Gordon Scott as Mucius in COLOSSUS OF ROME (aka Hero of Rome, 1964)
I'm getting ready to write part 2 of 'Serious PEPLUM films.' This film would be considered a serious production. It's a straightforward 'action' story of the famous Roman general. The one aspect of this film which sorta makes it less serious, and more of a typical (read: fun) PEPLUM production, are a couple of over-the-top 'Feat of Strength' scenes, such as this one, which belongs more in the 'super' hero category than standard historical drama. But I understand why they did this: Mucius singlehandedly saved Rome from those pesky Etruscans, and I guess these scenes are sorta symbolic of this heroic undertaking. Great photo!
1 comment:
I greatly prefer Peplums with intelligent stories, preferably those with some connections to historical reality. Cinema set in the Ancient World is a genre that deserves to be taken seriously.
Overall Steve Reeves and Gianna Maria Canale were the best male and female stars in such serious Peplum films.
The "muscleman" movies are usually pretty similar to each other. They tend to be fairly childish. Too often they have an annoyingly unfunny sidekick.
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