This recalls what? Jesus on the cross? The film never makes any Chris-like allusions but then never underestimate Italian filmmakers. A fun film but it's the least of the three Ursus films Ed made back during the Golden era of the PEPLUM genre.
Friday, June 3, 2016
By the Gods!
This recalls what? Jesus on the cross? The film never makes any Chris-like allusions but then never underestimate Italian filmmakers. A fun film but it's the least of the three Ursus films Ed made back during the Golden era of the PEPLUM genre.
Retro Friday : PEPLUM Prop : The Gong
It's well known that Italian PEPLUM flicks recycled props (among other things) and here's one funny example: that gong! The gong has appeared in so many Sword & Sandal films that I've lost track. It even appeared in films of the 1980s. It's fun to spot it whenever I watch a movie.
HERCULES & THE CAPTIVE WOMEN
TERROR OF THE STEPPES
GLADIATORS 7
URSUS IN THE LAND OF FIRE
URSUS IN THE VALLEY OF LIONS
THE LION OF THEBES
THRONE OF FIRE
Thursday, June 2, 2016
By the Gods!
God writes a message of doom in SLAVES OF BABYLON
The hand of god! The message says the days of the evil Kingdom will come to an end. I like this scene. It's all too brief but it's well executed. A Columbia picture directed by William Castle.
PEPLUM GIF Animation : COLOSSUS OF THE STONE AGE
Reg Lewis and Margaret Lee fight a dinosaur. 6 months in the making!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
By the Gods!
Gordon Scott in HERO OF BABYLON
The 'surrounded by spears' is a very popular cliché in musclemen pictures : there are few ways to stop a very strong man and this is one quick and easy way that works. One of Scott's better films.
Behind-the-Scenes
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
By the Gods!
Delilah (Rosalba Neri) and Prince of Gaza (Paolo Gozlino) in GREAT LEADERS OF THE BIBLE
This version of the fabled story is the second part of a film made with two short stories taken from the bible (the first story is Gideon). Not bad but this Italian version, which is just about one hour long, showcases the fundamental problem with the story of Samson & Delilah : there's simply not enough to warrant a full length feature. Even the 1949 Hollywood version by Cecil B DeMille was stretched and padded to the point of being almost a parody. It's a story that can easily be told in 15 minutes. Rosalba makes an interesting Delilah but the fellow who plays Samson, Anton Geesink, gives an even more boring take on the famous role than Victor Mature. But the true star of this short segment is Paolo Gozlino. Every time he's on screen, you can't take your attention away from him.
Monday, May 30, 2016
By the Gods!
Both Olga and Brad were married for two years. This union produced a small child and this film. A rarely shown film, it was one of the first to add sex and nudity in a film of the PEPLUM genre. You can read The Real PEPLUM X for an overview of how Sword & Sandal films became Sex and Sandal films.
Movie Poster Mondays
Yugoslavian poster for CAESAR AGAINST THE PIRATES
Gordon Mitchell is spelt Micel. Abe Lane is featured more prominently. Different design from the usual Italian stuff. Fun film.
Friday, May 27, 2016
By the Gods!
The film that started the PEPLUM explosion, and the scene in which the two characters (and actors) would be forever bound. The entire beach scene is great and beautifully shot.
Retro Friday : HERCULES - action model
Old posts updated (originally posted on November 10, 2010)
I like these, certainly the first one. But both of them do not look like Steve Reeves (rights issue?)
I'm glad somebody actually remembers these movies from the past.
Steve in HERCULES
by Figure Realm
Thursday, May 26, 2016
By the Gods!
This film is an interesting dichotomy : how to get Hercules fight a real god? Well, it's a film of impostors. Hercules (Gordon Scott, not shown) is not really Hercules but someone using the name as an alias. And Moloch is not the real God Moloch but a living example of the sacrificial evil deity. Pietro Marascalchi is impressively menacing as the earth-bound Moloch.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
By the Gods!
