QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: PEP Recycling

Cesare Danova's screen test for BEN-HUR. He's wearing one of Robert Taylor's tunic in QUO VADIS (photo below). I have to say that I really like Cesare's screentest. If it was up to me, I would have hired him on the spot, not for the main role but at least a good supporting role. He looks like a real Roman and, dare I say it, that tunic looks better on him than Robert. Why didn't he make more PEP films?

Leo Genn, Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr in QUO VADIS

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: Photo of the Day

The opening ceremony before Markus Vinicius' triumphant return to Rome

IMO, detailed scenes like this one are what make QUO VADIS so great. There's so much stuff going on, the pageantry, the colors, the details, it's quite amazing. For me, those scenes are even better than the actual drama, which is excellent but doesn't hold a candle to the look/production design. As a PEPLUM fan, this is pure gold. The voice of the priestess is amazing. I don't know if it's the actress' actual voice or was dubbed over but it's perfect.

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: Soundtrack by Miklos Rozsa

One can't talk about QUO VADIS without mentioning the great score by Miklos Rozsa. If you don't get chills listening to this than you're not alive. Arf. This version of the QUO VADIS soundtrack is a new modern re-orchestration and it's stunning.

Amazon

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: Cast of Thousands

QUO VADIS is one of the few films that can actually boast the then popular selling point: CAST OF THOUSANDS! Filmed in Italy after WWII, MGM were able to get huge crowds for a cheap price for QUO VADIS because of the poor post-war economy. The film holds a record for the most costumes used in one movie: a staggering 32,000!

Director Mervyn LeRoy looks at the large cast of extras streaming into the Arena set.

The large crowd is in panic during the burning of Rome.

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: at the ASTOR

Incredible "multimedia" billboard at the Astor when QUO VADIS played there. There's a miniature set of a burning Rome, Deborah Kerr outlined in neon lights and massive paintings. Crazy stuff. It must have all been "weather" proofed.

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: Publicity & Artwork

The artwork for the publicity campaign of QUO VADIS was pretty extensive. Aside from the elaborate billboard outside the Astor movie theatre, the movie posters were quite spectacular too. Above is the 3-sheet poster. It's one of my favourite movie posters ever. Cool stuff. I used to have that poster but for the 1964 re-release. I included the photo below. The Black & White artwork was supposed to be on top, as pictured above, but I place it differently. That artwork beautifully rendered in color in the banner for my blog for today.

Spanish pressbook

QUO VADIS comic book. Art by Nestor Redondo

French trading card

QUO VADIS 60th anniversary: production design

Robert Taylor filming the green screen/chroma key effect scenes 

----------

From sketch to final cut. I love this stuff.

-------------

The photo above appears on a British lobby card, which, technically, is a goof because in the final movie, matte paintings were added to show that the arena was much bigger, taller and more crowded. That photo is fascinating because it's basically a real photo of the actual set as it appeared when they filmed the movie. Below are screengrabs of those scenes with the matte work added. To give illusion of an actual live crowd to the static painting, the matte paintings, which are done on glass, were left with empty spots and behind the glass they had objects moving back and forth which gave the illusion of movement in the crowd. Cool stuff.

Photo of the Day

Craig Horner in THE LEGEND OF THE SEEKER

Sometimes I feel like I'm an encyclopedia of PEP info but then again sometimes I feel like I know nothing at all. Case in point, the TV series LEGEND OF THE SEEKER. I think I saw a few ads years ago but never thought anything from them. So fast forward a few years and I came across this video uploaded at Youtube and the whole thing was about torture and such (it was linked to one of the videos I've uploaded at my PEP Youtube channel; the clip was also a torture clip). I thought WTH is this. And then I had to look at many other clips.

The show lasted two seasons, and like everything else these days, the two seasons are uploaded at Youtube. I started watching it and I just couldn't get into it. The acting and again the modern aesthetics are off putting, certainly the acting. It was shot in New Zealand, same thing as XENA, which I never was able to get into. The show seemed to have been  targeted towards women (it's very soapy) and their approach with the whole kinky torture aspect is a really head-scratching anachronistic thing. Looks more like something on Cinemax.

But when I read that it's based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series of novels, I went "now everything makes sense" and knew why I couldn't get into it. I tried to read the first book and I had to stop halfway through. Not a fan of Goodkind but there are tons of Terry Goodkind fans out there. One just has to look at the gazillion Fan made videos on Youtube which tells me the fans are a tad obsessive and kinda scary, to say the least.

But I like the shot above from the opening credit of the second season.

Movie Poster Mondays

US poster for the 1925 epic version of BEN-HUR. Beautiful design on this poster.

With the recent release of the HD edition of the William Wyler 1959 version of BEN-HUR, lets not forget that the silent version was most likely used as a template for multiple Oscar winning one. Many shots of the chariot race in the silent version were reused shot by shot in the 1959 version. So lets give credit where credit is due. The silent version is included in the new HD BEN-HUR pack. I would buy it but then I still don't have an Blu-Ray player.

QUO VADIS - 60th anniversary - Nero & Poppaea

This week marks the 60th anniversary of QUO VADIS and this blog will celebrate this great film with daily postings for the entire week, and tomorrow, November the 8th, the day it premiered, I'll post all things QUO VADIS, showing what I've already posted here and new stuff.

