The Sword and the Cross

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia’s fourth and final film of 1958 was La spada e la croce, which also marked a return to the kind of historical adventures that he’d had some success with earlier in his career (Il falco rosso (49), A fil di spada (52), Il falco d’oro (55)). Unfortunately, though, it’s a rather flat affair and, although not badly made, it suffers in comparison with some of the more vibrant, modern films in the same general field that were being made in Italy at the time.