Gianfranco Parolini, R.I.P.

Mimmo Palmara and Gianfranco Parolini in THE TEN GLADIATORS (1963). Parolini sometimes acted.

Director Gianfranco Paroloni died on April 26. His age is difficult to determine since some sources say he was born in 1925 will other sites claim he was born in 1930. He started his career in movies by making PEPLUM films and eventually moved on to make loads of Eurospy films and Spaghetti Westerns. The director wrote and sometimes acted in his productions, as seen above. He often worked with Brad Harris. Suffice it to say, Parolini was fascinated by hyper masculinity and it doesn't get more hyper masculine than the Ten Gladiators series. His PEPLUM films often had evocative sets and camera work which made his productions stand out. He wasn't the most even and thorough  filmmaker but the good stuff always outweighed the uneven stuff. RIP!

SAMSON (1961)

Brad played a variation of Samson in this Gianfranco Parolini production. Alan Steel co-starred and played Hercules, renamed Millstone in the English version.


FURY OF HERCULES (1962)

A 'twin production' with SAMSON, Brad played Hercules in this Parolini film.

Scene from FURY OF HERCULES starring Brad Harris, Serge Gainsbourg and Luisella Boni

79 AD : THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM (1962)

Above and below : Brad Harris and Mara Lane. Director Gianfranco Parolini surpassed himself with this production. The story is almost non-existent but the film is gorgeous. The entire scene with gladiators fighting on a lake with crocodiles and a wall of fire is one of the most stunning moments in PEPLUM cinema.

THE OLD TESTAMENT (1962)

Above: Jacques Breathier with Brad Harris. Below is a clip from the movie I uploaded at PEPLUM TV. The direction by Parolini is uneven and certainly not as successful as 79 A.D. but it still has some gorgeous moments and production. 

THE TEN GLADIATORS (1963)

Above: José Greci and Dan Vadis. Below: the Ten Gladiator cast (for that movie). The first of 3 film series, this one is robust and action packed but also messy since it uses a lot of scenes from different films. In fact, I believe this movie uses more footage from other films than any other PEPUM film.

THE THREE AVENGERS (1964)

Alan Steel and Mimmo Palmara fight to the death in this robust PEPLUM film. This was his last genre film before moving on to Eurospy and Spaghetti Westerns.

Pietro Torrisi and director Gianfranco Parolini (mustard coat) chat while attending the Tavola Rotonda Peplum - The 8th Rome Film Festival. Photo taken in 2013.

Gianfranco Parolini