Friday, July 19, 2013

Photo of the Day

Dan Vadis (back to us) is about to kill two gladiators in COLOSSUS OF THE ARENA

This scene happens at the very start of the film, when gladiators are recruited by the film's bad guy. Now hopefully this won't be too confusing to explain: the fellow on the left is Alfio Caltabiano. Alfio is in this film and has a main role as one of the evil gladiators. But in this brief scene, with his head covered, he's an unidentified gladiator who is killed by Vadis. We're not supposed to know it's Alfio but I recognize his body. Alfio's evil gladiator character is introduced right after this scene. I guess it was a way to cut corners in the budget. The question is who is the fellow on the right? I don't recognize his physique, which is quite impressive in action. It's not Mark Forest that's for sure. Is it Pietro Torrisi? You know you're a PEPLUM fan when you don't need to recognize an actor by his face.


2 comments:

orsh549 said...

The opening scenes of this movie are great!! I think it was a very interesting to introduce all the really bad guys first in order to put the story in to motion. The big brawl at that inn is real good and those guys were really nasty!! A very good action filled PEP. Mark does a real good job in this. Lot's of fun.

JJ said...

Yes, one of my favorite Peplum films and one of several great scenes from this film.

I don't think that's Pietro Torrisi on the right but it is the same gladiator/stuntman that is killed again only moments later in the same scene by Claudio Scarchilli's character Armenio.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y283/Arenafighter/Video/Image2-2.jpg~original

He also reappears near the end of the film as Mark Forest's stunt double during Maciste's battle in the arena with Tucos, Harold Bradley's character.