Musings!

Gigi Bonos, Leo Valeriano, and Robert Malcolm in SINBAD & THE CALIPH OF BAGHDAD (1973)

Pietro Francisci's last movie. Pietro directed HERCULES (1958), among other great PEPLUM films and this is his swan song. I like it even it's very politically incorrect. It's a comedy with some disturbing scenes. Pietro had a knack of finding interesting men for his lead roles and Robert Malcolm is no exception. Malcolm had a short career and disappeared from the face of the earth. I posted something about him on Facebook and his wife, who was on Facebook, replied that he was still alive and very healthy. That was years ago. For a big part of the movie, Malcolm wears barely nothing. It's a different Sinbad. Harryhausen's versions made people expect monsters but the Sinbad of old, with Douglas Fairbanks Jr and such had no monsters. Sinbad was an adventurer of the seven seas and this movie is more adult and raunchy than any previous version. The two actors with him are the most Annoying Sidekicks since the two Annoying Sidekicks in THE THREE AVENGERS (1964). This was released the same year as THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD.

I like the concept of a boat balloon. There's always something creative about Francisci's movies and the entire scene with them finding this contraption is fun, even with the Annoying Sidekicks.

 

Behind-the-Scenes

A crew member working on the big model set of Atlantis in ATLANTIS - THE LOST CONTINENT (1961). This movie is featured in the latest issue of BY THE GODS! magazine 'Disaster Hits.' I love these intricate practical effects.

Clip of the week: WAR GODS OF BABYLON (1962)

Nineveh smashed by giant flood. With Howard Duff and Jackie Lane. 

New PEPLUM Imagery

HERO OF CARTHAGE

MEN OF PULP

HD Alert!

Peter Lupus and cast in CHALLENGE OF THE GLADIATOR (1965)

I already posted about an HD version of this film back in 2021 but this copy is much better and it's now streaming in Italy. The image is so crystal clear it looks like it was shot yesterday. There are some scenes which aren't as clear but this has nothing to do with the transfer but the way the movie was filmed. I like this movie. It's probably Peter's best of his 4 PEPLUM movies. This copy also includes the many scenes cut from the US version. I already covered extensively on this here.

Gloria Milland and Peter Lupus

Vintage Article

Small article from a newspaper in the UK about Steve Reeves in THE GIANT OF MARATHON. I like these.

Musings!

Turhan Bey, as Aesop, and Merle Oberon in NIGHT IN PARADISE (1946) 

The copy of this movie is not the best so I had to use a publicity photo here, which are plenty to chose from. This exotic fable was a financial flop when released which was bad for Universal who spent a lot on this quasi-Maria Montez fantasy. I'm not too familiar with Merle's career. She was born in Sri Lanka and lived in London before heading for Hollywood. I checked her IMDb profile and I haven't seen any of her other movies. While I'm familiar with Turhan Bey. I like him. But to be honest, I don't think I've seen an actor lose their looks as fast as Turhan. He was an exotic Technicolor dreamboat for most of the 1940s. A few years later, he looked like a regular taxi driver. At the start of the movie, Aesop appears as an old man. He disguises himself as such because no one would take wisdom from a young good looking man seriously. It seems life sorta imitated art, in the opposite. Once Turhan lost his looks, his career went nowhere. This movie has a lot, including probably the biggest bathing beauties scene in any movie. I really hope it will be released in a stunning copy even if the story itself is not that compelling. Directed by Arthur Lubin who directed the equally 'exotic' THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1961) starring Steve Reeves.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

French poster of SODOM AND GOMORRHA (1962)

I like this poster. Simple and yet eye catching. This movie is featured in the latest BY THE GODS! issue.

BY THE GODS! issue no 4 with 30% off!

BY THE GODS! number 4 is now available to purchase. And it comes with an incredible sale of 30% off the regular price of $19.75. The price went up because of Perfect Binding. Besides, this is the only issue of 2025.

You can buy any or all BY THE GODS! issues with 30% off. 

Sale ends Dec 1!

