I Am Semiramis

{{Infobox film | name = I Am Semiramis | image = I am Semiramis.jpg | alt = | caption = Film poster | director = Primo Zeglio | producer = | writer = Primo Zeglio <br> Luigi De Santis | screenplay = Fede Arnaud <br> Alberto Liberati | story = | based_on =  | narrator = | starring = Yvonne Furneaux<br>John Ericson | music = Carlo Savina | cinematography = Alvaro Mancori | editing = Alberto Gallitti | studio = Apo Films | distributor = Globe International Film | released = {{Film date|1963|||}} | runtime = 100 min | country = Italy | language = Italian <br> English | budget = | gross = }} '''''Io Semiramide''''' (AKA: '''''I Am Semiramis''''', AKA: '''''Slave Queen of Babylon''''', AKA: '''''Duelo de Reyes''''') is a 1963 Italian peplum film about Semiramis, a queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It was directed by Primo Zeglio.<ref>{{cite web|title=I Am Semiramis|website=mubi.com|url=https://mubi.com/films/slave-queen-of-babylon-i-am-semiramis-i-semiramis}}</ref> The legends are in part based on the historical Shammuramat, queen consort of Shamshi-Adad V and regent for her son Adad-nirari III.<ref>[https://www.worldhistory.org/Semiramis/ Semiramis] by Joshua J. Mark from Ancient History Encyclopedia</ref>

==Plot== During the reign of Semiramis, the beautiful queen of the Assyrian people, Assyria reaches one of the periods of greatest splendour, and to crown her successes she gives the order to build the great city of Babylon. A young woman of the court of great political ambition, Semiramis falls in love with Kir, a prince enslaved who reciprocates. Kir, king of the Dardanians, is defeated in combat by General Onnos during a military campaign launched by the latter against Nineveh in Assyria.

Reduced to slavery, Kir is taken with other slaves to the capital where the general presents his prizes to King Minurte. Semiramis persuades Minurte to offer him Kir and also obtains a domain. She employs her slaves, including Kir, to build a city that becomes Babylon. Meanwhile, she leads political machinations and alliances with Kir and Onnos in order to overthrow Minurte and take her place on the throne.

The conspirators manage to take Kir from the queen and convince him that he has been betrayed by Semiramis with another man. Furious, Kir takes charge of the conspiracy against his beloved. Discovering the truth, Semiramis poisons Kir by making him drink from a poisoned cup. Later, during the funeral, the queen is shot by an arrow thrown by the conspirators. The bodies of the two lovers are then burned together, united in death.<ref>[https://www.filmaffinity.com/ca/film669089.html Io Semiramide (I Am Semiramis)] by FilmAffinity.com</ref>

==Cast== *Yvonne Furneaux as "Semiramis" *John Ericson as "Kir" *Renzo Ricci as "Minurte" *Germano Longo as "Onnos" *Gianni Rizzo as "Ghelas" *John Bartha as "Althar" *Nino di Napoli as "Adath"

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Io, Semiramide}} * {{IMDb title|0056088|I Am Semiramis}}

Category:1963 historical films Category:1960s historical drama films Category:1963 films Category:1963 drama films Category:1960s adventure drama films Category:1960s action adventure films Category:1960s sword-and-sandal films Category:Historical epic films Category:Romantic epic films Category:Italian historical romance films Category:1960s historical romance films Category:Italian romantic drama films Category:Italian historical adventure films Category:Italian action adventure films Category:1963 Italian-language films Category:English-language Italian films Category:Films set in ancient Mesopotamia Category:Films about royalty Category:Films based on mythology Category:Films set in the 7th century BC Category:Films set in Babylon Category:Films directed by Primo Zeglio Category:Films scored by Carlo Savina Category:Films about conspiracy theories Category:Neo-Assyrian Empire Category:Films about Assyrians Category:1963 Italian films Category:Semiramis Category:Nineveh Category:English-language historical drama films