Behind-the-Scenes

Director Pietro Francisci, Tina Louise and Kerwin Mathews doing press for SAPPO - THE VENUS OF LESBOS (aka The Warrior Princess).

The obligatory 'couple shot' with Kerwin and Tina.

Gladiators were vegetarians

File this under "I didn't know..."

"Gladiators were mostly vegetarians and their diets consisted, above all, of barley and vegetables. They were neither too poor to buy meat nor staunch defenders of animal rights; instead, their carbohydrate-rich diets made them put on weight, which both protected them during fights and made them appear more spectacular, which pleased the crowds.

A 200-square-foot plot of land in the city of Ephesus (now in western Turkey), alongside the road that originally led from the city centre to the Temple of Artemis, is the world’s only known gladiator graveyard (left: example of a tombstone). The plot contains the bodies of just over 60 gladiators. Karl Grossschmidt, a paleo-pathologist from the Medical University of Vienna, recently led a research project about gladiator life, the diets of gladiators and the causes of their deaths. Scientists carried out isotopic analyses of bone fragments from the graveyard, measuring trace chemical elements such as calcium, strontium and zinc. The results of the study were reported in an article by Andrew Curry published in the November/December issue of Archaeology magazine."

link

Photo of the Day

Dani Crayne as Helen of Troy in THE STORY OF MANKIND

What a strange appearance in what seems to be a strange film. I haven't seen it but there are extended clips on Youtube and TCM and this scene in particular has this actress appear as Helen, without any dialogue and she smiles while we see armies fighting (clips taken from Robert Wise's HELEN OF TROY) and the city of Troy burns. An Irwin Allen directed film. Need I say more?

After they were PEPLUM stars

Dick Malloy (Ken Clark) listens to Dr. Elsa Freeman (Helga Liné) while grooming himself in MISSION BLOODY MARY. This spy film was made in 1965, right after the PEPLUM genre was ovah! It's great to see both in the same film which is very entertaining and worth seeking.

The DALIDA Peplum mystery

Hopefully this won't come out as confusing but wen talking about 'international' star Dalida, things usually get a bit messy.

Dalida was born in Egypt, from Italian parents, and moved to Paris to become the legendary international singer. So she's an Italian Egyptian-born French singer who sang in multiple different languages (French, Arab, Italian, Spanish, English, German, Japanese, etc...) but mainly in French. OK got that out of the way.

Dalida got her start in her as an actress in Egyptian films back in the early 1950s where she was still living. In the Youtube video below, at the 6:07 mark she recalls her first major movie experience where she met Omar Sharif, who also became a superstar in his own right. In the interview she says that she met Omar for the first time on the set of JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. Omar was the stand-in for the main male character and Dalida was the stand-in for the main female character. The interviewer asks Dalida who was the actress she was standing in for and she says it was supposed to be Rita Hayworth but eventually the role was played by Joan Collins.

Test photo of Rita Hayworth for the failed JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN project.

Now this is part of the mystery or the confusing part. Rita Hayworth was supposed to play in an adaptation of the JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN story which was eventually cancelled. It's not unusual for Hollywood productions to send out a crew on a faraway location to shot exteriors with stand-ins to save some money. They did this with SINBAD & THE EYE OF THE TIGER: all exterior location shots were filmed with stand-ins. So far so good. Dalida's story is probable but when she says that the role was eventually played by Joan Collins well this changes everything and instead of the never filmed JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN project Dalida is talking about the completed LAND OF THE PHARAOHS project directed by Howard Hawks, which was partially filmed on location in Egypt. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN was a Columbia Pictures film and LAND OF THE PHARAOHS is a Warner Bros pictures film so I doubt the two were related in anyway so I don't believe the failed JOSEPH project eventually morphed into the PHARAOHS one. Dalida might have confused a few things during the interview but this admission, that she was Joan Collins' stand-in, is interesting in may other ways.

IMDb has Dalida credited as Joan Collins' stand-in for LAND OF THE PHARAOHS...is this true?

