PEPLUM Break

I need to take an impromptu break for personal reasons. Sorry about this, folks. Stay tuned!

Musings!

Antea - Queen of the Amazons (Gianna Maria Canale) explains to Jason (Fabrizio Mioni) how they survived without men after a disaster in HERCULES (1958)

One of the best things about this movie is how to the story snakes here and there, in different directions, making it unpredictable. It has multiple secondary storylines sharing the same time frame. The Jason storyline one of those secondary storylines that co-exists beautifully with the main Hercules one. This includes the 'Jason's Single Sandal' prophecy heard at the beginning. His story is never too present. It's just right. During this entire scene, Hercules is pretty much missing. 

Another secondary storyline is the one about the Amazons: it focuses on the plight of Antea and how they became Amazons, forming an army of female warriors to protect themselves from outsiders trying to get them. A spark happens between these two, igniting a short but passionate love affair. It's not all about Hercules, who takes a much needed break. Gianna and Fabrizio worked well together.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

French poster of SAMSON AGAINST THE SHEIK (1963)

Nice poster. Sums up the movie in three elements: the girl, the Hero in action, and the villain with his warriors. Ed looks different here. 😂

Stats week 24 August - 30 August 2025

6 days with over 10K views! With only 13 comments.

24 August - 11936
25 August - 17548
26 August - 11949
27 August - 11420
28 August - 13523
29 August - 9757
30 August - 10346

Total           86479

Average      12354

Image of the week!

Thanks to the manipulations of Ljuba (Maria Grazia Spina), Bianca (José Greci) now thinks her rescuer Hercules (Mark Forest) is a traitor in HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS (1963)

Lobby Cards Set: TWO GLADIATORS (1964)

Original Italian lobby cards set of TWO GLADIATORS (1964) starring Richard Harrison and Giuliano Gemma.Good set but some cards are weak, like the one with Richard lounging. There's so much stuff going on in this film and there's no shortage of cool scenes so why that one?

Musings!

Ursus (Joe Robinson) gives a helping to the good folks in URSUS AND THE TARTAR PRINCESS (1961)

This movie is difficult to describe. There are action scenes and Feats of Strength scenes like this one but it's really mainly a political drama with waring enemies, including big battle scenes. I can almost always figure out the year a PEPLUM movie was made just by the look of it as the PEPLUM genre followed the progression of filmmaking of the mid-1950s up to the mid-1960s. But this one always baffles me. It looks like a late stage PEPLUM movie, from1964 then an early 1961 one. The movie often falls under the radar for some of these reasons. The casting of Joe Robinson was a brilliant choice. He perfectly exemplifies Ursus: a Nordic Hero. IMO, he should have had more to do. It's almost a supporting role while the movie focuses on Ettore Manni and Yoko Tani. Regardless, it's a fun film.

There's a scene with a bear that can be seen in the trailer (below with Maria Grazia Spina). It's not in the final cut. From every different versions I have, it's not there. And I can't figure out where in the movie it would have taken place. It looks like a fun scene. Why did they cut it? This reminds me of all the scenes that appear in trailers or lobby cards of other movies that were eventually cut. I should write about this. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Bella Cortez, Iloosh Khoshabe, Annie Gorassini and Roger Browne pose for a photo on the set of VULCAN - SON OF JUPITER (1962)

Clip of the week: ZAN (1969)

Zan (Steve Hawkes) helps his Amazon babe (Kitty Swan)!

Blog's 15th anniversary: Renato Rossini aka Howard Ross

In celebration of the blog's 15th anniversary, I'm re-posting old posts. Here's one popular post I wrote back in 2014. The question remains: is it Kirk Morris or Renato Rossini in that movie?

Vintage article on Renato Rossini. Also known as Howard Ross or Red Ross, the Italian bodybuilder was a regular in PEPLUM films. He rarely had a lead role but his supporting roles were always stand-outs including in HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS (1963) pictured in the article above along with Ken Clark and Nadir Moretti.

The article had a photo of Renato in a bodybuilding competition. Same exact pose as the one below.

Renato in a Mondo movie called SEXY PROIBITISSIMO (1963) in a segment called 'Hercules Oblivious'; his bodybuilding experience came in good use for this brilliant short film. IMDb and other websites covering the PEPLUM genre have credited Kirk Morris as the bodybuilder (below). 

HD Alert!

