Saturday, December 24, 2011
Photo of the Day
Stay warm, don't eat and drink too much!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Photo of the Day
Charles Boyer, as Napoleon, and Greta Garbo in CONQUEST
A historical/quasi-swashbuckler/costume drama/romantic flick that can be categorize as borderline PEP genre film. The film was in black & white but this is an actual color photo of the production. Quite stunning. It should have been filmed in color.
I love Garbo (she's my favorite actress), Boyer is excellent as Napoleon (even though he's a bit too tall) and admire director Clarence Brown's body of work but this project was truly misconceived. A romantic drama with Napoleon? As misguided as JUPITER'S DARLING, you know, the romantic musical comedy about Hannibal.
Black Vikings
Edric Connor in THE VIKINGS
Sydney Poitier is not a Viking but joins a bunch of Vikings, including Richard Widmark, in a quest in THE LONG SHIPS
Deacon Jones in THE NORSEMAN
Eartha Kitt is Freya (!) in ERIK THE VIKING
Günther Kaufmann in VICKI THE VIKING (2009)
Idris Elba is a Norse god in THOR
PEPLUM Inspired art
I don't know who's the artist but I like this painting. A day in the life of a Roman...
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Photo of the Day
Added to the PEPLUM Cliché page
PEPLUM Babe of the Month: MARA LANE
British-Austrian model Mara Lane is the PEPLUM Babe for December. Mara was one of the most sought after models of the 1950s and made several films during that decade and appeared in two PEPLUM films in the 1960s, 79 AD THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM and THE OLD TESTAMENT, both starring Brad Harris, before disappearing from the face of the earth. Mara was memorable in both films, certainly 79 AD, which is one of my favourite PEP films. Mara, where are you?
Uploaded to the "BABES AND BEAUTIES" permanent page
Above and below: Mara in 79 AD THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM; Brad Harris is her costar in the photo above.
Mara in a Roman litter in THE OLD TESTAMENT
Wrath of the Titans - Sam Worthington Movie (2012)
First trailer for WRATH OF THE TITANS, sequel to the CLASH OF THE TITANS remake. The choice of music, SWEET DREAMS by Marilyn Manson, is horrible.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Photo of the Day
Tim the Enchanter (John Cleese) from MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
He's a busy man
STAR TREK goes Greco Roman
BREAD AND CIRCUSES episode
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN episode
Michael Forest is Apollo in WHO MOURNS FOR ADONAIS?
After STAR TREK was cancelled William Shatner made a pilot for ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Patrick Stewart in I CLAUDIUS before ST: THE NEXT GENERATION
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Photo of the Day
Pierre Cressoy and Hélène Rémy are lovers in THE BARBARIANS (1953)
Cressoy was a leading man in many Swashbucklers/Costume dramas in the late 1940s/early 1950s but during the 1960s he was relegated to supporting actor in such films as TRIUMPH OF HERCULES and SANDOKAN PIRATE OF MALAYSIA. As for Hélène, she appeared in a few PEP films like LAST OF THE VIKINGS. Both of their careers peaked too early to enjoy the massive PEPLUM explosion of the late 1950s and 1960s.
PEPLUM Behind the Scenes
PEPLUM Cliché : Washing Up On Shore (updated)
Updated and posted in the PEPLUM Clichés permanent page.
This cliché is an easy way to start a story where our characters can start anew in a completely different setting.
This cliché is an easy way to start a story where our characters can start anew in a completely different setting.
Alan Steel in HERCULES AND THE BLACK PIRATE
The crew of the Argo from JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
Jacques Sernas in GODDESS OF LOVE
Kirk Morris is rescued from the beach in CONQUEROR OF ATLANTIS
Lex Barker is not immune to the cliché; from ROBIN HOOD AND THE PIRATES
Cleopatra (Pascale Petit) is saved by Pompeii (Akim Tamiroff) in A QUEEN FOR CAESAR
Ombretta Colli & Steve Reeves in SON OF SPARTACUS
Mark Forest in HERCULES AGAINST THE SONS OF THE SUN
Jacques Sernas, again, in HELEN OF TROY
Brad Harris, Gloria Milland & friends in GOLIATH AND THE GIANTS
Monday, December 19, 2011
Photo of the Day
Roger Browne and Jocelyn Lane show off their legs in MARS GOD OF WAR
I really like this film. Totally unique in the PEPLUM genre.
I really like this film. Totally unique in the PEPLUM genre.