LAND OF THE PHARAOHS was filmed on location in Egypt for the BIG exterior shots while ALL interior scenes were filmed at Cinecitta studios which is in Italy, not Egypt. Almost all of Joan Collins scenes were shot in studio. Joan only has one exterior scene in the final film and it looks like it was also filmed in Italy (I've seen this location in other PEPLUM films which weren't filmed in Egypt). Dalida was living in Egypt and claims she was Joan's stand-in. Hmm...? 

This is the only scene with Joan that wasn't filmed in a studio in LAND OF THE PHARAOHS. It looks like it was filmed in Italy not Egypt.

It is possible that they filmed scenes of the two main characters for some wide exterior shots with Omar Sharif and Dalida that were eventually left on the cutting room floor. But Dalida's assertion that she was Joan Collins stand-in can't be true as Joan didn't shoot any scenes in Egypt and Dalida had never been outside of Egypt before moving to Paris in December 1954.

The funny part of all of this is that half of Dalida's story is fact and holds up to scrutiny but the other half doesn't hold up much. The only way to know for sure if Dalida was involved in either of these films would be to ask Joan Collins and Omar Sharif for their recollection of the events. And how did it go from JOSEPH & HIS BRETHREN to LAND OF THE PHARAOHS? As it is now much of it doesn't make sense. The fact that Dalida and Omar Sharif started their careers together is true. But which PEPLUM film were they really involved if any at all? 

Photo of the Day

Diane Kruger as Helen in TROY (2004)

For me, TROY was disappointing because the Helen character was missing in action. Diane Kruger looks great as the mythical beauty who's looks launched a thousand ships but unlike all previous films made of the story, Helen's importance in the film is almost an afterthought which was unforgivable, certainly after seeing Robert Wise's HELEN OF TROY, THE TROJAN HORSE with Edy Vessel as Helen and other previous versions. I couldn't even tell if Diane gave a good performance.

Movie Poster Mondays

French poster for FRINE - CORTIGIANA D'ORIENTE

As far as I know this film was never dubbed into English. I've never seen it and it's very rare. There is a  clip from the film on Youtube, in italian, and it looks good.

Photo of the Day

Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini), Iole (Sylva Koscina) and Hercules (Steve Reeves) watch an animal trainer  work with tigers for the crazed Eteocles in HERCULES UNCHAINED

Love this shot. Great used of widescreen. Sylva looks a bit rough here. I doubt the two new Hercules films being made right now will have a fun trio like this.

Back on Monday.

More photos from one of the new HERCULES films

More behind-the-scenes photos from the Dwayne Johnson version of HERCULES : THE THRACIAN WARS. Dwayne looks like Conan. We'll need to see him from the front to make a better opinion of this version of Hercules, which doesn't include any supernatural elements.

The Strongest Man in the World

Antoine Bertrand plays Louis Cyr

A new film was released a month ago here in Canada based on the life of Louis Cyr considered to be the strongest man in the world. Born Cyprien-Noé Cyr the legendary strongman changed his name to Louis Cyr when he moved to Boston in order for people to know how to pronounce his name.

From Wikipedia:

While several of Cyr's feats of strength may have been exaggerated over the years, some were documented and remain impressive. These included lifting a platform on his back holding 18 men, lifting a 534-pound (242 kg) weight with one finger and pushing a freight car up an incline. He also beat Eugen Sandow's bent press record (and therefore the heaviest weight lifted with one hand) by 2 pounds (0.91 kg) to a total of 273 pounds (124 kg).

LOUIS CYR at Wikipedia

LOUIS CYR at IMDb

Photo of the Day

Hercules (Geoff Ward, front) and Athena (Chelsea Rae Bernier) in 1313: HERCULES UNBOUND

I haven't seen this movie so I can't identify the actors. One of those 'flex' movies by David DeCoteau which are usually always disappointing: not enough action and the flexing is not impressive which all happen in one setting. Lou Ferrigno Jr, son of Lou Ferrigno, is also in this but he apparently only plays the voice of Zeus.

The synopsis of the 'story' goes like this:

Sent to a Gladiator retreat, HERCULES frustrates his fellow warriors with his arrogance, but when his rival CAPANEOUS schemes to poison Hercules, he must learn humility and devise a plan to survive a wrestling match in his weakened state…

Lobby Cards Set: DUEL OF CHAMPIONS

U.S. lobby cards set of DUEL OF CHAMPIONS. Not bad but no close-up of Alan Ladd? Was that intentional? To hide his age? It is a bit repetitive with cards 3 and 6 plus cards 4 and 5 being identical to each other. They could have shown two additional new scenes, boosting the cards worth. Not bad but average.