Steve Reeves and Giorgia Moll in THE WHITE WARRIOR (1959)

HD print I acquired last spring. I've already mentioned about an HD print of this 2 years ago (link) but this copy is different. It's from a streaming service. Not on Blu-ray. And it's from France. I have so many pseudo-HD or HD broadcast copies of this film it's sort of confusing. There are scenes in the movie that are sorta out of focus or look odd. It's not a transfer issue but the way the movie was filmed.

Telamons (Atlas)

This account on TikTok has excellent content. Here she explains the Telamons used at the Temple of Zeus in Sicily. I did not know this. Telamon is such a cool name. I want to go there!

Musings!

Adam (Martin Milner) and Lilith (Fay Spain) are about to commit the biggest sin in human history in THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ADAM AND EVE (1960)

Like so many PEPLUM comedies, this one starts in the present and ends up in Eden in some reverie. It's one of those odd movies made back then, like WILD WOMEN OF WONGO (1955), which was a showcase of beautiful women with one scantily clad man (Milner wears a swimsuit made of leaves) and some corny theatrics in lieu of naughty sex. The movie was co-directed by Mickey Rooney and Milner sorta looks like Rooney in this shot. Like WONGO, it's hard to find a decent copy or photos of this movie. Fay Spain plays again another evil temptress, like her role in HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961). She wears a one piece leotard or swimsuit. Mickey shows up as a devil in some dime-store costume. It's all so very odd. A spectacular movie based on Adam and Eve as yet to be made.

I posted a better publicity photo of Milner and Spain at PEPLUM Xtra. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

German poster of GOLIATH AND THE REBEL SLAVE (1963)

So Gordon Scott is Goliath and Serge Nubret is Hercules? It was also released as DER TIGER VON SARDES (The Tiger of Sardis). German releases are so Cinematic Confusion. 

Stats week 17 August - 23 August 2025

I didn't take the screenshot starting August 17. But here's the rest. Over 10K views a day for 5 days in a row! 

17 August - 12053
18 August - 11259
19 August - 10769
20 August - 12600
21 August - 11260
22 August -   8118
23 August -   8449

Total:           74508 

Average views: 10644

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Image of the week!

Cleopatra (Sophia Loren) listens to the evil schemes of Tortul (Paul Muller) in TWO NIGHTS WITH CLEOPATRA (1954)

At the movies...

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) playing at the Rialto Theatre in Salt Lake City in 1957.

Musings!

Brian Thompson as Hercules in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (2000) 

I watched the TV movie/miniseries of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS back in the day and I remember very little about it. I remember I didn't like the casting of Jason (I still don't). The only good thing was Brian Thompson as Hercules. One of the best choices from any productions. Aside from the facial markings, Brian was perfect. He practically only played villains and this role was a good example of how a big guy like him could play a good guy (and yet stilll look menacing). 

In this scene, he pushes the ship into the sea. Jason asks "Who are you?" I'm like, Jason and the Argonauts don't know who Hercules is? WTH? That was so cringe. But anyway, Brian could have easily made a Hercules movie and I would have been fine with that.

Behind-the-Scenes

Joan Collins and Rik Battaglia on the set of ESTHER AND THE KING (1960) 

Clip of the week: YOLANDA - THE DAUGHTER OF THE BLACK CORSAIR (1953)

Yolanda (May Britt) in action! 

New PEPLUM imagery

With a few prompts, new PEPLUM imagery by AI. 

MEN OF PULP @ X

THE RETURN OF PERSEUS

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from THE ROBE (1953) starring Richard Burton

Something slightly different. If you look at the top right and left of these two images, you see buildings in the background. They'e not matte painting but huge murals. The actor and objects like spears cross them (below, on the left). Are these murals special effects? They're not sets. They're painted. They're like matte paintings but combined with the set.

 

The little girl on the right passes in front of the buildings in the background. With Victor Mature.

Then & Now: Geoffrey Horne

Geoffrey in JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN (1961); A recent photo of the actor 

Musings!

Poppea (Brigitte Bardot), Seneca (Vittorio De Sica) and Agrippina (Gloria Swanson) in NERO'S WEEKEND (1956)

A stellar production that's can be viewed in HD. I've added it to the list of HD titles. Link. You can also view it on Tubi with English subtitles. Tubi   

It's part comedy and musical. The sets, costumes, music, cast, are all excellent. But does it work? Is it funny? It's charming I'll give it that. I love watching it but the movie meanders here and there. Gloria Swanson became popular again after the success of SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950). Brigitte Bardot would soon become a superstar after this. The movie is known under several titles: NERO'S WEEKEND. NERO'S BIG WEEKEND. NERO'S MISTRESS. O.K. NERO (there's another movie with this title). It doesn't help.