Helen of Troy (Yvonne Furneaux) is judged by Tutmes (Massimo Serato) in THE LION OF THEBES (1964)
I finally got hold of a HD copy of this most excellent PEPLUM movie directed by Giorgio Ferroni. It's like watching the movie for the very first time. I never reslly had atrocious prints of this in my colllection but seeing it in HD makes a humongous difference. I uploaded a wrestling clip on the PEPLUM TV Youtube channel if you want to check it out. We're still a long way until all titles are in HD but we're slowly getting there.
Anita Ekberg as Queen Zenobia in SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR (1959)
In our frenzied Cancel Culture times, the casting of Anita as Zenobia would be denounced but I think that even if Ekberg didn't looked like Zenobia, the actress carried herself wonderfully in it and commands the story appropriately. So her appearance is not important in the end. But yes she was a babe back then and she still commands a lot of attention today. A post I did on her 10 years ago is still the most popular post ever (see sidebar on the left)!
Thor (Joe Robinson) is avoiding some guards in THOR AND THE AMAZON WOMEN (1963)
This screen grab is from the HD copy of this sorta odd movie. Initialy it was supposed to be a Tarzan movie but the threat of a lawsuit from the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs forced producers to change it into a PEPLUM movie. There is a very direct connection between PEPLUM movies and Tarzan / Jungle Adventure movies. This one is really in the middle of it all. This was one of the first movies released on Blu-ray which seems odd. You'd think other bigger or more famous titles would have proceeded it.
British lobby cards set for THE GIANTS OF THESSALY (1960), titled JASON AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE. This is a good set if repetitive. Did the set need two scenes with Adrasto and Creusa? There should have been a card with the giant statue. Even so, I'd definitely would want to see this film from looking at these cards.
In order to view the matte painting in its entirety, I had to combine two images which explains why there are two Roman litter when there was actually just one. Since this is a super production, the matte painting are massive in scope. This one has the camera panning from right to left, following the Roman litter. It's a brief scene but like everything else in this movie, it's quite eye filling. Remarkably enough though, CLEOPATRA has just a handful of matte paintings. This is such a humongous production that nearly everything was shot in camera. The horse statue in the middle is also part of the painting.
Searching far and wide for all things PEPLUM! Luciano Marin and Steve Reeves in GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS (1959)
What were they thinking?
A comic book for THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964) is odd. I understand movies with heroes like Hercules being made into comic books but not a massive, super serious movie like this one? Would kids actually read this? Regardless, I now have to get it.
Cinematic Confusion
This one is very funny. The VHS cover for HERCULES (1958) starring Steve Reeves with someone who looks like Mark Forest on the cover. I mean, WTH? The photos on the back cover are actually for TRIUMPH OF HERCULES (1964) with Dan Vadis. You tell me they couldn't get any photos from HERCULES?
Recent Acquisitions
I've lost track of what I've recently acquired during the past 4 or 5 months (with so many delays caused by the coronavirus issue). I can only share what I got just this past weeks.
I bought this poster a while ago but never shared it here at PEPLUM TV. This is a great poster. In fact, probably the best Steve Reeves poster out there. Unfortunately, it's not a Steve Reeves movie. It's the original Italian version of GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (1960) starring Mark Forest.
This Spanish DVD set is interesting. ESTHER AND THE KING (1960) is in full screen and it's pretty much useless since the widescreen version came out on DVD recently. But the two other movies were worth it: Spanish version of SODOM AND GOMORRAH (1962) with opening credits in English! I didn't watch it yet to see how it differs from the other versions I have but a quick scan showed it's better than the awful German DVD. And SCIPIO THE AFRICAN (1971) starring Marcello Mastroianni. It has the Spanish and original Italian versions.
