Pietro Francisci's films: Shepherds & pan flute

A shepherd plays the pan flute in HERCULES (1958). This is the very first image from the film.

Yesterday, I made a video montage of maidens or Ladies-in-Waiting from PEPLUM master Pietro Francisci's films. Every day of this week I'll post some fun aspects of his films that many might not know. Today, 3 of his films start with shepherds or fisherman and pan flutes. All of his films should have started this way.

In SIEGE OF SYRACUSE, at the very start of the film we see a shepherd disturbed by the two soldiers on horseback. The shepherd is not playing a pan flute but it's probably in his pocket.

Again, the very first image in HERCULES, SAMSON & ULYSSES is Mario Novelli playing the pan flute. He's not a shepherd but a fisherman (or shepherds of the sea). The entire beginning was removed for the US version but this is how the film was intended to start in Francisci's original Italian cut.