New Issue no 4

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3205057

Issue no 3

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2963938

Issue no 2

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2740217

Issue no 1

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2574706

AI PEPLUMTV

BATTLEPLATED

Image of the week!

 Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert) lounging on her boat in CLEOPATRA (1934)

BY THE GODS! magazine issue 4

There's good news and...good news. 

I got the printed copy of the new issue of BY THE GODS! number 4 right on time. The other good news is I like the Perfect Binding format. The paper quality is basically identical to the Saddle Stitch Binding format. Pages are thick and nice to the touch. So I won't be making any changes to it. I've already started seeing mistakes and I'll be correcting them during the weekend. 

I don't know if future issues will be Perfect Binding. I like this format but I've noticed that it prints much darker (see photo below). The colours with Saddle Stitch are more accurate. The red with Saddle Stitch is the red I want while the red with the Perfect Binding is much darker and not as accurate. You can see how the first issue compares with the new issue. It's not a big deal but I wonder why it's like this. I didn't change the red on the cover. Some of the photos inside are much darker than usual. And the page layout was fine with Saddle Stitch suddenly becomes slightly problematic. Nothing major but stuff I need to correct with Perfect Binding I didn't have to correct with Saddle Stitch. But even with all of this, I have to say that Perfect Binding makes it looks more like a genuine magazine.

The magazine should be ready and for sale on Monday once I've completed all the corrections.

Musings!

Reb Brown and Corinne Cléry in YOR - HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE (1983) 

This 80s movie is a somewhat unofficial remake of GIANT OF METROPOLIS (1961) starring Gordon Mitchell. The 1961 movie didn't have dinosaurs like YOR and it was about Atlantis more than floating city but the base of the story is almost identical: a simple but strong 'cave' man leads people about only to be captured by an advance civilization and they run experiments on his body. This is a post-apocalyptic story in which survivors reverted back to cavemen-like living (which includes dinosaurs!?) It's a cheesy entertaining popcorn movie. It was a miniseries in Italy which means there's tons more fun if the miniseries ever gets released. It's hard to believe it was actually released theatrically in North America. I like it but it's definitely campy and sometimes cringe. Certainly that wig Reb has. Just like many other PEPLUM movies of the 1980s. His necklace holds the future of his existence (like THE SON OF SPARTACUS). Reb was fit and made a fun hero. Cléry was a Bond girl in MOONRAKER (1979). John Steiner is The Overlord. We only see his outline and arm. Sold as science-fiction but there's very little science in it. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Ursula Andress and John Richardson on the set of SHE (1965)

Clip of the week: THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1959)

Mimmo Palmara plays such a slimy villain! With Steve Reeves, Angel Aranda, Barbara Carroll and others. Carroll is one of a handful of actresses who played Nydia, the blind girl in many adaptations of the novel.

Portraits

Chelo Alonso as Landa in GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS (1959)

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from WAR GODS OF BABYLON (1962)

Many are not familiar with this PEPLUM movie. It's a solid production and at the end, the city of Nineveh is besieged by a series of disasters, including the burning of the palace, set on fire by a suicidal King. I won't spoil it too much but the effects of the flooding (not shown) and the fire are very good. Antonio Margheriti was responsible for the intricate model work. The top screenshot almost legit looks real. And the temple or palace starts crumbling from the fire (last screenshot). The excellent lighting makes all the difference.

This title is included in the soon to be published BY THE GODS! magazine issue #4.

 

José Greci and Stelio Candelli watch from a distance as Nineveh is destroyed.

 

Issue with the new issue of BY THE GODS! magazine

The new issue of BY THE GODS! magazine was sent to print this past weekend. It's set to arrive by Friday. There's a technical problem with this issue. It has 58 pages, which is the biggest yet. The problem is not the size but the type of print format. I deal with MagCloud and they have two types of printing formats:

Saddle Stitch Binding or Perfect Binding. Link. All previous issue were Saddle Stitch but since the new one has 58 pages, Saddle Stitch is not available since it has to be a variable of 4. 4x 14 = 56. 4 x 15 = 60. Because 58 is not compatible with Saddle Stitch I have to remove two pages or add two pages if I want it to be printed in the Saddle Stitch format. 56 pages or 60 pages but not 58. I like Saddle Stitch so I was gutted by this. I can't remove pages that's for sure. I printed a copy with Perfect Binding and once I'll get it, I'll see if the format is good enough. If I find that I prefer Saddle Stitch, I have to add two additional pages at the last minute and get it printed again.

