Any biblical epic which features a eunuch in drag that resembles Harvey Korman on "The Carol Burnett Show" has to be seen to be believed. And any biblical epic which stars Joan Collins, of all people, as a Hebrew heroine is also bound to be fodder for all sorts of ridicule. Practically every woman in this film is a much over painted dark exotic beauty, abliet one obviously a bit older than Collins (presumably to make her look better), including the adulterous Persian Queen murdered so that King Xerses (Richard Egan) can choose a new one after returning home from battle only to discover his wife's trampy ways.
Slow and tedious, violent and brutal, yet lavishly filmed by veteran director Raoul Walsh, this is obviously the film that lost Collins the role of Cleopatra which she was rumored to be in consideration to take over when Elizabeth Taylor appeared too ill to continue. Collins was much more convincing as the Egyptian princess who schemed to become the Pharaoh's wife in "Land of the Pharaohs", which at least became a camp classic. Other than the presence of the drag queen eunuch who prepares all the candidates for the King's hand in marriage, there was not a bit of humor, even in the stupid dialog that was just dull rather than silly.
Slow and tedious, violent and brutal, yet lavishly filmed by veteran director Raoul Walsh, this is obviously the film that lost Collins the role of Cleopatra which she was rumored to be in consideration to take over when Elizabeth Taylor appeared too ill to continue. Collins was much more convincing as the Egyptian princess who schemed to become the Pharaoh's wife in "Land of the Pharaohs", which at least became a camp classic. Other than the presence of the drag queen eunuch who prepares all the candidates for the King's hand in marriage, there was not a bit of humor, even in the stupid dialog that was just dull rather than silly.