The Terror of the Steppes

4/19/2022

Now I suppose that after Hollywood gave us "The Conqueror" (1956) it is nigh on impossible to criticise any similar themed Peplum enterprise for bad as they might be, they cannot be any worse than that terrible effort from the "Duke". Indeed, Kirk Morris ("Sandar Khan") is probably just as wooden as he and his band capture the Princess "Samira" (Ombretta Colli). Initially they want to ransom her, but he has to change his plans when a surprise attack by her father all but wipes out his tribe. Of course, she feigns hostility towards her captor but as sure as the sun rises and sets, that dynamic changes - and that does not impress his erstwhile lady "Melina" (Moira Orfei) who is not a woman to be crossed. The story is actually quite adequate, but the production is shocking - and frequently si