PEPLUM star spotting: Umberto Silvestri in BEN-HUR

PEPLUM star Umberto Silvestri, who appeared in ULYSSES, THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, SPARTACO - SINS OF ROME, COLOSSUS OF THE ARENA and countless other PEPLUM films, can be seen in the entire galley moment in BEN-HUR. I included a screenshot of Umberto from COLOSSUS OF THE ARENA just for comparison. He's not listed in the BEN-HUR credits, either in the film or at IMDb. I've already posted about this strong fellow here at the blog: link. It was cool when I noticed him as I watched BEN-HUR again.

Photo of the Day

Samoa (Franca Bettoia) and Sandokan (Ray Danton) in SANDOKAN AGAINST THE LEOPARD OF SARAWAK

This is one of two Sandokan film Ray Danton did after Steve Reeves made two films as well before leaving the series. Ray is pretty good as Sandokan but not as commanding as Steve. Are these films still politically correct today? I enjoy watching them even while knowing that European actors playing South Asian or Asian people is not the thing to do but it doesn't bother me. They don't make fun of their culture. But I'm not sure if younger generations would accept it.

Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves (1902)

It's only 8 minutes long but it's hand coloured so it's quite fun to watch. One of the oldest PEPLUM films ever made. It's 111 years old!

Last PEPLUM role

This dark image is Kerwin Mathews in NIGHTMARE IN BLOOD. It's actually not a PEPLUM film but this horror movie starts with a Swashbuckler film being projected in a movie theatre and it features Kerwin. It's a film within a film moment. After we see 'The End' as the Swashbuckler finishes and the real horror story begins we don't see Kerwin anymore. I wish the copy I have was at least bright enough to see Kerwin correctly but no. It's sort of a sad end to a great PEPLUM career.

Photo of the Day

Elizabeth Taylor as Helen of Troy in DOCTOR FAUSTUS (1967)

o..k...

I'll be watching this film for the very first time tonight. I had to readjust the brightness and contrast of this screenshot because this scene was sorta murky. The score is by Italian composer Mario Nascimbene who re-used his score from the brilliant THE BACCHANTES in some scenes.

Behind-the-Scenes

Director Guido Brignone inspects the fake blood on a young Rossano Brazzi in THE GORGON (1942)

I haven't seen this film but it sounds cool: about Saracens and a lady who becomes a representation of the Gorgon and Brazzi tragically falling in love with her. It's amazing how long Brazzi's career lasted.

The films of Michael J. Murphy

Tristan (Stephen Harris) and Iseult (Catherine Rowlands) in LEGEND OF A HERO

When I was off last week I discovered a 'new' voice in the PEPLUM film genre: his name is Michael J. Murphy and he's a filmmaker from the UK (there's so little info on him I don't know specifically from where he's based) who's been making films since the early 1970s and up to today. His films are mostly from two of my favorite genres: horror films and PEPLUM genre types: sword & sorcery or films based on classic stories like TRISTAN AND ISOLDE. In fact the director has made three adaptations of that story, in 1970 called TRISTAN & ISEULT, in 1986 as LEGEND OF A HERO and in 1999 as TRISTAN (link).

Most of his films are not listed at IMDb or available on DVD or VHS or any format. The couple of films I've seen up to now clearly show that Italian PEPLUM films are a big influence in the director's approach. In fact his ATLANTIS opus includes a statue reminiscent of the one in HERCULES & THE CAPTIVE WOMEN, on a much smaller scale of course (see last screenshot). These films are very low budget productions or high-budgeted home movies. Many would dismiss their worth on that fact alone but personally I find them fascinating. I watched LEGEND OF A HERO and I enjoyed it even if it looked like it was shot in a closet. The one interesting aspect of his films is that the filmmaker had a troupe of actors who appeared regularly in several of his films giving these obscure films a theatrical aspect. Mr Murphy is one dedicated independent filmmaker. 

