Clip of the week: VENGEANCE OF URSUS

Ursus (Samson Burke) is put to the test 

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from ARABIAN ADVENTURE (1979)

This is an elaborate flying magic carpet scene with the good guys battling the bad guys on magic carpets. IMO, it's the main reason to watch the movie. Though some might say some of the action is clunky or not convincing, I like the entire scene just for the incredible effort that went into it. Director Kevin Connor went all out. It's like the STAR WARS fight scene but with magic carpets.
 

Vintage Article (s)

Two vintage articles on two different Steve Reeves movies in two different unknown magazines. The article above is for HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) and below is for THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1961). Georgia Moll is credited but the photo is that of Edy Vessel.

 

Musings!

Michael Forest (as Atlas, back left) and the cast of ATLAS (1961)

A Roger Corman version of a PEPLUM movie. It has a very hip attitude which is different than all PEPLUM movies. It was shot in widescreen but a widescreen copy of it has never surfaced anywhere. The opening credits are in widescreen (in a 4:3 image) but the rest of the movie is in full screen. As anyone seen it in widescreen when it was released? Michael Forest only straight-forward PEPLUM movie. He also appeared as Apollo in a STAR TREK episode. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

US poster of SABU AND THE MAGIC RING (1957)

Fairly standard US poster style. Color by DeLuxe. The color version of this movie is missing. For now, the only print available is in B&W.

Happy Easter!

Rachel (Silvana Mangano) at the opened tomb where Jesus was buried in BARABBAS (1961). Happy Easter to all who celebrate it.

Image of the week!

Ursus (Dan Vadis) shows his gladiatorial skills in URSUS - THE REBEL GLADIATOR (1962)

Lobby Cards Set: THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN (1961)

US lobby cards set of THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN (1961; 1962 US) starring Geoffrey Horne, Belinda Lee and others. Great set. Sorta tells the story in photos. I like it.

Behind-the-Scenes

Federico Fellini and Martin Potter on the set of FELLINI - SATYRICON (1969). This is the Minotaur scene, one of the best scenes in the movie.

Clip of the week: GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS (1959)

Steve Reeves vs Livio Lorenzon in action packed ending.

HD Alert!

Urbano Barberini is the hero in GOR (1987)

Yet another German release of GOR and OUTLAW OF GOR (or GOR 2) to Blu-ray. To be released April 21. One year ago, the two movies were also released on BD in Germany. The Germans really love this movie. And yet no US Blu-ray release of either movies. The image above is not from this Blu-ray release.

Then & Now: Geoffrey Horne

Geoffrey in THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN (1961); a recent photo of the actor

Musings!

 Hiram Keller, Gordon Mitchell and Martin Potter in FELLINI - SATYRICON (1969)

There's a short list of PEPLUM stars that appeared in a Fellini movie. Here's one: Gordon Mitchell. The scene is brief and the way it's filmed makes it impossible to take screenshots so this photo will do. Mitchell, along with Samson Burke, appeared in small roles in this humongous movie. Mitchell looks positively tiny next to Keller and Porter, who weren't bodybuilders like Mitchell. It's so odd to see this. Anyway, many people do not like the  movie but I like it. It's to PEPLUM movies what 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was to science-fiction films. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

US one sheet of THE QUEEN OF THE TARTARS (1960; US 1962)

Nice artwork. In Color-Scope!

Image of the week!

Honoria (Sophia Loren) opens her heart to Aetius (Henri Vidal) in ATTILA (1954)

At the movies...

BEN-HUR (1959) playing at the Loew's State Theatre in New Your city. 

Musings!

Hercules (Steve Reeves) and Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini) watch Iphitus (Mimmo Palmara) compete in a round of discus in HERCULES (1958)

Someone posted a message at my other blog, BY THE GODS!, on the condition of the HERCULES film. Artus Films, of France, recently tried to release this movie and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) to Blu-ray but the state of the prints they got were so bad that they had to suspend the project. I hope this is not true. This might mean the movies will never get a proper HD release. I hope there are better prints out there. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Lang Jeffries and Rhonda Fleming on the set of REVOLT OF THE SLAVES (1960). Notice the name FABIOLA in the background. 

Clip of the week: THE QUEEN OF THE TARTARS (1960)

Jacques Sernas vs Mario Petri. With Chelo Alonso as the Queen.

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from THE QUEEN OF THE TARTARS (1960)

This overlooked film has some impressive matte paintings. These are the very end of the movie and they're spectacular. The ending to this movie is sorta unexpected. I can't find who's responsible for these matte paintings.

Goddess with Upraised Arms in ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS

I love making this blog. Yesterday I posted a screengrab from ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS and I learned, from a follower on Twitter, that the statue in the background is the Goddess with Upraised Arms/hands. The post sorta went viral. The story is set on the island of Crete and the location of Polyphemus the cyclops' cave is supposed to be in Crete. So, the movie makers knew their stuff and the prop is historically accurate. The things I learn from doing this blog. 
 

Gordon Mitchell and Aldo Bufi Landi in ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (1961) with the Goddess with Upraised Arms statue.

Musings!

Atlas (Gordon Mitchell; Maciste in original) and Capys (Chelo Alonso) in ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (1961)

This was Gordon's first leading role and first PEPLUM role in an Italian production. He had already appeared as an extra in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) and in SPARTACUS (1960) so this is not his first role in a PEPLUM movie. Considering this was his first lead role, I think he did a pretty good job there. Chelo had already done a dozen or so PEPLUM productions so she was a veteran by then. I like this movie. I have so many different copies of this movie, including a pretty nice one from a Spanish DVD (screengrab from it) but I'm still patiently waiting for a clear HD copy of this. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Original Italian poster of MACISTE - AVENGER OF THE MAYANS (1965)

Nice poster. Does he look like Kirk Morris? Not really but the artwork is fine nonetheless. 

Image of the week!

Messalina (Susan Hayward) joins her husband Claudius, who is now Caesar after Caligula was killed, while her lover, Demetrius (Victor Mature) watches on in DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (1954)

More on the mystery of HERCULES (1953)

Two weeks ago I posted about a Filipino movie called HERCULES and released in 1953. There's very little information on this but IMDb lists it. Someone wrote at a blog that the movie itself is not real but another title. But upon further investigation, mainly thanks to Paul, the movie seems to be real but it is considered a lost film. As the image above shows, at the bottom right, it's part of list of 'Lost Filipino Films.'

But...there's a website that claims they have it. I personally don't trust those kind of websites and I won't register to find out but I highly doubt they have it. Anyway, if someone wants to try it go ahead. 

I can accept the fact that the movie is lost but I find it hard that all publicity material and photos of the movie are also lost. If there were a couple of photos or another poster artwork I would believe it but for now I'm not 100% convinced of it being real, mainly because the poster artwork looks more 1960s than early 1950s.