I like this scene. Very effective even if by today's standards everyone knows the stone bricks were made of styrofoam. And also by today's standards, the two men look a bit scrawny, not super muscular. This was Pietro Francisci's last major PEPLUM film. I prefer the Italian title which translated into HERCULES CHALLENGES SAMSON. The US title HERCULES, SAMSON & ULYSSES makes Ulysses as important as the two other men when in fact he hardly figures in the story.
5 comments:
I just watched this one recently. Really enjoyed it.
Actually, Kirk was a bit too small for his part, I thought. He always looked weaker than Richard, especially during the big fight they had in the ruin temple area. It was kind of like a half-back fighting a lineman. Interestingly, I have found on the net stills of the big fight of parts that were later cut out that show Richard smashing Kirk all over the place, I mean Kirk is really getting hammered. I quess you can hide that with good editing.
This film has always baffled me. It features several of the cast members from the original "Hercules" and I've often wondered if it were a shelved vehicle intended for Steve Reeves, or if they were simply trying to pick up where "Hercules Unchained" left off. Several of the scenes pay homage to the earlier films, especially the discus-throwing scene,with Ulysses playing the archer here, the pulling up of the stone anchor, and the use of a similar olive/brown-colored peplum worn by Kirk similar to the one worn by Steve. I agree Kirk was too small in comparison to Richard, and he does seem outclassed. In 1963 Steve still could've handled the role--he looked good the year before in "The Slave". Still a fun film, though. Anyone have a guess as to what the sea monster was actually supposed to be? A serpent? A whale?
Foxman: they used a seal for the opening scene which was cut in the US version. Also because the film is made by the same guy who made the Hercules films, it is a continuation of sort. Hercules is with Iole and they now have a kid. Ulysses is still with his pigeons. I don't think Steve would have liked this film or the story is too lightweight compared to his two Hercules films. It's a fun film but it's more cartoonish. I always say that one of the biggest goofs Steve did was to refuse to do a third Hercules film. The series feels incomplete after Hercules Unchained. As much as I like it this film doesn't fill that void.
They don't look at all scrawny. Today's "super muscular" steroid bodies are fake.
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