Nero and Poppaea, played by Peter Ustinov and Patricia Laffan, are a match made in Hades. The two characters are wonderfully played by both actors with Ustinov giving an outstanding performance that even if it was early in his career, imo, he never really surpassed it, even compared to both of his Best Supporting Actor Oscar winning roles.

In the scene below, Nero shows Neropolis to his cohorts and yes-folks (Nero didn't have any friends) and decides to burn Rome in order to get rid of the old and bring in the new. While Rome burns, Poppaea is the one who gives the idea to Nero that the deadly disastrous fire was caused by Christians. I doubt that's how it happened but it makes for great entertainment.

Photo of the Day

Queen Onfale (Sylvia Lopez) inspects a sleeping Hercules (Steve Reeves) while Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini) watches on in HERCULES UNCHAINED.

Out with the old and in with the new, Hercules being the new. I could watch this film a thousand times and never tire of it.

Cinematic Confusion - the Steve Reeves edition

I was looking for stuff on eBay and I saw these. I mean, seriously, how can TWO DVD editions confuse Gordon Scott as Steve Reeves? Then I came across this vhs tape of the Richard Harrison film, GIANTS OF ROME with the famous photo of Hercules carrying many men at one time. First, that's not Richard Harrison and second there are no feats of strength like that in GIANTS OF ROME.

Photo of the Day

Lang Jeffries and Cristina Gaioni in FIRE OVER ROME

This film gets a bum rap. It's actually pretty good. Except for the scenes with Nero and Poppaea, which are weak, and Cristina's anachronistic wig, the rest is solid. It always being compared to QUO VADIS but it's more down to earth and the way the burning of Rome evolves into is apparently more accurate than the latter film.

What movie is this from?

I've only recently seen this movie and I wouldn't have figured it out if I hadn't seen it.

British posters: they got it right

It's great to see a movie poster in English with the name MACISTE and not Goliath or Atlas. These are just a few titles but it's better than nothing or PERSEUS AGAINST THE MONSTERS is better than MEDUSA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES, which doesn't make any sense.

Photo of the Day

Alberto Lupo and Stephen Forsyth are in mortal combat in REVENGE OF THE CRUSADERS

I played this film for the first time on PEPLUM TV tonight dubbed in English. It's only available in Italian on DVD here in North America. So there, an exclusive!

The film is not bad. Many think this is a Riccardo Freda film but he apparently only wrote the screenplay. This is Canadian-born Forsyth's only PEP film in his very short career, while Alberto is a PEPLUM veteran.

SHIELDS in PEPLUM films updated

I've added new titles to the Shields in Peplum Films page: the titles are GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS (posted here; these are cool); PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE and IN THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE.

Photo of the Day

Dan Vadis, as Hercules, is helped by Spela Rozin in HERCULES THE INVINCIBLE (aka Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness)

This was one of those films I couldn't upload at my Youtube channel because a shady company claimed copyright infringement on this public domain film. That company, Craze Productions, have stopped this practice because all of their channels were closed by Youtube themselves for violating their terms of agreement when they uploaded non-public domain films they didn't have the rights to as well (doh!). Since they've disappeared, you can now find at least half a dozen YT channels with the entire public domain version of this film.

Uploading it to my channel now seems redundant but then my channel is a one-stop all-things PEPLUM  which the other channels are not so I might upload regardless.

In fact, it's not only this film but most public domain PEPLUM films are practically all available in one format or another on Youtube now. I started my Youtube channel back in May of 2007 and there were few other channels that were devoted to PEP films. Now, they're seemingly everywhere, some even grabbing my uploads and they in turn upload them to their channels.

Que faire?!?

Who's the best PERSEUS? poll results: it's a tie!

I didn't expect this outcome which is cool. When the poll started Richard had a massive lead but I guess Harry's fans came around at the last minute.

The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption

A catalogue of pure PEPLUM clichés, including elephants! I haven't seen the two first SCORPION KING flicks, just the previews and a few moments on cable TV but I even know that this one seemingly has very little to do with the other two. At IMDb, someone claims that this is a "a sequel to a prequel to a prequel of a sequel of a remake."

The clichés could be either cool or painful. A direct to home video release.

I'm not a fan of Stephen Sommers films even if the first MUMMY film was sorta fun. MUMMY 2 was schlocky at best. While VAN HELSING is one of the worst films I've ever seen. So, any Stephen Sommers product = avoid!

Photo of the Day

Robert Morley and Belinda Lee in JOSEPH & HIS BRETHREN

I need to do a Fan Dub of this film as the US version is nearly unwatchable. File this under When Bad Wigs Happen To Good Films...

Location: ANITKABIR

This is the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey.  Wouldn't this be an amazing location for a new PEPLUM film? It's stunning.

Perseus figure with Bubo

Cool detailed figure of Perseus and Bubo from the original CLASH OF THE TITANS.

Tomorrow I'll post the final results of last weeks poll of Who's the Best Perseus?

Link

Photo of the Day

Daniela Rocca gets ready for a swim in COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN

Fun film. Daniela is her fiery self, even if it's a comedy.

File Under Bizarre Translated PEPLUM Titles

French title for THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS or LA GERUSALEMME LIBERATA. Translated, the French title means THE WALL OF FIRE. I know it's symbolic but it's so far removed from the original title that I scratch my head, certainly when the original Italian title or even the English one is so much better.