PEPLUM
HEROIC FANTASY
ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS (1961)
Finally a beautiful widescreen version of this Gordon Mitchell Peplum. Maciste (Gordon Mitchell) battles a cyclops and an evil queen (Chelo Alonso) to save a descendent of Ulysses in this rousing action/fantasy tale. Directed by Antonio Leonviola.
ZORRO IN THE COURT OF ENGLAND (1969)
-In Italian with English subs, widescreen print. The film stars Spyros Focas, Carol Wells, Daniele Vargas, and Franco resell, directed by Franco Montemurro. Colorful and fun, Zorro in the Court of England has a fair amount of action and delivers on the sword fighting and guys getting their face carved with a bloody Z just like all you Zorro Zombies demand! Though Zorro comes off as a bit of a suck up to English rule (he's not opposed to being ruled by the English only to the nasty governor), I didn't mind that much, mainly because I'm not from Bermuda. Some humorous touches including snide comments by Zorro's pacifist alter ego about Captain Well's scarred face as well as amusing bits of physical comedy (Zorro tumbling down a hillside and hiding in a haystack as well as literally pulling the rug out from under Wells) make this Italian take on the Spanish-American character inexplicably set in an English colony a slashing success!
ULYSSES VS SON OF HERCULES (1961)
Finally a beautiful widescreen print of this colorful peplum. Throw away that shitty Mill Creek release and revel in this, the way the film should be seen. Georges Marchand, Dominique Boschero and Raf Baldassare star and Mario Caiano directs. By bursting the single eye of the cyclops Polyphème, wife of Poséidon, Ulysses s' attract the lattention of the other gods of Olympus. To punish the courageous navigator,who is on the way home to Ithaca, for his impetuosity, they ask Hercules to bring him back it to Sicily where he will be punished.
COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN (1960)
-Finally, a beautiful widescreen version of this very entertaining peplum with Rod Taylor, Ed Fury, Daniella Roca, and Dorian Gray. Colossus and the Amazon Queen, if anything, has the most and the best looking bunch of women of any film in the entire 60's peplum genre. Our hero's are captured by a race of Amazons who have turned all their men gay by being so macho ... Our hero's end up making up for that fact ... Apart from with the queen, who seems to spend her whole time getting drunk with her lady in waiting who just falls over all the time.
THE SPARTAN GLADIATORS (1964)
-Here is the rare English dubbed version of Alberto De Martino's La Rivolta dei Sette, also known as The Spartan Gladiators or The Revolt of the Seven. It concerns the quest of a group of escaped gladiators to seize a statuette from a Roman official who plans to use it to forge an alliance with a neighboring country that will result in the gladiator's countrymen becoming life-long slaves, this is one of the fastest paced of the peplum adventures with lavish sets, humor and unremitting action. The story gets kind of lost in it all, and it's hard to keep track of just why everyone is violently seeking the Athena statuette, but who cares! Tony Russel and his escaped gladiator pals have their hands more than full trying to outwit the conspirators and take many a beating before they finally triumph...
MASSACRE IN THE BLACK FOREST (1967)
-Finally a beautiful widescreen English language print! Arminius The Terrible, rebel against the cruel and conquering Roman Empire. In raging torments and blood curdling battles, the barbarian tribes and Roman Legions fight a war of attrition, so brutal and terrible that Arminius becomes a legend throughout the empire. Only Augustus, Emperor of Rome is evil and treacherous enough to enslave the Teuton barbarian and halt his murderous uprisings. The film stars Cameron Mitchell, Beba Loncar, and Antonella Lualdi.
THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD (1970)
- Peter McEnery stars as Col. Etienne Girard, Hussar officer of the Napoleonic era. The story takes place during the Little Corporal's 1808 campaign in the Spanish peninsula. Col. Gerard's adventures include an ongoing war of nerves against Napoleon's forces, not to mention a steamy affair with one Countess Teresa (Claudia Cardinale). "Nappy" himself is played by Eli Wallach, who certainly has the right temperament for the role, even though he's much too tall to be thoroughly convincing. Filmed in Spain, The Adventures of Gerard is based on characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A very lively adventure comedy. Directed by Jerzy (DEEP END) Skolimoski!
THE THREE SERGEANTS OF BENGAL (1964)
-Wow, a perfect widescreen version of this Umberto lenzi action film starring Richard Harrison, Wandessa Guida, and Andrea Bosic. This action-packed adventure/jungle film starts out when three British soldiers stationed in Malaysia are sent to Fort Madras to help the commandant fight off an elusive bandit who is terrorizing the countryside. They have several adventures (or, shall we say, misadventures) along the way.