I got DESCENDED FROM HERCULES by Robert A. Rushing. From the cover and title I thought that this would finally be a fun book to read about the PEPLUM genre. Well, it's another 'Academic' book (from the same publisher of the recent MACISTE book) with the author sorta liking the genre but being embarrassed by it as well. I tried to follow it but it's sorta a long winded way of saying there are a long of beefy men in it and it's proof of some sort of 'patriarchal' mumbo jumbo. Joking aside, it's not the fun book I expected it to be from the looks of it. Oh well...
MACISTE Twitter account
The recent MACISTE twitter account is going well. It got nearly 100k impressions since I started it less than a month ago. The tweet below, one from HERCULES AGAINST THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON (1964) in which I named all the actors in the shot got over 11,000 impressions.
I've been too busy these days to watch any movies but I recently noticed, while getting a CLIP OF THE WEEK scene for last week, that the German DVD of THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1959), which is excellent, has some issues. It goes from English to Italian or German. In English, the character played by Christine Kaufmann is named Ione (close to Iole of HERCULES (1958)) but in the Italian version she's Elena. We hear this in the German DVD, going from Ione to Elena and back to Ione. Odd.
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Have you ever seen this marathon?
I never had TNT network but I do remember these marathon. Did anyone out there watched these Hercules marathons back in the day?
Future Musings:
- A PEPLUM TV forum?
- List of PEPLUM books
- List of movies available in HD / Blu-ray
- PEPLUM Museum?
- A new Twitter account for actresses of PEPLUM movies?
Dance sequence from THE INVINCIBLE BROTHERS MACISTE (1964)
The dancers are uncredited but it's not the first PEPLUM movie they appeared in. This is a screen grab from the HD copy I got. What a difference it makes (click on it to view size). It's a combination of cool, funny and sexy dance. Sorta beatnik in style for a story set in the past. I wonder what kids thought of these scenes back in the day. "Mommy, what are they doing there?" The music during this scene is copyrighted on Youtube so I had to yank it off from the channel.
Praxiteles (Massimo Girotti) and Aphrodite (Belinda Lee) in GODDESS OF LOVE (1957; La Venere di Cheronea)
Finally got a beautiful copy of this movie in HD. All the copies I had of this movie was always murky or disappointing. But this one is wow! English subs included. It's from a streaming service. I really like this movie. Made before HERCULES (1958), it sorta signalled the incoming flood of PEPLUM movies shot in widescreen. Directed by Viktor Tourjansky.
Agrippina (Fanny Magier) and Nero (Piotr Stanislas) in a scene from NERO AND POPPEA - AN ORGY OF POWER (1982).
I already reviewed this movie so I won't review it again. Or maybe I should? Because I finally got a copy with all the cut scenes re-edited into the most complete version yet. I watched this complete version along side the most complete version I had in my collection and I have to say that there were a lot of scenes removed. Some of them are sorta disturbing. Probably the ne plus ultra orgiastic Sex and Sandals movie of the 1970s/80s. It even out 'shocks' CALIGULA (1979) or CALIGULA - THE UNTOLD STORY (1982), which has plenty of disturbing scenes in that one. But this one is the peak. Thanks to Bruno Mattei.
As in many such movies, scenes from old PEPLUM movies were edited with the new raunchy stuff. I always enjoy watching these scenes. There are some funny scenes in it. PEPLUM actor Mario Novelli is credited in it but I can't find him anywhere. I've watched this movie a dozen times.
Jorge Mistral and Yvonne de Carlo, as Mary Magdalene, in THE SWORD AND THE CROSS (1958)
This is a nice shot with the clouds moving slowly in the background. This was shot outside. Not in studio with projected background. Must have taken a long time to set that up. De Carlo played Sephora in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), one of the biggest box office hits of the 1950s. And like other actors in that movie (John Derek, Debra Paget, etc), her film roles sorta became more sporadic in Hollywood, hence her starring in this Italian production. Why didn't THE TEN COMMANDMENTS generate more roles for her? She would eventually appear in the popular TV series, THE MUNSTERS. BTW, this was released as MARY MAGDALENE in the US.
