Reg Park as Hercules in HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961)
The world of the PEPLUM genre is an odd one and things keep getting more odd. A streaming channel calle Tubi TV has two PEPLUM movies, this one and 'GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON' to view for free. What's odd about this is the fact that both uploads are actually Fan Dubs. Someone, and I don't who, made Fan Dubs of these two movies, and re-edited some scenes so the print is nearly 100% in English. But this has created some interesting issues.
- HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS was the International title for the English market around the globe but the movie was re-titled HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN by US distributors in the 1960s. They also changed the opening credits. An English copy with the original title of HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS doesn't exist (or has never surfaced). So the copy uploaded at Tubi TV doesn't really exist. It's a Fan Dub.
Confusing!!!
- Things are even more odd with GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON. Again, the original version of this movie was THE REVENGE OF HERCULES (or Vengeance) and it had no dragon. US distributors added a dragon to make it more marketable, and gave it the new DRAGON title, and Hercules became Goliath. Now someone at Tubi TV made a Fan Dub, adding the English audio to the original REVENGE OF HERCULES print even though in the English version Hercules is called Goliath and there's **no dragon** in it but they kept the US title GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON. Got it?
Talk about Cinematic Confusion. Thanks to someone, I got both copies in my collection. I won't link those movies here. Just search the titles and Tubi TV. Enjoy!
I have a Spanish DVD from Suevia Films which has the credits in English for Hercules Conquers Atlantis. Sadly, although the credits are in English, there is no English language track. It is in either Italian or Spanish. Nice print however.
ReplyDeleteI thought the uncut English "Hercules Conquers Atlantis" was released on VHS in the UK? Whether captures of said tape have shown up online is another matter.
ReplyDelete(two different printings):
http://www.pre-cert.co.uk/display.php?vId=UK09184
http://www.videocollector.co.uk/hercules-conquers-atlantis/19560
If HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS was released on VHS in the UK, it hasn't surfaced anywhere online.
ReplyDeleteThe Fan Dub at Tubi TV most likely uses the print of a European DVD release.
All DVD releases from Europe always have had HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS title during the opening credits.
Is there a name for the "one shoulder" tunic, which is worn by the hero in many of these films?
ReplyDelete