Eddie Cantor in ROMAN SCANDALS (1933)
This notorious pre-code musical comedy is available to be viewed in HD on Amazon Prime in the US but for now it hasn't been released on Blu-ray. It had a DVD release from Warner Archive. Maybe a BD from another distributor? I like parts of it. It's one of those comedies which starts in modern times and the character played by Cantor ends in in Ancient Rome via dreaming. The production is excellent (sets, costumes, music, cast, etc) but the story, imo, is lacking. One of the few PEPLUM movies of the 1930s.
I've always been curious as to what exactly your definition of a Peplum film is. Can you tell me?
ReplyDeleteThe term PEPLUM was coined by French film critics who called any movie set in the past like Ancient Rome or Egypt as PEPLUM, regardless is they were Hollywood productions or Italian ones. It's an umbrella term for movies set in prehistory all the way to Vikings, but it's mainly Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, the Bible, etc. French critics even called JOHN CARTER a cosmic PEPLUM, which it is.
ReplyDeleteI knew about the French and their definition but yours seems broader as you often include pirate movies and films set in medieval times on this website.
ReplyDeleteMACISTE IN HELL by Riccardo Freda is set in medieval times and it's most definitely PEPLUM movie. Same thing with ZORRO CONTRO MACISTE, which is Zorro against Maciste. Or HERCULES AGAINST THE BLACK PIRATE or SAMSON AGAINST THE SEA BEAST, another pirate movie that's a PEPLUM.
ReplyDeleteThere are many hybrids which fall under the PEPLUM umbrella. The broadness of the term was created by the filmmakers back then.
To me any movie with one of the mythological strongmen is a Pepulm film but you seem to also include movie such as Pirates of Blood River, Lion of St. Mar, and 7th Voyage of Sinbad. That is what prompted my question.
ReplyDeleteYes some think PEPLUM = Muscle Men pictures and for the most part that's sorta correct certainly because of the success of HERCULES back in the 1950s but PEPLUM movies include movies without a mythical strong hero. The genre came to its logical conclusion with a mythical strong hero. It's part of it for sure but not always so. LION OF ST MARK and 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD are definite PEPLUM movies. PIRATE OF BLOOD RIVERS doesn't seem so but it closely follows the same template of almost all PEPLUM movies. The tropes or cliches are huge part of the genre.
ReplyDeleteI understand Lion of St. Mark being included...Italian, Gordon Scott, etc. but not 7th Voyage of Sinbad. But that's just me. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.
ReplyDelete