Redilly B. Rajapa and Mimmo Palmara, as Parvati Sandok, in TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT (1964)
When I posted the VHS covers of this movie, there were a lot of questions. The whole thing is sorta confusing, as usual with PEPLUM movies. I already wrote about this in 2019 so here goes: TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT is known as SANDOK - MACISTE OF THE JUNGLE in Italy. Sandok is played by Mimmo Palmara. He plays a strong man and he's nicknamed Maciste of the Jungle but his character is named Sandok. I know, confusing (this is common in PEPLUM films...like SAPPHO - THE VENUS OF LESBOS...etc). This movie, as the poster below shows, stars Sean Flynn. Some have wondered if the movie was released in English. There is an English version of it. It was released theatrically in Britain and it was shown on TV in the US. The Flynn name guarantees it was released for English speaking markets. Unfortunately, its English version is nowhere to be found, like so many other PEPLUM titles. To make matters more confusing, there's another movie called TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND LIGHTS (1965) starring Richard Harrison. Both films were directed by Umberto Lenzi. That movie was released in the US on DVD as SANDOK (directly below) even though no character in the movie is called Sandok! Mimmo Palmara is not in TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND LIGHTS. This movie was released in the US back in the 1960s as TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND LIGHTS. I have the English version of this title. The SANDOK DVD *doesn't* have the English track, which doesn't make any sense! With the VHS covers from last Friday, the French one had the artwork of MYSTERY OF THUG ISLAND, which was released on VHS in the US as THE SNAKE HUNTER STRANGLER. I have the English version. I got it from a Greek DVD!
Got that?
Hopefully the English version of TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT will resurface. And a updated DVD or new Blu-ray of TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND LIGHTS aka SANDOK with the actual English audio.
Extra note: someone emailed me to say that they saw TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT playing at a movie theatre in Seattle. So, yes, it was released, no matter how limited, at cinemas in the US and the UK.
The English language prints, (after a brief theatrical release in Great Britain in 1966), were sold directly to US television syndication in the mid sixties by American International Television, the television arm of American International Pictures with the title being "The Temple of the White Elephant". A decomposing 16mm pan and scan TV print was sold on eBay a few years back with the colors fading; leaving the film to appear like a sepia print color. Don't know the current condition of the print. Interesting fact while in the French and Spanish language prints, the name of Alessandra Panaro's character is: "Cynthia Patterson", the English language prints has Panaro's character's name as "Cynthia Montague." According to the French language biography of Sean Flynn, ("Sean Flynn, L'instinct de l'aventure" by Philippe Lombard (2010-editions du Rocher) the film was filmed on location in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon in the latter part of 1963.) Sean Flynn's natural speaking voice is heard in the English language prints.
ReplyDeleteTo add to the confusion, the name 'Sandok' is awfully close to 'Sandokan'. I wonder whether audiences were confused as there were a number of Sandokan films that came out in 1964 as well.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: thanks for all the info!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2: yes, I think it was intentional. Sandok and Sandokan are too similar. The funny part is director Umberto Lenzi directed SANDOKAN - PIRATE OF MALAYSIA
Just wanted to add in the English, French and Spanish language prints, Mimmo Palmara's character is known as "Parvati" not exactly "Sandok" or even, "Sandokan"! Not sure of the Italian print as I have never seen an Italian print of the film. But as you noted it was common practice in Italian ads to name a film after something that was popular to get audiences to see the film. Probably why the Italian title has no relation to the French title.
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