Scenes from AVALON

Scenes from ATLANTIS

Photo of the Day

Julie Adams and John Gavin in 4 GIRLS IN TOWN

You might be wondering WTH is this doing here at the blog or Julie Adams made a PEPLUM film? Well, let me explain. The story of 4 GIRLS IN TOWN is about 4 young starlets vying for the lead role in a major Biblical epic. It's one of those behind-the-scenes films where we see how Hollywood works and in this film it's focused on the making of a PEPLUM epic. I've never seen this film before but I'd love to see it now, certainly for the behind-the-scenes moments like the one in this photo. John Gavin starred in SPARTACUS and looked great in it but Julie never made a PEP and it's regrettable because she looks fantastic here! She looked like she belong in the genre.

List of Top 10 Sword and Sandal Movies (sans Italian-made ones)

Someone on Youtube made a list of the best Hollywood-made Sword & Sandal films. They included LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. It's a great film but it's not a Sword & Sandal film even though it has obvious elements of the genre.

In their selection process, they wrote:

Criteria: skipping the traditional Italian Peplum movies that define the genre, and have instead picked Hollywood flicks that fit the category.

I wrote:

No HERCULES with Steve Reeves? Because it's Italian-made? Silly list. When Ridley Scott decided to do GLADIATOR they specifically said they wanted to make a "Steve Reeves kind of Gladiator film". So without HERCULES the Sword & Sandal genre wouldn't be the same including that no 1 film on this list.

Michael Ansara - R.I.P.

Veteran actor Michael Ansara died last week when I was away. Michael played in over 189 roles, in film and television, mostly on TV. But he did start acting in films including many from the PEPLUM genre. In the top and the screenshot directly below the Syrian-born actor was right at home in SLAVES OF BABYLON as Prince Belshazzar. A very good actor who happened to be married to Barbara Eden at one point, his list of roles/films is quite impressive, with appearance in SIGN OF THE PAGAN, DIANE, JUPITER'S DARLING, THE EGYPTIAN, PRINCESS OF THE NILE, BANDITS OF CORSICA, QUEEN ESTHER, etc. When he died headlines everywhere mentioned his single role on STAR TREK the original series. He did much more than that. He would have been great in a leading role in a major PEPLUM film but alas it didn't happen.

Michael Ansara was Pindarus in JULIUS CAESAR (1953). It's a small but pivotal role, here getting ready to kill Cassius (John Gielgud) under Cassius' command.

Ansara was Judas in THE ROBE with Victor Mature

Ansara co-starred with Rhonda Fleming in SERPENT OF THE NILE

THE SARACEN BLADE

Ansar as the Blue Djinn in Jeannie TV series with his wife Barbara Eden.

Photo of the Day

Shaw (Matthew Modine) and Morgan (Geena Davis) in a publicity photo for CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995)

They might be smiling but this film brought more misery to a bunch of people in Hollywood (and the world) than any other film is history. Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Liam Neeson, Jeff Bridges, Ralph Fiennes, Charlie Sheen, and Michael Keaton all turned down the role of Shaw. They all can claim they dodged a bullet there. It's funny that ten or so years later the Swashbucking genre would become a hot commodity with the enormous success of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2003). This $110 million production made only $10 million at the box-office. It destroyed the following:

- Carolco studios filed for bankruptcy six weeks before this hit theatres.

- Geena Davis' film career was derailed because of this film.

- Matthew's film career/leading man status was permanently damaged.

- Genna Davis and Renny Harlin (director of HERCULES 3D), who were married in 1993, divorced in 1998. The fact that Harlin fathered a child with his personal assistant, who worked with the director on Cutthroat Island, didn't help matters.

Cutthroat indeed. Aaaargh!

Movie Poster Mondays

French poster for German super production HELENA (1924)

A silent film that's over 3 hours long and was shown in two separate parts: THE ABDUCTION OF HELEN and THE RUIN OF TROY. Would love to see it. I found this poster at a University website from a research project about ancient civilizations in silent films and they misidentified this poster, which I think is ironic.

Steve Reeves flexing

I uploaded this rare footage of Steve Reeves flexing on stage.