Blog's 15th anniversary: STAR WARS, a PEPLUM in space

In celebration of the blog's 15th anniversary, I'm re-posting old posts. Here's one popular post I wrote back in 2011. Here's the link to the post.

Photographic proof that STAR WARS was basically a PEPLUM set in a science-fiction/outer space setting. I saw STAR WARS before any Sword & Sandal films and as I was watching the 300 or so films one after the other I couldn't believe how much of the elements in the STAR WARS films were inspired or directly lifted from Italian Sword & Sandal films, which at the time and for the most part even today are still frowned upon. There are so many elements that I won't mention all of them but here's a bunch just to give you an idea.

I added some screenshot of Google searches of how STAR WARS was inspired by Ancient Rome history and directly by the PEPLUM genre. I wrote it 14 years ago, way before anyone else.

Opening credits that sets up the storyline :

From REVENGE OF HERCULES

Desert locations, with bones of dead creatures :

GOLIATH AND THE GIANTS

GOLIATH AND THE GIANTS

Wise Old Man

WAR GODS OF BABYLON

Evil Ruler on his throne

HEROD THE GREAT

Disposable soldiers of Evil Ruler

HERCULES & THE CAPTIVE WOMEN

Resourceful little people always on the side of good

GOLIATH & THE SINS OF BABYLON

Donut-style hair fashion statement

THEODORA ~ SLAVE EMPRESS

Cheesecake (there's very little Beefcake in Star Wars films)

Publicity shot of Rhonda Fleming for SERPENT OF THE NILE

Torture (what's a PEPLUM film without a torture scene?)

GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON

Sword fights (hence the term Sword & Sandal)

FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Council chambers

HEROD THE GREAT

Crushing walls of death

FURY OF HERCULES

The annoying sidekick

GLADIATOR OF ROME

Regular reader to the blog Paul sent me this.