Musings!

 Gianna Maria Canale and Rik Battaglia in THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS (1958)

Released the same year as HERCULES (1958), this movie was almost as influential as HERCULES in terms of shaping the future of the PEPLUM genre. Though nowhere near as popular as the Steve Reeves movie, it still established a look and a set of actors which would work non-stop for several years, until the genre itself died in the mid-1960s. The two characters become lovers, and along with the pairing of Sylva Koscina and Francisco Rabal, the movie was filled with a lot of romantic stuff for a Crusaders movie. Perfect for the Fotonovelas of the time. There is one odd thing about this movie: having watched this movie many times, I noticed that main actors, ie Rabal, Canale and Koscina, all had spectacular close-ups (more than once) but not Rik Battaglia. Did the director not like him?

 

Sylva Koscina

 

Gianna Maria Canale

 

Francisco Rabal

Where's Rik's close-up?