Musings!

Daniela Bianchi in THE SWORD OF EL CID (1962) 

Daniela in this unassuming movie before becoming a Bond girl in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963). This is not a sequel to EL CID (1961), the gargantuan Hollywood epic but they made sure to use the name El Cid to capitalize on the bigger movie. I like this movie but few people know of it or even are fans of it. Like so many other films of its kind in the 1950s and 1960s, it was heavily influenced by one movie: ROLAND THE MIGHTY (1956), the Pietro Francisci movie, made before he directed HERCULES (1958). ROLAND THE MIGHTY pretty much influenced every Medieval or Renaissance movie for a long time. This movie even starts the same way. So as much as one might believe it tries to capitalize on the big Hollywood movie, it's actually trading off of an Italian one. The similarities of these movies and ROLAND is incredible. And yet, few people are aware of this. Unfortunately, both films are still in limbo when it concerns HD prints.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

French poster of RAGE OF THE BUCCANEERS (1961) 

Nice poster. The French title translates as GORDON - THE KNIGHT OF THE SEAS. 

Happy Easter!

Rachel (Silvana Mangano) at the opened tomb where Jesus was buried in BARABBAS (1961)

Last Week's Views!

Over 39k views yesterday Saturday. March 29, which is not shown above, had 20k views so 183,000 + 20,000 from the 29th and that's over 200,000 for one week!

AI PEPLUMTV

 STANDING GROUND!

Peplum Public Discussion

Comments are open in this post. You have something to mention about this week's posts? Or something else. This is the only place you can voice your opinion. Comments are curated therefore any bad comment won't be published! Be respectful! 

Image of the week!

Mary Magdalene (Yvonne de Carlo) and Gaius Marcellus (Jorge Mistral) watch Jesus on the cross in the last scene from MARY MAGDALENE (1958)

Happy Good Friday!

Lobby Cards Set: MACISTE VS HERCULES IN THE VALE OF WOE (1961)

Original Italian lobby cards set (fotobusta) of MACISTE VS HERCULES IN THE VALE OF WOE (1962) starring kirk Morris, among many others. Great, colourful set. The images are collages more than a specific scene from the movie. I like it.

Musings!

Mark Forest in THE MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR (1964) 

This movie is a Twin Production with MACISTE - GLADIATOR OF SPARTA, released the same year. MAGNIFICENT GLADIATOR is not a Maciste movie. I've already written about this in two articles and posted them in an ongoing permanent page found here. Even though I like both films, I prefer this one. It's not as cold and dreary of MACISTE - GLADIATOR OF SPARTA, which also has great scenes not in MAGNIFICENT. But both films look identical. There's even a big, long scene, just prior to this screenshot, that is used in both films. It's quite confusing. I have to do a side by side one day of that shared scene to see how different the dialogue is. Mark was excellent in both. He wears this gladiator costume for a good part of the movie. I think it's one of the best costumes in a PEPLUM movie. Easily in the top ten. I have to do a list of the best costumes, for men and for women, one of these days. Mark had a big, sorta square frame and his costumes in a lot of his movies weren't that good or didn't fit him properly, certainly in MACISTE - THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD. So, it's great to see a movie that finally had him is something that fit him. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Kirk Douglas is about to film a scene on the set of SPARTACUS (1960)

Clip of the week: TERROR OF THE STEPPES (1964)

Evil rulers need to be entertained. With the great Kirk Morris and Franco Cobianchi. 

New PEPLUM imagery

ARM OF THUNDER

MEN OF PULP

HD Alert!

Georgi Kaloyanchev as Aesop in EZOP (1970) 

I already posted about this movie years ago. It's now available in HD streaming. The direction of the movie was definitely influenced by Fellini. Depending on how you like Fellini, this could be a good thing or bad thing. It's a very colourful film, in the sense of quirkiness not necessarily colourful. For me, Aesop'a stories are beautiful and colourful. Not like this movie. Below: a naked Aesop runs toward the people. Yes, it's that style of movie.
 

Who's left? (updated)

Update on this page which was published in Jan 2022.

With the passing of Mark Forest on January 7, many speculated over the remaining PEPLUM stars. Mark was one of the big stars, and as I mentioned in his obit, his death sorta signals the end of an era. But there are still a good number of actors of the genre who are still with us. Many of them had a similar career as Mark, certainly Ed Fury, so the era is still not completely over. We're in the twilight phase I guess. 

I won't list non-bodybuilders actors, like Roger Browne (MARS - GOD OF WAR) or Mark Damon (THE SON OF CLEOPATRA) or Brett Halsey (THE MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURER), who are still with us. I'll only list the bodybuilder/actors, known for their work in physique modelling before heading to Rome. I also won't list stars like Lou Ferrigno who became famous decades after the Golden Era of the PEPLUM genre.

ED FURY

Ed Fury died Feb 2023

Ed Fury starred in multiple PEPLUM movies, including the popular URSUS series. Ed is 93 years old today. I can't find a current photo of him. This screenshot is from THE SEVEN REVENGES.


