Attila | |
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Directed by | Pietro Francisci |
Produced by |
Dino De Laurentiis Carlo Ponti |
Written by |
Ennio De Concini Richard C. Sarafian Primo Zeglio |
Starring |
Anthony Quinn Sophia Loren |
Music by | Enzo Masetti |
Cinematography | Aldo Tonti |
Edited by | Leo Catozzo |
Distributed by | Embassy (US) |
Release date
|
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Running time
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118 minutes 79 minutes (cut edition) |
Country | Italy, France |
Language | Italian |
Budget | ₤450 million(US$720,000) |
Box office | $2 million (US) |
Attila (Italian: Attila, il flagello di Dio; French: Attila fléau de Dieu) is a 1954 Franco-Italian film co-production, directed by Pietro Francisci and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. Based on the life of Attila the Hun, it stars Anthony Quinn as Attila and Sophia Loren as Honoria, with Henri Vidal, Irene Papas, Ettore Manni and Christian Marquand. Scott Marlowe (1932–2001) made his screen debut in this film. It was an enormous box-office success, earning $2 million in the first ten days of its release. Along with The Pride and the Passion and Houseboat it was Loren's biggest success in the 1950s.
The story is set in 450 A.D. The Huns, a horde of barbarians from the distant plains of Asia, move toward the rich western lands of Germania, led by a savage chief, Attila.
Flavius Aetius, a Roman general, is the only person who knows Attila since he was in a continuation of legation with the Huns for years. Aetius and his companion Prisco carry a message from the Roman emperor Valentinian III to the Hun's king Rua. After reaching their palace, Aetius learns that the king died, and that two brothers Bleda and Attila are now ruling the Hun kingdom. Bleda favours peace and tolerance, but Attila is at odds with him, and tensions develop. Yet Aetius knows to make an alliance between the Western Roman Empire and the Huns.