If this issue is printed in Perfect Binding or Saddle Stitch with two additional pages, meaning it will be 60 pages big, the cost of the magazine automatically goes up either way. 

I have until Friday to figure out what to add in the two additional pages if Perfect Binding is not an option. Perfect Binding is like a glossy magazine. It's more expensive. 

I'll keep you updated on this.

Musings!

A naked Noëlle Adam, Donald O'Connor (back to us) and Vittorio De Sica in THE WONDERS OF ALADDIN (1961)

I challenge anyone to give a short, concise synopsis of this movie. The story is all over the place. It's a comedy and even though there are some funny moments, it's not a laugh a minute comedy. The way Noëlle Adam's character is treated in this family movie is so peculiar. Yes, this is a family movie. So many questionable things in it. The framing of this shot is so odd. Everything about this movie is wonky. It's available in a super clear Blu-ray which has some really nice photography throughout the oddity. I still can't believe this was available in HD and a pristine print of HERCULES (1958) is still nowhere to be found (not counting those abomination of Blu-ray releases from Japan or France). I still can't believe Steve Reeves was set to star in this. They switched Reeves for O'Connor (!!!) and gave Reeves THIEF OF BAGHDAD. Phew.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Original Italian poster of MARS - THE GOD OF WAR (1962) 

A decidedly different poster for a decidedly different PEPLUM movie. Like the movie, this poster is a different style we typically see in regular posters for PEPLUM movies. There's more than one poster for the movie.

Image of the week!

Hercules (Gordon Scott) tries to survive in the claws of the giant Trojan sea monster in HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY (1965)

New BY THE GODS! magazine!

The new issue of BY THE GODS! will be available maybe as soon as next week. I need to publish a printed copy and make any corrections first before sending the final version. It can take up to a week for it to be sent, even with express shipping. It's coming. It's just a matter of time. This will be the Fall/Winter issue.

Musings!

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Alfio Caltabiano and Mario Novelli are not dead in REVENGE OF THE GLADIATORS (1964)

Ok, more Cinematic Confusion. This is the last of the SLAVE series from director Michele Lupo. His films are hyper action, quasi-cartoony PEPLUM movies with hyper masculine characters and massive close-ups. You either like his movies or not. I like them but sometimes they are a bit much. This movie shares the same title of another 1964 PEPLUM called REVENGE OF THE GLADIATORS with Mickey Hargitay. The Italian title for this movie translates as REVENGE OF SPARTACUS (La Vendetta di Spartacus). The story switches from dead serious to slapstick, which is not unusual in Italian PEPLUM movies. In this improbable scene, the villains (Daniele Rocha and Giacomo Stuart Rossi) meet on the beach where there are hundreds of dead bodies. They celebrate that the rebels are all dead. There's a big and obvious problem with this scene. The corpses have no blood. It's obvious they're not dead but just pretend to be dead and boom, they all stand-up and attack the villains and their soldiers. Just look at the people in the background. There's no blood. This climax, as action-packed as it is, is weak. The whole film is sorta forgettable, certainly compared to SEVEN REBEL GLADIATORS and SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME, which are memorable from beginning to end. Lupo lost steam with this production.

Alfio is the stuntman and is often 'Master of Arms' in movies he's not acting in. This stance, with legs wide apart, is his signature stance. If you watch a PEPLUM movie and the actor fight like this, Alfio is involved with the movie.

Behind-the-Scenes

Actor/director John Huston poses with the actual life-size ark on the set of THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING...(1966)

Clip of the week: PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE (1963)

Perseus (Richard Harrison) is whipped into action! With Leo Anchóriz and Anna Ranalli.