Image of the week!

The brothers Maciste (Iloosh Khoshabe and Mario Novelli) help build a house in THE INVINCIBLE BROTHERS MACISTE (1964)

Lobby Cards Set: CONQUEROR OF ATLANTIS (1965)

Original Italian lobby cards set of CONQUEROR OF AtLANtIS (1965) starring Kirk Morris, Hélène Chanel and others. Great set. Very colourful. There's one card that doesn't belong there though. Card number 4 is from MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE THUNDERING ECHOES (1964), also with Kirk and Hélène. This was a strange but standard practice in Italian posters/lobby cards.

Musings!

A wounded Agi Murad (Steve Reeves) is transported to his enemies in THE WHITE WARRIOR (1959)

This is the only film Steve did with director Riccardo Freda, who was a great director. I wished the two had done more films together. It's one of the many What If... the PEPLUM genre is riddled with. The scene previous to this one is one of the best scenes Steve acted and was involved with. Steve was solid when paired with a great director. The screenshot is from yet another HD copy of this movie I just got today! Why this film is not on Blu-ray I'll never know. All of Steve's films should be available on Blu-ray. 

Side note: Yesterday I got the Artus Films French Blu-rays of HERCULES (1958) and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959). I'll have more on this in the future.

Behind-the-Scenes

Alan Steel (Sergio Ciani) and Luisella Boni pose for a photo on the set of SAMSON (1961)

Clip of the week: HERCULES THE INVINCIBLE (1964)

Hercules (Dan Vadis) doing all sorts of action, including the infamous human kebab.  With Ugo Sasso and Mario De Simone.

Funnies!

Brad Harris and Mara Lane in 79 AD: THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM

Recent Acquisitions!

There's so much stuff is going on right now I can't keep up. I'll post most of my recent acquisitions (even though there's more)

 

- SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR (1959)

AIP release. I finally got a copy of this rare US print. The quality is not that good but it's good enough to watch. I'll have a more detailed post on this release. 


I bought Blu-rays of the following titles:

- COLOSSUS OF THE STONE AGE (1962) - German release. 
- TIGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS (1962) - German release

- 79 AD: THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM (1962) - German release

- PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE  (1963) - French release
- THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF GUERRIN MESCHINO (1952) - French release
- THE MASKED MAN AGAINST THE PIRATES (1964) - German release
- SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961) - German release
- FIRE OVER ROME (1965) - German release
- HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS (1963) - German release
- HERCULES AGAINST THE BARBARIANS (1964) - German release

I also got a digital copy of NERO AND POPPEA: AN ORGY OF POWER (1982) from a German Blu-ray release which are expensive.


I also bought DVD from Germany:

- CAESAR THE CONQUEROR (1962) - English audio included.
- GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON (1963) - German audio.
- TWO GLADIATORS (1964) - Great print but only German audio.

- HERCULES THE INVINCIBLE (1964) - Nice print. German and Italian audios.

German DVD pack (above):

- THE TROJAN HORSE (1961)
- COLOSSUS OF ROME (1964; Hero of Rome) 

- THE CENTURION or Conqueror of Corinth (1961).

English audio included in all of those three titles. The pack is uneven.

 

- THE LAST ROMAN (1968) - part 1 and part 2. Only German audio.

For more info, you can check out BY THE GODS!


I got these titles trading with someone:

- SON OF ZORRO (1973) - in HD. Spanish and English audios. Fan Dub.
- THE BLACK INVADERS (1962) - In Italian with English subs
- SHADOW OF ZORRO (1962) - in HD - Fan Dub in English and Spanish.

- HERCULES OF THE DESERT aka MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE                         THUNDERING ECHOES (1964). So many different prints of this one!

And from different sources:

- THEODORA - SLAVE EMPRESS (1954; above) - Stunning HD copy from a streaming service in Italy. First real HD print of this great movie. With Gianna Maria Canale and Renato Baldini.

- SANDOKAN - PIRATE OF MALAYSIA (1964) with Steve Reeves - in HD (below). I don't remember where I got this one! Italian and French audios.

Steve Reeves and Leo Anchoriz in a beautiful print of SANDOKAN - PIRATE OF MALAYSIA

And lastly:

- SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME (1964) which I've posted about yesterday.

