Clip of the week: SWORD OF DAMASCUS (1964)

Dance number! One of my favourite dances. With Luciana Gilli. The dancers costumes are from THE SON OF SPARTACUS (1962), modified slightly.

 

Blog's 15th anniversary: The Strange Casting of Genghis Khan

In celebration of the blog's 15th anniversary, I'm re-posting old posts. Here's a popular one I wrote back in 2011. Maybe I should do an update. 

Manuel Conde was the first to play Genghis Khan (according to IMDb). Manuel was born in the Philippines which, I guess, is the closest to Mongolia than any other actor.

Marvin Miller in THE GOLDEN HORDE

In possible the strangest casting decision ever, John Wayne played the legendary Mongolian ruler in THE CONQUEROR that bombed at the box office.

Ronaldo Lupi played Genghis Khan in two movies: THE MONGOLS (above) and below, HERCULES AGAINST THE BARBARIANS

Lastly, there's Egyptian actor Omar Sharif in another inaccurate adaptation in GENGHIS KHAN

HD Alert!

Since it's quiet with PEPLUM titles on the HD front, here's one that I didn't write about yet. This Blu-ray release of THE LONG SWIFT SWORD OF SIEGFRIED (1971) was released earlier this year. I'd buy it just for the cover (unfortunately, the movie doesn't look like this...). I have the Something Weird copy which is cut. A raunchy interpretation of the legend of Siegfried.

Not coming soon...

...to a theatre near you!

Posts on incomplete projects 

I, CLAUDIUS (1937) is an unfinished movie produced by Alexander Korda and was directed by Josef von Sternberg. It starred Charles Laughton as Claudius (above). Merle Oberon, Flora Robson and Robert Newton were part of the cast. The production was stopped after Merle Oberon was in a car accident and it would take weeks to recover. It's also said that Charles Laughton was overwhelmed by the role. The director and Laughton clashed over the way the character was to be played. Many say the Oberon's accident was an excuse for the doomed project to be canceled. 

There's actual footage of the unfinished movie. 

Musings!

Rossana Podesta, as Helen of Troy, and Jacques Sernas, as Paris, in HELEN OF TROY (1956)

As I wrote in BY THE GODS! magazine issue number 3, TROJAN TALES, I voted this movie as the best movie on the legend of Troy. But I still had some issues with it. One of the biggest issues is Rossana's hairstyles throughout the movie. Rossana was pretty young woman back then but those goofy hairstyles didn't help her. It's one of those aesthetics things from the past which hasn't stood the test of time, which I'm aware of but it's just too much. Even Jacques' quasi Prince Valiant hairstyle wasn't that flattering but it was the same hair throughout the movie. Rossana's hair would change in different style, even in a matter of minutes, one worse than the other. Great movie. Awful hairstyles. They are the movie's Achilles heels. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Spanish poster of DAVID AND GOLIATH (1960) 

I like it. Goliath looks totally different in the movie during the confrontation. 

Stats week 7 September - 13 September 2025

Views are maintaining in the 80k mark.

9/07/25 - 7727

9/08/25 - 18167

9/09/25 - 15238

9/10/25 - 11324

9/11/25 - 12591

9/12/25 - 8561

9/13/25 - 9380

Total: 82988

Average: 11855

AI PEPLUMTV

CIRCLE OF FORCE

Image of the week!

Nero (Alberto Sordi) performs one of his 'colourful' songs in NERO'S WEEKEND (1956)

PEPLUM Movie Quotes

Sylvia Lopez and Willi Colombini

From HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959)

Omphale: 'I want to try this on! Pearls must have contact with the flesh before they take their best sheen. Tomorrow, this necklace will be much more beautiful!' 

Musings!

Hercules (Lou Ferrigno) tries to remove a massive stone while Circe (Mirella D'Angelo) watches on in HERCULES (1983)

For a generation, this was their first introduction to Hercules. They weren't born when the Reeves' version was released or even re-released. Some might have seen the Reeves movie on TV and they might have seen THE MIGHTY HERCULES cartoon show but for the most part, few youngsters back in 1983 had a clue until the Lou Ferrigno movies. It is entertaining and Lou certainly fits the role but it is, at moments, unintentionally funny, like the time Hercules tosses a bear into deep space. 

