 opus Count Dracula. (She was killed in a car accident in 1970).
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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