Thursday, November 11, 2021

By the Gods!


Rik Battaglia during the climax of THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS (1958)

This movie was released the same year as HERCULES (1958) and, imo, was an important movie, though not as successful as the HERCULES, in shaping Italian cinema for the next decade. It looks great and it's very entertaining. One odd thing about it: Rik Battaglia doesn't have a close-up in it. He's one of the main stars and yet he wasn't 'important' enough to warrant a close-up. All other main actors, Sylva Koscina, Gianna Maria Canale, Francisco Rabal, and even supporting actors, all have close-ups. Did he pissed off the director? 


1 comment:

Scott Ochiltree said...


THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS is an enjoyable Peplum based on a poem by Tasso.

Great actresses, but I found it a bit slow in places. The movie could have benefited from some careful editing.