Like many muscular heroes, his strength is not consistent. He can throw a bear into space but has some difficulty with this stone. Luigi Cozzi, the director also directed the fun sci-fi STARCRASH (1979) and he conceived his Hercules movie in the same mold: it's a 'spacey' Hercules, with multicoloured stars and sets, monsters with deadly lasers, etc. Even the poster makes it look like an outer space adventure. As for Mirella, she was in many Eurocult movies during the same period, including TENEBRAE (1982), directed by Dario Argento. She's in what's probably the best scene in it. The sequel is THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES (1985) or HERCULES II. Released by Cannon group! So many memories. 😂

Behind-the-Scenes

Steve Reeves talking to an unidentified crew member on the set of THE SON OF SPARTACUS (1962)

Clip of the week: HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961)

Hercules (Reg Park) against a ship! With Ettore Manni and Salvatore Furnari

Portraits

Susan Hayward as Bathsheba in DAVID AND BATHSHEBA (1951)

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (1961) 

In this scene, to give the illusion that the Cyclops is a giant, they used a short man or a kid for Gordon Mitchell. It's a clever way of playing with perspective. They did the same thing in MACISTE IN HELL (1962). Aldo Pedinotti played the Cyclops. Aldo was 6'10" so it wasn't too difficult for him to appear tall. I think the scene works very well.

 

Aldo Pedinotti in makeup.

Nude statues in PEPLUM movies

As I wrote back in June, 'Interesting' Mural Art in PEPLUM movies,': Even if actors wore very little to the point of being almost nude, nudity or anything overtly sexual was taboo in movies of the past.

One of the creative ways of going about this was using statues, of nude men or women, in the background or even included in the story itself. 

In GODDESS OF LOVE (1957), the story was about Praxiteles, a famous sculptor who sculpted, among other subjects, beautiful women. Massimo Girotti played Praxiteles and Belinda Lee was his favourite subject. Nude statues abound.

This shot from ALEXANDER THE GREAT (1956) with Fredric March and Richard Burton, is pretty much centered on the subject. 

In the family friendly ANDROCLES AND THE LION (1954), nude statues are seen everywhere. Male statues had fig leaves covering their stuff. With Alan Young.

I don't think many people would complain in seeing Steve Reeves in the nude but this was the 1950s so they settled with almost nude with the actor and nude statues in THE GIANT OF MARATHON (1959), with fig leaves, to represent the full athletic form.

In APHRODITE - GODDESS OF LOVE (1958), Anthony Steffen played a sculptor. His studio is filled with nudes figures, including the one he's working on which is the subject of the title. The woman modelling for him is played by Irène Tunc (below) who discovers the real interest of the sculptor and it's not her.

Musings!

Richard Conte and Linda Christian in SLAVES OF BABYLON (1953) 

Few people remember Linda Christian (née: Blanca Rosa Welter) but if her life story would be made into a movie it would be one amazing film. Born in Mexico, she was 'discovered' by Errol Flynn. There are funny anecdotal stories about this 'meeting.' She married Tyrone Power in 1949 in what would be one of the biggest events of the period. This marriage was a surprise since he was involved with Lana Turner, in an arranged relationship set up by Fox. All the studio's plans were dashed when Power married Linda. Lana wasn't into the arranged marriage idea. She was apparently secretly seeing Frank Sinatra during this time. Christian and Power had two girls, including Taryn Power, star of SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER (1977). But Tyrone Power didn't care much for the marriage. He did this to stop the arranged marriage idea.