This leaves these men:


KIRK MORRIS

Kirk Morris is alive. He was born in 1942. He's the star of many PEPLUM movies, including MACISTE IN HELL. He's aging fairly well.

RICHARD HARRISON

Richard Harrison is one of the biggest PEPLUM stars left. He made 9 genre movies in the early 1960s, including PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE (1963; Medusa against the Son of Hercules).

PETER LUPUS

Peter is still alive. He's famous for his role in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE TV series but Peter made 4 PEPLUM movies in the 1960s, including HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON (left).



HOWARD ROSS

Howard, born Renato Rossini, is still with us. In fact, he celebrated his birthday recently, on January 10. Howard was in many PEPLUM productions, including SAMSON AND THE MIGHTY CHALLENGE in which he played Maciste. 



PIETRO TORRISI

Bodybuilder Pietro Torrisi starred in many PEPLUM movies of the Golden Era, as supporting actor, but he had lead roles in the movies from the 1980s, including THE THRONE OF FIRE with Sabrina Siani.



GIOVANNI CIANFRIGLIA

Giovanni died Oct. 2024.

Giovanni didn't have a lead role in PEPLUM movies but he was famous for being the body double/stuntman for Steve Reeves and he appeared in small roles here and there but his unforgettable role as Antaeus in HERCULES THE AVENGER solidified him as a PEPLUM star. Below: Giovanni in a recent documentary on the genre. 

SAMSON BURKE

Canadian-born Samson is still alive. He's a regular at signing conventions. The movie above:  VENGEANCE OF URSUS. He's most famous for playing Hercules in THE 3 STOOGES MEET HERCULES.

Sadly, the number of actors left is dwindling slowly.

Musings!

Anthony Dexter and Eva Gabor in CAPTAIN KIDD AND THE SLAVE GIRL (1954)

A fun albeit superficial pirate movie. Most of the movie is about Dexter's character forcing Gabor's character (hence, the slave girl) to help him with getting secret info from his rivals. The two hate each other for most of the movie with him enjoying making her do things against her will but she eventually falls in love with him. Dexter is an excellent pirate. Alan Hale jr (not shown) who plays his good friend is also good in it. Hale jr following his famous father's footsteps. Gabor is somewhat miscast. She's ok and plays along but she's perky regardless of what she's forced to do or not to do. The movie is supposed to be in colour but only a black and white print has been made available. I think the colour version would make this studio-bound film much more enjoyable, less claustrophobic. But for now that's what we have and it's entertaining regardless of the lack of colour.

PEPLUM movie Poster

US one sheet of HELEN, YES...HELEN OF TROY (1973)

This poster is wild. It has nothing on the movie itself. It's a Helen of Troy story but it's advertised as a Roman story.

Last Week's Views!

Over 47k views on Monday March 23. Over 150k for the week! 

Peplum Public Discussion

Comments are open in this post. You have something to mention about this week's posts? Or something else. This is the only place you can voice your opinion. Comments are curated therefore any bad comment won't be published! Be respectful! 

Image of the week!

Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) arrives in her Golden Barge in CLEOPATRA (1963)

PEPLUM Movie Quotes

FALCON OF THE DESERT (1965) starring Franco Fantasia and Dina Loy. 

ATATUR: I do not even require that to pretend to be in love with me. I could do so but I detest all falsity. As you see I told you clearly what I should expect of you.

PRINCESS AMAR: What your so-called clarity attitude is usually called cynicism. I know you want me only as an instrument for your pleasure.

Musings!

Gordon Mitchell in JULIUS CAESAR AGAINST THE PIRATES (1962) 

When people think of old pirate movies, they think of TREASURE ISLAND (1950) or BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE (1952), or recent ones like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2003), but pirates have been in existence since the beginning of time or the beginning of ships and boats. Few people think of the pirates in Antiquity or even before that. It's a shame because they were present and quite powerful even back thousands of years ago. This movie is one of the few which is a pirate movie set in Ancient Rome. Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates. Of course, this is a fictional account but it's interesting to see a pirate movie that's not set in the 1700s, for instance. Anyway, according to historians there were pirates so powerful that they changed the course of history. Just look up The Sea Peoples. In the next issue of BY THE GODS! magazine, I cover this very subject. Not just pirate movies but all 'Breeches and Sword' movies of the PEPLUM genre. Below is the cover.

 

Behind-the-Scenes

Director Robert Aldrich and Rossana Podestà go over a scene on the set of SODOM AND GOMORRAH (1962)

Clip of the week: SWORD WITHOUT A COUNTRY (1961)

Evil Duke doing evil stuff in SWORD WITHOUT  A COUNTRY (1961). With Claudio Gora. 

Funnies!

Dan Vadis in SPARTACUS AND THE TEN GLADIATORS (1964)

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from A QUEEN FOR CAESAR (1962)

Two excellent matte paintings, the one below which appears roughly 15 minutes in the movie and the one at the top at the very end. I like them. Very effective. No one is credited, of course. These are not the only matte works in the film.