EDITOR’S NOTE: As the journey through Cannon continues, this week we’re exploring the films of 21st Century Film Corporation, which would be the company that Menahem Golan would take over after Cannon. Formed by Tom Ward and Art Schweitzer in 1971 (or 1976, there are some disputed expert opinions), 21st Century had a great logo and released some wild stuff.

Of all the weird releases of 21st Century, how and why did they re-release Aida?

Renata Tebaldi and Gina Lollobrigida were originally cast to play Aida. Some say that Gina turned this down because she didn’t want to be dubbed by Renata Tebaldi, who sings all of the opera in this. Loren took the part, her first starring role, because “I couldn’t afford to be so proud.”

Directed and written by Clemente Fracassi, this is the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. This takes some of the action and scope of peplum and the class of opera, which were being filmed in Italy at this time.

Aida was once an Ethiopian princes but is now a slave. Despite the war against her country, she has fallen for one of the enemy Radames (Luciano Della Marra with the singing voice of Giuseppe Campora), who is also in love with Princess Amneris (Lois Maxwell — Moneypenny? — with the voice of Ebe Stegnani).

The odd thing today is that Loren is in blackface. It looks quite odd not just because of how much the world has changed but for how badly it is applied.

21st Century re-released this in 1982.

You can watch this on YouTube.