Movie Poster Mondays
French poster for CLEOPATRA (1963)
Not a big fan of this film but I always loved this poster
Extreme fan
A fan got a tattoo of PEPLUM star Rosalba Neri (right). I love Rosalba but I don't think I would go that far
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Last Days of Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott and Roger Thomas shake hands; Roger let Gordon stay in a back bedroom in his house until he died. I'm glad Roger (and wife Betty) helped him during his last years, between 2001 and May 2007. Some say the story is inspirational but I have to admit though that I find this very sad.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Photo of the Day
The sea battle at the climax is one of the most complex battle scenes ever made and yet some make fun of this cool film. Part of the Steve Reeves marathon I had on PEPLUM TV today and it was a success.
Steve Reeves marathon today
WHITE WARRIOR
THIEF OF BAGHDAD
JAIL BAIT
ATHENA
KIMBAR (15 minutes only)
GOLIATH & THE BARBARIANS
GIANT OF MARATHON
HERCULES exclusive FAN DUB version
SANDOKAN THE GREAT
more to be announced including A LONG RIDE FROM HELL
Friday, December 16, 2011
Photo of the Day
Russell Crowe and Djimon Hounsou fight for their lives in GLADIATOR (2000)
My opinion of this film is mixed. I 'm a fan of Ridley Scott's earlier films and some parts of this film are great but the scene when Crowe kills a dozen men in one instance made him look like Rambo of Rome. Cool macho stuff but not very realistic for an Oscar calibre film.
The missing scenes from SAPPHO - VENUS OF LESBOS
If you're a regular visitor here you probably know that SAPPHO - VENUS OF LESBOS is one of my favourite, if not my favourite PEPLUM. The moment I saw it it was love on first sight. But as much as I love it I still had some reservations, mainly about King Melanchrus, who's reduced into a harmless buffoon in the US cut, which runs 16 minutes shorter than the original version. I've recently acquired a French copy of the film and as far as I can tell, it's uncut. And this version shows so much more about King Melanchrus and how evil and insane he is which sheds so much light on why everyone wants to overthrow him. Here's a quick rundown of scenes missing in the US version.
The dance sequence when Sappho is introduced was shortened, with some gyrating scenes missing from the US cut.
The introduction of King Melanchrus. The scene is beautifully mounted (even in this bad copy). All the following scenes with Melanchrus are missing in the US cut.
Melanchrus' slave girls (or servants) hold bird cages as the crazed King feeds the birds. Melanchrus and birds is a running theme throughout the film.
The King asks the slave girl which one is the male bird and the female bird. The slave girl answers promptly and the King asks her how she knows this and she informs him that she learned it from the previous slave girl. The King then asks her what happened to the previous slave girl and she tells him that he ordered her to be decapitated because she couldn't tell him which birds were the males or the females. This scene shows how demented Melanchrus is even if it's treated as a bit of black comedy.
King Melanchrus, with Hyperbius and Laricus, visits his dungeon and he's shown a new torture device, one which contains a rat in a cage placed on a victim and the only way for the rat to escape is for it to burrow its way through the victim's body. Hmm...
There are two prisoners and one of them was tortured to death by the man who conducts the tortures. The torturer admits he simply wanted to get the victim out of his mysery. Laricus, not happy with the cruel torture methods he has witnessed, leaves while Hyperbius fights with the torturer and kills him.
At the Temple of Aphrodite, we see the teachers showing the young girls how to weave and sow. Below, which is part of the same scene, we see Sappho sneaking away up the stairs to see Phaon.
The final scene of Actis and Sappho together when Sappho admits she has fallen in love with Phaon, which upsets Actis. Why was this scene cut I'll never know.
During a moment when a grieving mother explains to the rebels how her family was attacked by Melanchrus' soldiers, we see the mother's daughters grabbed by soldiers and pinned down on tables and we learn afterwards that they were raped and one of them was murdered. This scene, pictured above and below, is a bit hard to take in a so-called family film but it shows the extent of Melanchrus' evil, which is sorely missing in the US cut, in which we really never get to know why everyone is against him. In this cut, we clearly know why.
Riccardo Garrone as Hyperbius is ripped to shreds by a lion. We see much more of this gory and realistic scene.
All in all, this cut is so much better than the abbreviated US one. It shows, without a shadow of doubt, why there's an uprising against the King, who, in the US cut, was made to be seen as a defenseless buffoon. Other scenes have also been shortened, including the final battle but this is the bulk of the missing scenes.
Uploaded to the SPECIAL FEATURES permanent page.
The scenes with the lions at the beginning was shortened by a minute or so.
All in all, this cut is so much better than the abbreviated US one. It shows, without a shadow of doubt, why there's an uprising against the King, who, in the US cut, was made to be seen as a defenseless buffoon. Other scenes have also been shortened, including the final battle but this is the bulk of the missing scenes.
Uploaded to the SPECIAL FEATURES permanent page.