Two Italian films tell quite different versions of the events that happened in Barletta.

ETTORE FIERAMOSCA (directed by Alessandro Blasetti, Italy 1938).
The famous film by Alessandro Blasetti, in which Fieramosca is played by a young Gino Cervi, is based on the novel by Massimo D’Azeglio, and not on historic facts. It is a romanticised version of the facts with veiled Fascist overtones. It is filmed in black and white, and, despite its anti-historicism, is not as tediously rhetorical as so many other products of the regime, but is the result of clear adhesion to the purest ideals of love for the fatherland. The film has stood the test of time well, and even today can be viewed as a fable from days gone by with a story that flows smoothly. >>>

IL SOLDATO DI VENTURA (directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, Italy 1975)
Pasquale Festa Campanile’s film is loosely based on the facts of the Challenge (many characters and episodes are pure fantasy), but it does maintain the salient elements such as La Motte’s insult to the Italian knights and the final challenge. Since the enormous Bud Spencer plays the part of Fieramosca it seemed natural to resolve the dispute not with swords, but with ...fists! The choice of Philippe Leroy in the role of La Motte is particularly appropriate. That talented actor from the other side of the Alps is perfect for portraying the haughty and arrogant character that the French captain undoubtedly was in reality. >>>