A rare and odd PEPLUM musical based on the Giuseppe Verdi opera. None of the actors actually sing. It's dubbed by real opera singers. Sophia and Poli are in blackface (which is not uncommon in current theatre presentations of films made during that time). I doubt anyone today, in our politically correct times, would want to see this. A film to be forgotten?
Unique arena set-ups
One of the cool aspects of PEPLUM films is seeing films with scenes set in the arena with elaborate set-ups. Here are just a few examples. These don't include scenes with standard gladiatorial arenas but just those with added themes or contraptions.
A mock fortress surrounded by a motte in FABIOLA
In SPARTACO : SINS OF ROME, a full ship with oars in a pool of water
An elaborate elevated fighting area in BARABBAS
GLADIATORS 7 : An elevated catwalk area to fight, with wooden spikes waiting below
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
By the Gods!
Henri Vidal refuses to fight as a gladiator in the ending of FABIOLA
The ending to this very long film is memorable and at the same time too brief and rushed. It needed to be more pronounced but the filmmakers probably thought the film was already too long so they abbreviated the conclusion. IMO, it should have been the centerpoint of the story. It's was also difficult to conceive on film : they had to show him as being brave and not cowardly for refusing to fight. It's good but could have great.
RISEN trailer
The official summary :
"Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Yahshua (Jesus) in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem."
...or another way to tell the story of the resurrection without actually telling the story of the resurrection.
Monday, May 23, 2016
By the Gods!
Theseus (Bob Mathias) meets Amphitrite (Susanne Loret) in THE MINOTAUR
The actual legend of Theseus meeting Amphritite is different than the one in this film. It comes out of nowhere and it's never really satisfying. The actress, Susanne Loret, made just a handful of films. Her inexperienced shows on screen. Because of this, the scene falls flat in what is an otherwise pretty solid production. Amphritite was Poseidon's wife / partner.
Movie Poster Mondays
Italian poster for THE LION OF ST-MARK
That's Gianna tie up to the mast. Gianna's role is not as passive as this poster suggests. Nice but it's mostly a land based Swashbuckler. No ships burning in it.
Friday, May 20, 2016
By the Gods!
Steve Reeves, as Morgan, inspects the booty in MORGAN THE PIRATE
Steve made this great swashbuckler right after THE GIANT OF MARATHON, in which he looked exhausted. After the success of HERCULES, Steve worked nonstop and by the time he made MARATHON he looked gaunt. But in this film he regained his healthy looked and actually appeared younger than some of his previous films. This was his only production in 1960. Steve was always frustrated that people only remembered him as Hercules when he played so many other roles.
Retro Friday : Stock Footage - The Castle
Retro Friday : Old posts updated (originally posted on November 27, 2010)
The shot above showing an army leaving a castle/fortress has been used and re-used in at least a dozen PEPLUM flicks. This screenshot was taken from CHALLENGE OF THE GLADIATOR. I still do not know the original source but it looks more medieval than Roman.
The footage was from CONSTANTINE & THE CROSS (below), one of the most 'sampled' titles by other PEPLUM films.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
By the Gods!
Ricardo Montalban plays Pietro Donati (back to us) in THE SARACEN BLADE
Fun little actioner, with typical Columbia Pictures production values (low). Noticed the curtains stand in for a set. Even if it's a low budget effort, I like it. The rest of the cast : Whitfield Connor (seated), Count Alesandro Siniscola and Enzio Siniscola. Directed by William Castle. Would make a good double feature with another Montalban film, DESERT WARRIOR.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
By the Gods!
Alan Steel and Brad Harris battle it out in an awkward duel to the death in SAMSON
This 'duel with blindfolds' is fun but not as good as the one in MACISTE - GLADIATOR OF SPARTA. In other countries, Alan is named Hercules. In the English version, his name is Millstone. The two beefy actors would re-appear in the twin production in FURY OF HERCULES. This one is much better than the latter even though they are both entertaining in their own different ways.
