Dancing girls at the start of SINBAD AND THE CALIPH OF BAGHDAD (1973)
Directed by Pietro Francisci, who directed HERCULES (1958) and plenty of other PEPLUM classics. Dance numbers are usually fun and sexy scenes, nothing more. Not this one. It's actually quite disturbing. In fact, it's one of the most disturbing scenes in any PEPLUM. Since this happens at the very beginning of the movie, this probably turned off many viewers from watching it. It sets the tone for the movie even though the rest of the film is fun, sexy, light-hearted and jovial, you know, typical Francisci style. I always wonder if this was one of the rare missteps from the usually clever Francisci.
Whatever happened to Robert Malcolm?
Dancing girls are right up there with female slave market scenes as generally very enjoyable Peplum components. However, the idea of dancers getting killed or injured is indeed truly grotesque.
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