Zorro VS Maciste (1963)
-in Italian with English subs, beautiful widescreen print. The gimmick in this movie of course makes zero sense. Zorro is a crime fighting super hero who hassles corrupt fat government officials usually named something along the lines of Don Diego way back in the pre-United States California of the 16the Century. He's a sly devil who delights in carving the letter "Z" all over the countryside, including the occasional ass of some unsuspecting evil doer. He is also a snazzy dresser, favoring an all black ensemble including hat, mask, and cape. Maciste (or Samson as he is sometimes known) hails from an earlier era. An era when men weren't measured by their prissy fencing skills, but by ancient standards known as gluts, delts, quads, and lats! If you couldn't dead lift seven thousand tons, chuck temple pillars two miles, and snap the neck of a cyclops, you may just as well get back in the kitchen with the rest of the women. And because of the need to be perpetually greased up and glistening so as to maintain that "just built up a sweat by beating up a hoard of barbarians with chunks of mountain" look, no more clothing than a ratty jock strap was required! Clearly, these two men are from different worlds with different sensibilities that could never co-mingle. Umberto Lenzi directs Alan Steel, Pierre Brice and Moira Orfei.
Slave of rome (1960)
-Beautiful widescreen print! During Julius Caesar's invasion of Gallia: The Gauls have broken their treaty with the Romans. Marcus Valerius and his friend are sent to punish them. When Antea, princess of the Gauls is captured by the Romans, she falls in love with Marcus. But after her father is killed in treachery, Antea must avenge her people or forsake them forever. Guy Madison, Rosanna Podesta, and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, directed by Sergio Grieco.
MORGAN THE PIRATE (1961)
-In French with English subs. beautiful print of this Bava/Steve Reeves film now with the missing footage from the US version. Reeves is the mysterious Captain Morgan who makes the Spanish galleons lives miserable. O-starring Valerie Lagrange, Giorgio Ardisson, and Chelo Alonso.
Goliath and the Giants (1961)
-Perfect quality, widescreen print. After fighting a war, Goliath (Brad Harris) has to face a storm at sea, sea monsters, assassins, Amazons, a gorilla, lions, weird torture devices, gladiators, cave men and giants! Directed by Guido Malatesta, and also starring Gloria Milland, Fernando Rey and the insane Nello Pazzafini as Jagoran.
Carthage in Flames (1960)
-Beautiful widescreen print. Carthage in Flames is precisely that, a sprawling, bloody, English-dubbed pageant about the African city's war with ancient Rome. Terence Hill, Anne Heywood, José Suarez, Pierre Brasseur, Daniel Gelin and several thousand extras battle it out. The color is as red-hot as the title. The import has two mild surprises. Carmine Gallone, the director, has staged a dandy, completely authentic-looking sea battle in the first reel (we'll take this one to those 'Ben-Hur' miniature galleys). Also, the picture employs enough sub-plots, peppered with historical footnotes, to make a viewer's head spin.
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Triumph Of Robin Hood (1962)
-Rare Umberto Lenzi action film. Starring Don Burnett, Germano Longo, Vincenzo Musolino, Gia Scala, Aldo Piga, Alexandre Dumas, Arturo Dominici, Enrico Luzi, Daniela Igliozzi, Vinicio Sofia, Gianni Solaro & Nello Pazzafini. Certainly one of the more obscure adaptations, here is a film that may be overlooked by even the most thorough film scholar. It takes place shortly after the Third Crusade. While returning home from the war, King Richard the Lionhearted is captured by the Germans and held for ransom. While he is being imprisoned, his conniving brother, Prince John, takes control of the regency and plans to oust Richard from the throne. Meanwhile, Robin Hood and his men are trying to collect enough money to get their king back from the Germans. However, the evil sheriff of Nottingham, Baron Elwin, attempts to stop them.
SWORD OF THE CONQUEROR (1962)
-Beautiful widescreen print! Directed by Carlo Campogalliani (Goliath and the Barbarians, Ursus) this medieval romance mixed with a heapin' helpin' of battleground brutality stars Jack Palance, Eleonora Rossi Drago (Camille 2000, The Bible) and Guy Madison (Beast of Hollow Mountain, Charge at Feather River). Featuring Edy Vessel (Thief of Baghad, Goliath and the Vampires) and of special note, a rare appearance by Ivan Palance, Jack's brother, in the role of Ulderico. Music by Carlo Rustichelli (Thief of Baghdad, Whip and the Body) and cinematography by Angelo Baistrocchi (The Vampire and the Ballerina) and Raffaele Masciocchi (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock).