More to come!

Blog notes

Views for the bog skyrocketed recently. Over 13 thousand views on Feb 24. And Over 7000 views. The blog has never been more popular.


 

First look at Matt Damon as Odysseus in the upcoming THE ODYSSEY production set to be released next summer. Additional actors were added to the already problematic cast making it even more problematic. I can't take this seriously. 

 BY THE GODS! magazine at 20% off through March 7!

code: 20MARCH2025

Buy BY THE GODS! magazine.

Musings!

Roger Browne and Scilla Gabel in SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME (1964; Seven Slaves Against the World)

So many things happening right now. The HERCULES (1958) and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) Blu-rays from France and Artus Films have been shipped. I should get them soon. I can't wait to see how good these transfers will be. I also got hold of more super rare stuff. Included in all of this is the English version of SEVEN SLAVES AGAINST ROME, which was only available in Italian since forever. Someone got the UK VHS tape, transferred it digitally and made a Fan Dub with the recent HD version (it's only available in HD from streaming in Europe). I've watched this movie in Italian for soooo long that it's odd to watch it in English. I also have the super rare US version of SIGN OF THE GLADIATOR! More on this in the future.

So, 2025 looks like a promising year. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Italian poster of THE GIANTS OF THESSALY (1960)

Very odd poster. It looks nothing like the movie. With so many amazing scenes in that movie and this is what they come up with? At least there are multiple other posters for the movie which are great.

Image of the week!

Crassus (Laurence Olivier), Julius Caesar (John Gavin), and Gracchus (Charles Laughton) talk about what to do with Spartacus in SPARTACUS (1960)

At the movies...

Giant publicity for THE GIANT OF MARATHON (1959), with Steve Reeves and Mylène Demongeot, at the Nakasu Taiyo Eiga Gekijo theater in Fukuoka City, Japan.

Musings!

Gloria Milland and Brad Harris in GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS (1961) 

I recently uploaded a clip of this movie. I really like this film. It has *everything* going for it. Nice cast, excellent production, great costumes, good music, locations, etc. It has one fun Feat of Strength or PEPLUM cliché after another, which I love to watch. I only have one major complaint: I wish it had a story. There's literally no story. After winning a battle, Goliath returns to his home which is now ruled by an evil ruler. That's it. On his way back he encounters one adventure after another. It's super simple. Of course, Goliath tries to overthrow the evil ruler but there's very little background or complexity. Threadbare is the word. Even so, I love it. It's a smorgasbord of PEPLUM scenes, like this one where Goliath finds himself fighting a lion. This is not the only PEPLUM movie will almost no story. Yesterday's Clip of the week, GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON, also has no discernible story. It's just a collection of scenes...albeit cool scenes.

Behind-the-Scenes

Giovanni Cianfriglia and Edy Vessel pose for a test shot on the set of THIEF OF BAGHDAD (1961). Giovanni stood in for Steve Reeves. He was Steve's body double/stuntman.

Clip of the week: GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON (1963)

Goliath (Mark Forest) against soldiers. With José Greci, Piero Lulli and others.

BY THE GODS magazine feedback!

Someone posted this on Facebook:

Ralph: “Received all 3 yesterday. Great magazine! Looking forward to future issues!” 

Buy BY THE GODS! magazine at MagCloud!

For those who bought it, please share your opinion!

New PEPLUM Imagery!

With a few prompts, new PEPLUM imagery by AI. 

From MEN OF PULP @ X 

THUNDERING CIRCUS MAXIMUS

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from HERO OF BABYLON (1963)

Two excellent incidental effects scenes: in the top one, Gordon Scott (far left) is escorted to a tent. We see the vast encampment thanks to a matte painting. And below is another incidental matte painting. The artist responsible for these scenes is not credited. These screenshots are from the Spanish DVD I recently bought. Excellent image quality.

 

Not coming soon!

PEPLUM movies that were never made or completed! 

JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN is a movie that was never completed. This was in 1955. It was to star Rita Hayworth (above) and Kerwin Mathews (below). There are production photos, like these test shots and they even sent a crew to Egypt to film exterior location shots of the pyramids to be used later in various ways. But the Columbia Pictures production was never made. Columbia Pictures honcho Harry Cohn refused to have two of Rita's ex-husbands, Orson Welles and Dick Haymes, work for the film. These are the only indications left of what the film could have been.

 

Musings!

Massimo Serato and Jayne Mansfield in THE LOVES OF HERCULES (1961; aka Hercules against the Hydra)

This screenshot is from an HD print. It's gorgeous. It's one of the best HD transfers of a PEPLUM film out there. I'm thinking of doing a list of the best HD transfers yet. This one is not available on Blu-ray. Only streaming. It's unfortunate. It definitely deserves a Blu-ray release. Kino Lorber...hello? Jayne is good in this scene. Massimo is playing his typical devilish villainy character he often played. Some have criticized the fact that Jayne's famous blonde hair wasn't kept for this movie but I disagree. The blonde hair would have been too distracting. 

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Original Italian poster/fotobusta of GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS (1961) 

I like this one. It's more fotobusta but in the form of a poster. 

Image of the week!

Maciste (Mark Forest) is put to a deadly test of strength in MACISTE - THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD (1961)

VHS Covers

VHS covers of SAMSON AND THE SEA BEAST(1963) starring Kirk Morris and Margaret Lee. Sadly, missing the German and French covers.

 

Italian cover. Pretty standard.

 

Above: US cover from Something Weird. And below, another US release.

 

Wild Spanish cover. This one is something else! Nothing like the movie.

 

VHS cover from Croatia.

Musings!

Leonora Ruffo and Mark Forest in GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (1960) 

This famous (or infamous) movie is one that I've talked about a lot about on this blog. I can't re-iterate everything I wrote but the quick summary: this was titled THE REVENGE OF HERCULES originally and it was basically the remnants of the third Steve Reeves Hercules films, HERCULES AGAINST THE GODS!, that was never filmed. Steve Reeves only wanted to work with director Pietro Francisci, who was busy with a number of other projects, including SAPPHO THE VENUS OF LESBOS (1960). Pietro directed HERCULES (1958) and HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959). The film was cancelled and the script was reworked into REVENGE OF HERCULES, with newcomer Mark Forest. This movie was directed by Vittorio Cottafavi. US distributors got a hold of it and reworked it into the oddity known as GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON. The original Italian version didn't have a dragon. Well, the film is sorta fun in an experimental way and as much as I like it, it's not comparable to the Reeves' HERCULES movies.

As I wrote recently, there's an exhibition on the PEPLUM genre in France. It includes stuff from Italian productions, like HERCULES (1958). The exhibition has an official printed catalogue of it. I purchased it and got it recently. In one part, it lists the greatest directors of the PEPLUM genre. They list Vittorio Cottafavi, which I like. Cottafavi also directed the great HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961). But then Pietro Francisci is not listed, but Mario Bava is. The catalogue insinuates that HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED were great due to Mario Bava. So, the director who made this wonky (and entertaining movie), GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON, gets a nod but the actual director of the movie which started the PEPLUM explosion, Pietro Francisci, is not listed. The catalogue has Steve Reeves from HERCULES on the cover. It has a lot images and posters of the HERCULES movies. But no special mention to Francisci, but Mario Bava is listed as the 'genius' behind these Reeves Hercules movies. As I wrote above, Steve Reeves didn't make HERCULES AGAINST THE GODS because he wanted to work with Francisci. Not Bava. 

I don't want to make a big deal out of this but this is an ongoing issue. I like Mario Bava but he wasn't the 'genius' behind the Reeves' HERCULES movies. It was Francisci. It seems no one knows Francisci directed other movies like SAPPHO, which are identical in tone, style, look, as the Reeves HERCULES movies. It's so odd. Francisci is the grandfather of the PEPLUM genre. It's hard to imagine the director of GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON getting a nod in the book but not the actual director of HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED. Again, I like GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON but it's sort of a fun, goofy adventure film. Not the classics like the Reeves HERCULES films. 

Needless to say, the catalogue of the exhibition is yet another disappointment in a long list of books and publications on the PEPLUM genre.