One of her first big breaks in movies was SLAVES OF BABYLON, though her role was limited in this William Castle directed PEPLUM. She had roles in movies like BATTLE ZONE (1952) but this movie put her on the map. She would star in ATHENA (1954) along Edmund Purdom (below). ATHENA also starred Steve Reeves, Ed Fury and a bunch of bodybuilders. During the filming, Linda and Edmund started a secret, decades long affair. Tyrone was apparently happy with their secret relationship since he wanted out (he was secretly seeing other women and men, including Cesar Romero). Power and Linda would divorce in 1956. Edmund abandoned his wife, Tita Purdom, and his family just so he could be with Linda. But Linda refused to marry him. The Power daughters always ended up at some school in Europe. 

Lana Turner made THE PRODIGAL (1955) with Edmund. She disliked the experience so much that when she was to star in DIANE (1956) with Edmund again, she told the studio she refused to work with him. Roger Moore was cast instead. Burned by Hollywood, Edmund would eventually leave in exile.

Edmund, Steve, Ed, and others caught up in the Dolce Vita glitz moved to Rome for their movie careers, certainly after the worldwide success of HERCULES (1958). Linda was often seen with Italian race car drivers. Linda is famously known in a photo as The Kiss of Death. A photo of Linda kissing Alfonso de Portago during the Mille Miglia race. He was killed soon afterwards. 

She was still seeing Edmund after the divorce but refused to make it public. During the height of the PEPLUM explosion, Tyrone died on the set of SOLOMON AND SHEBA (1959). 

Linda eventually decided to marry Edmund but the marriage lasted, in her own words, one day after the couple were in Acapulco for their honeymoon. Linda recalls this story, and many other stories, in a TV interview. It's on Youtube. It's worth watching! Edmund lived in Rome for the rest of his life.

Stats week 31 August - 6 September 2025

Since I was away, I didn't pay attention to the stats on a daily basis. The graph above is missing 31 August and the week is between 31 and 6 September. So, removing 7 September from the graph makes the views at around 80k and 31 August was at around 14k, that makes 94k views for the week I was off. 😂 The average is 13k views a day.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Belgian poster of THE SEVEN DWARFS TO THE RESCUE (1951) 

I have yet to see this one. With PEPLUM stars Georges Marchal, Rossana Podesta and Salvatore Furnari! The French title translates as SNOW WHITE, THE BLACK PRINCE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. 

PEPLUM Break

I need to take an impromptu break for personal reasons. Sorry about this, folks. Stay tuned!

Musings!

Antea - Queen of the Amazons (Gianna Maria Canale) explains to Jason (Fabrizio Mioni) how they survived without men after a disaster in HERCULES (1958)

One of the best things about this movie is how to the story snakes here and there, in different directions, making it unpredictable. It has multiple secondary storylines sharing the same time frame. The Jason storyline one of those secondary storylines that co-exists beautifully with the main Hercules one. This includes the 'Jason's Single Sandal' prophecy heard at the beginning. His story is never too present. It's just right. During this entire scene, Hercules is pretty much missing. 

Another secondary storyline is the one about the Amazons: it focuses on the plight of Antea and how they became Amazons, forming an army of female warriors to protect themselves from outsiders trying to get them. A spark happens between these two, igniting a short but passionate love affair. It's not all about Hercules, who takes a much needed break. Gianna and Fabrizio worked well together.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

French poster of SAMSON AGAINST THE SHEIK (1963)

Nice poster. Sums up the movie in three elements: the girl, the Hero in action, and the villain with his warriors. Ed looks different here. 😂

Stats week 24 August - 30 August 2025

6 days with over 10K views! With only 13 comments.

24 August - 11936
25 August - 17548
26 August - 11949
27 August - 11420
28 August - 13523
29 August - 9757
30 August - 10346

Total           86479

Average      12354

Image of the week!

Thanks to the manipulations of Ljuba (Maria Grazia Spina), Bianca (José Greci) now thinks her rescuer Hercules (Mark Forest) is a traitor in HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS (1963)

Lobby Cards Set: TWO GLADIATORS (1964)

Original Italian lobby cards set of TWO GLADIATORS (1964) starring Richard Harrison and Giuliano Gemma.Good set but some cards are weak, like the one with Richard lounging. There's so much stuff going on in this film and there's no shortage of cool scenes so why that one?