EXECUTIONER OF THE 7 SEAS (1961)
-Finally a beautiful widescreen version of this Richard Harrison pirate epic. It's 1790 and British Naval Commander Redway is driven by greed for money and will stop at nothing to get it. His second in command, David Robinson, questions his allegiance when Redway kills his father and takes his brother prisoner. In order to save his brother and avenge his father's death David must join forces with a band of pirates, led by Captain Bernard, hunt down and kill Redway. Along the way we are treated to sea battles, blood-thirsty cannibals, and wall-to-wall action. Restores 2 scenes usually cut from most prints!!
SON OF CLEOPATRA (1964)
-Beautiful widescreen print starring Mark damon, Scilla bell, and Livio Lorenzon. In Roman-dominated Egypt, the corrupt administration of a governor named Petronius has sparked a revolt headed by El Kabir, a young man who learns that he's actually the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. When Petronius' daughter, Livia, newly-arrived from Rome, falls into his hands, El Kabir uses this opportunity to win her over to his side before releasing her to her father. Livia's efforts to promote peace, however, are thwarted, and only the arrival of Octavian Caesar can bring about a resolution to the troubled situation.
JULIUS CESAR AND THE PIRATES (1962)
-letterboxed print. Very entertaining action adventure film starring Gustavo Rojo as Caesar who is captured by pirates and held for ransom. Gordon Mitchell plays the pirate leader Hamar and sexy Abbe Lane plays his woman who becomes more and more attracted to Caesar. In the end Caesar must destroy the pirates and rescue Abbe Lane who has been chained to a wall and will be impaled by spikes if he's not in time. Excellent early 60s Italian action adventure and Rojo is very good as Caesar.
FURY OF THE SABERS (1965)
-In german with English subs, letterboxed print.Lex Barker stars as Kara Ben Nemsi (in Arabic: Karl the Son of the Germans, nowadays used for Austrians) is a fictional character in the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German writer. Alter ego of the author, everything written from first person perspective, he travels throughout the Ottoman empire, alongside his friend and servant Hadschi Halef Omar. His character being identical to that of Old Shatterhand, he owns two famous rifles, the Bärentöter (Bear Killer) and the Henrystutzen (Henry Carabine). Without ever leaving the saddle of his fabulous black horse Rih, Kara Ben Nemsi single-handedly fights off droves of thieves and crooks left and right. On night-long rides through bleak and barren lands, he never wavered in sharing his long-winded religious musings with unenlightened natives and readers alike.
APHRODITE GODDESS OF LOVE (1958)
-In Italian with english subs, beautiful widescreen print. In the 67 AD the leader of Corinth, Antigono, decides on the orders of Emperor Nero, to construct a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. He commissions the sculpting of the statue to Demetrius (Anthony Steffen) who chooses for his model the ambitious Diana (Irène Tunc), but meanwhile he falls in love of another slave, the Christian Lerna (Isabelle Corey). Demetrius converts to Christianity. A plague afflicts Corinth, and Antigono blames the Christians and orders them all to be burnt alive, taking the side of the Romans to bring back order. Who will save Demetrius and Lerna? One of last films of the veteran Mario Bonnard, who worked in cinema from 1909. It is a fast-paced, eloquent and ingenuous peplum that can be appreciated for its anachronistic difference from the customary dumb gladiator films. The musical score is by the extraordinary composer Giovanni Fusco (1906-68). One of the scriptwriters is Sergio Leone.
MACISTE THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD (1962)
-In Italian with English subs, letterboxed print. A group of fearless Roman slaves have been toiling for their master as gladiators. Their master offers them their freedom along with untold riches if they travel with him to a rival kingdom for the coronation of its new queen. What devious plot has he concocted that will be the culmination of his and his gladiators journey? Lots of action scenes render the plot nonessential; a chimp and an old man provide comic relief. Directed by Michele Lupo and starring Mark Forest, Scilla gabel and Dan Vadis.
WOMEN PRISONERS OF DEVILS ISLAND (1962)
-Letterboxed print. Michele Mercier and Guy Madison star in this exploitation historical film. Italian costume drama about convicted women in France being sent to the penal colony on Devil's Island where they must wade through alligator-infested waters and find gold.
GIANTS OF THESSALY (1960)
-Beautiful widescreen print! Heroic King Jason of Thessaly sets sail with his fellow Argonauts on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and save his country from the fiery wrath of Zeus in this rousing action/fantasy tale. Starring Roland Carey, Ziva Rodann, Massimo Girotti, Luciano Marin, Alberto Farnese, Nadia Sanders, Cathia Caro, Alfredo Varelli. Directed by Riccardo Freda.