Behind-the-Scenes

Gordon Scott and some unidentified woman on the set of DUEL OF THE TITANS (1961)

Clip of the week: 79 AD: THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM (1962)

Fight between Samson (Djordje Nenadovic) and Drago (Pino Mattei). Mara Lane, Jacques Berthier and Ivy Holzer watch the fight. A Fan Dub from the recent HD print. 

 

Portraits

Hélène Chanel as Farida in MACISTE IN THE VALLEY OF THE THUNDERING ECHOES (1964)

HD Alert!

Chelo Alonso in SON OF SAMSON (1960)

I got the Spanish Blu-ray and the release is excellent. The image appears to be more grainy and slightly darker than the Kino Lorber release but it's basically the same print. This Blu-ray has the English audio.

 

Maciste (Mark Forest) showing his might! 

Vintage Article

Old French article on Rock Stevens, aka Peter Lupus, and Gordon Scott. Photo above with Peter is from HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON (1964). And below, there's Gordon Scott and Piero Lulli from HERO OF BABYLON (1963). I have to find that photo.

 

Musings!

Gordon Scott and Moira Orfei in HERO OF BABYLON (1963)

In my eternal quest in finding a decent copy of this fun movie, and which I have over a dozen different copies to prove this, I finally found one that is worthwhile. I bought the Spanish DVD and the image is excellent. Of course, it's DVD resolution but it has no issues with it, aside from the fact that it doesn't have an English audio. It's odd that finding a decent print is so difficult for this movie (well, a lot of PEPLUM movies actually...). One version is too dark. Another is too fuzzy. The German copy I have is almost identical to this one but the image is fuzzy and there's pixelation. The image quality of a recent French copy is too soft. So, I can positively state that the best copy is this one. Of course, a HD version would be better but it's not yet available. I will do a Recent Acquisition post soon and I'll show the DVD. As for the film, it's solid. Moira Orfei almost steals the movie from stoic Gordon with her colourful performance. I like her but it seems few people out there do. I rarely hear anyone talk about her even if she was a major PEPLUM star.

PEPLUM Movie Poster

Belgian poster of THE ISLAND PRINCESS (1954) 

Nice poster from Belgium. The spectacular fight scenes were directed by Pietro Francisci, who directed HERCULES (1958).

Image of the week!

Samson (Victor Mature) tries to convince Delilah (Hedy Lamar) to join him in SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949)

Lobby Cards Set: THE CENTURION (1961)

Original Italian lobby cards set of THE CENTURION (1961; aka Conqueror of Corinth) starring Jacques Sernas, Gianna Maria Canale, John Drew Barrymore, Genevieve Grad and others. Beautiful set. So colourful. It makes me laugh though that some cards are scenes from other movies (cards 3 and 4). Otherwise, the cast is fully displayed.

Musings!

Gordon Mitchell, Jacques Sernas and Gianni Santuccio in THE CENTURION (1961; aka Conqueror of Corinth) 

This film is often overlooked. It does have a lot of re-used scenes from other movies and the ending is sorta affected by this but it's a pretty solid production, directed by the reliable Mario Costa. This screenshot is from a HD copy. It's gorgeous. Why isn't it on Blu-ray? I recently bought a German DVD pack which had this title, with the English audio, but the image was in a poor state. It's odd that this movie, which had a theatrical release in the US, is still not available to buy in HD.

Behind-the-Scenes

Gordon Mitchell and Bella Cortez pose for a photo during the filming of GIANT OF METROPOLIS (1961)

Clip of the week: GOLIATH AND THE VAMPIRES (1961)

Dance number from the movie. With Gianna Maria Canale.

Funnies!

Alan Steel in HERCULES AGAINST ROME (1964)

SPFX DEPT.

Scenes from ATLANTIS - THE LOST CONTINENT (1961) 

This George Pal movie has tons of special effects, from matte paintings (above) to full scale and pretty large models (below). Explosions and elaborate makeup (creatures), etc. Here are two examples: above is a combination of many elements, including actual location with actors (crowd) combined with model (submarine) and matte painting (background). Below are big and tall models (taller than a man) with a painted background. And of course, a pool of water that's not really the ocean.