Searching far and wide for all things PEPLUM! Luciano Marin and Steve Reeves in GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS (1959)
A real PEPLUM TV?
In France, Canal+ has streaming services and one category is PEPLUM movies. It sorta looks like my Youtube channel. This is how a genuine PEPLUM TV would look like. The funny part is the categories. Below: they put HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN or GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON under History.
PEPLUM Podcast?
There so many things lacking in the PEPLUM community. It's not because of a lack interest. The interest is there: views at the blogs, Facebook/Twitter accounts, Youtube channels, etc, are all healthy. One of those things I wish would exist are podcasts on the PEPLUM genre. Podcasts are all the rage right now. Almost every independent journalist has a podcast today. It's one of the best way to monetize your work. I think I would like to participate in one but being all by lonesome self, I don't think my solo podcasts would be interesting. A good podcast needs at least two people having a conversation.
New official merchandise!
I'll be adding new merchandise at least once a month.
A special 'Double-Feature': the cassette on the left is for HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961), which was also released as HERCULES IN THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH, starring Reg Park. But the image is from HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961) also starring Reg Park.
And the tape on the right is for HERCULES AND THE MASKED RIDER (1963) starring Alan Steel. The fellow on the cover is Steve Reeves from HERCULES (1958). Nice cover art, wrong film.
Have you seen this?
MACISTE ET LES GLOUTONNES (1975). Directed by Jess Franco, this movie is also known under many other titles including LES EXPLOITS EROTIQUES DE MACISTE DANS L'ATLANTIDE. Franco made another 'Maciste' movie, also known as YUKA (1974). That one is different with even more confusing titles. I could have used this as a Cinematic Confusion. It's basically a soft porn movie set in jungle/forest with a man named Maciste, played by Wal Davis. This title translates as MACISTE AND THE GLUTTONOUS or FEMALE GLUTTONS.
Movies I watched:
THE FIGHTING COSSACKS (1962)
It's okay but it's very repetitive. The character of the father is such a miserable character that he almost ruins the movie.
SAMSON AND THE SLAVE QUEEN (1963 - Zorro control Maciste)
I completed a Fan Dub of this. The hardest one I've ever made. The original English audio was in a terrible state and I did what I could with it. It's pretty amazing that I completed it. Now where to show it? Not on Youtube that's for sure. I watched it to make sure there weren't any major mistakes. A fun movie directed by Umberto Lenzi.
THE TARTARS (1961)
I'm thinking of doing a Fan Dub of this film. Not decent English print yet. It's good but at 80 minutes or so, it feels very short.
I don't watch just PEPLUM movies. I watched other movies.
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET by Dario Argento and THE LOOTERS (1967) with Frederick Stafford.
Answer to 'IDENTIFY THE MOVIE'
Last week's 'Identify the Movie' was finally solved by Orsh549. It was GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON (1963) starring Mark Forest, and Mimmo Palmara and Livio Lorenzon as good guys.
Future Musings:
- A PEPLUM TV forum?
- List of PEPLUM books
- List of movies available in HD / Blu-ray
- PEPLUM Museum?
- A new Twitter account for actrices of PEPLUM movies?
How to describe this movie? Since it stars Fernandel, it's a comedy of course. There are some musical numbers. And there are scenes which takes place in the past as the fabulist tries to describe the history of his ancestors. It doesn't get more French than this. The scenes during the Roman era are colourful and quite elaborate. As far as I know, the film wasn't released in English. There are clips on the internet if you're curious to see it.
Patroclus (Ennio Girolami) finds a drunk and passed out Achilles (Gordon Mitchell) in FURY OF ACHILLES (1962)
Excellent scene in a very good PEPLUM movie. This needs to be in HD. Mitchell gives an excellent performance but the entire cast was excellent, including Girolami, who died 8 years ago this month.
