Sword-and-sandal

Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget Hollywood historical epics of the time, such as Samson and Delilah (1949), Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Cleopatra (1963). These films dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by spaghetti Western and Eurospy films.
The term "peplum" (a Latin word referring to the ancient Greek garment peplos), was introduced by French film critics in the 1960s. The terms "peplum" and "sword-and-sandal" were used in a condescending way by film critics. Later, the terms were embraced by fans of the films, similar to the terms "spaghetti Western" or "shoot-'em-ups". In their English versions, peplum films can be immediately differentiated from their Hollywood counterparts by their use of "clumsy and inadequate" English language dubbing. A 100-minute documentary on the history of Italy's peplum genre was produced and directed by Antonio Avati in 1977 titled Kolossal: i magnifici Maciste (aka Kino Kolossal).
Genre characteristics
Sword-and-sandal films are a specific class of Italian adventure films that have subjects set in Biblical or classical antiquity, often with plots based more or less loosely on Greco-Roman history or the other contemporary cultures of the time, such as the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Etruscans, as well as medieval times. Not all of the films were fantasy-based by any means. Many of the plots featured actual historical personalities such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Hannibal, although great liberties were taken with the storylines. Gladiators and slaves rebelling against tyrannical rulers, pirates and swashbucklers were also popular subjects.
As Robert Rushing defines it, peplum, "in its most stereotypical form, [...] depicts muscle-bound heroes (professional bodybuilders, athletes, wrestlers, or brawny actors) in mythological antiquity, fighting fantastic monsters and saving scantily clad beauties. Rather than lavish epics set in the classical world, they are low-budget films that focus on the hero's extraordinary body." Thus, most sword-and-sandal films featured a superhumanly strong man as the protagonist, such as Hercules, Samson, Goliath, Ursus or Italy's own popular folk hero Maciste. In addition, the plots typically involved two women vying for the affection of the bodybuilder hero: the good love interest (a damsel in distress needing rescue), and an evil femme fatale queen who sought to dominate the hero.
Also, the films typically featured an ambitious ruler who would ascend the throne by murdering those who stood in his path, and often it was only the muscular hero who could depose him. Thus the hero's often political goal: "to restore a legitimate sovereign against an evil dictator."
Many of the peplum films involved a clash between two populations, one civilized and the other barbaric, which typically included a scene of a village or city being burned to the ground by invaders. For their musical content, most films contained a colorful dancing girls sequence, meant to underline pagan decadence.
Precursors of the sword-and-sandal wave (pre-1958)
Italian films of the silent era
Italian filmmakers paved the way for the peplum genre with some of the earliest silent films dealing with the subject, including the following:
The Sack of Rome (1905)
Agrippina (1911)
The Fall of Troy (1911)
The Queen of Nineveh (1911, directed by Luigi Maggi)
Brutus (1911)
Quo Vadis (1913, directed by Enrico Guazzoni)
Antony and Cleopatra (1913)
Cabiria (1914, directed by Giovanni Pastrone)
Julius Caesar (1914)
Saffo (Sappho, 1918, directed by Antonio Molinari)
The Crusaders (1918)
Fabiola (1918) directed by Enrico Guazzoni
Attila (1919, directed by F. Mari)
Venere (Venus, 1919, directed by Antonio Molinari)
Il mistero di Osiris (The Mystery of Osiris, 1919) directed by Antonio Molinari
Giuliano l'Apostata (1919, directed by Ugo Falena)
Giuditta e Oloferne (Judith and Holofernes, 1920) directed by Antonio Molinari
The Sack of Rome, (1920) directed by Enrico Guazzoni
Messalina, (1924) directed by Enrico Guazzoni
Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (The Last Days of Pompeii (1926) directed by Carmine Gallone and Amleto Palermi)
The silent Maciste films (1914–1927)
The 1914 Italian silent film Cabiria was one of the first films set in antiquity to make use of a massively muscled character, Maciste (played by actor Bartolomeo Pagano), who served in this premiere film as the hero's slavishly loyal sidekick. Maciste became the public's favorite character in the film however, and Pagano was called back many times to reprise the role. The Maciste character appeared in at least two dozen Italian silent films from 1914 through 1926, all of which featured a protagonist named Maciste although the films were set in many different time periods and geographical locations.
Here is a complete list of the silent Maciste films in chronological order:
Cabiria (1914) introduced the Maciste character
Maciste (1915) "The Marvelous Maciste"
Maciste bersagliere ("Maciste the Ranger", 1916)
Maciste alpino ("Maciste The Warrior", 1916)
Maciste atleta ("Maciste the Athlete", 1917)
Maciste medium ("Maciste the Clairvoyant", 1917)
Maciste poliziotto ("Maciste the Detective", 1917)
Maciste turista ("Maciste the Tourist", 1917)
Maciste sonnambulo ("Maciste the Sleepwalker", 1918)
La Rivincita di Maciste ("The Revenge of Maciste", 1919)
Il Testamento di Maciste ("Maciste's Will", 1919)
Il Viaggio di Maciste ("Maciste's Journey", 1919)
Maciste I ("Maciste the First", 1919)
Maciste contro la morte ("Maciste vs Death", 1919)
Maciste innamorato ("Maciste in Love", 1919)
Maciste in vacanza ("Maciste on Vacation", 1920)
Maciste salvato dalle acque ("Maciste Rescued from the Waters", 1920)
Maciste e la figlia del re della plata ("Maciste and the Silver King's Daughter", 1922)
Maciste und die Japanerin ("Maciste and the Japanese", 1922)
Maciste contro Maciste ("Maciste vs. Maciste", 1923)
Maciste und die chinesische truhe ("Maciste and the Chinese Trunk", 1923)
Maciste e il nipote di America ("Maciste's American Nephew", 1924)
Maciste imperatore ("Emperor Maciste", 1924)
Maciste contro lo sceicco ("Maciste vs. the Sheik", 1925)
Maciste all'inferno ("Maciste in Hell", 1925)
Maciste nella gabbia dei leoni ("Maciste in the Lions' Den", 1926)
il Gigante delle Dolemite ("The Giant From the Dolomite", released in 1927)
Italian fascist and post-war historical epics (1937-1956)
The Italian film industry released several historical films in the early sound era, such as the big-budget Scipione l'Africano (Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal) in 1937. In 1949, the postwar Italian film industry remade Fabiola (which had been previously filmed twice in the silent era). The film was released in the United Kingdom and in the United States in 1951 in an edited, English-dubbed version. Fabiola was an Italian-French co-production like the following films The Last Days of Pompeii (1950) and Messalina (1951).
During the 1950s, a number of American historical epics shot in Italy were released. In 1951, MGM producer Sam Zimbalist cleverly used the lower production costs, use of frozen funds and the expertise of the Italian film industry to shoot the large-scale Technicolor epic Quo Vadis in Rome. In addition to its fictional account linking the Great Fire of Rome, the Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire and Emperor Nero, the film - following the novel "Quo vadis" by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz - featured also a mighty protagonist named Ursus (Italian filmmakers later made several pepla in the 1960s exploiting the Ursus character). MGM also planned Ben Hur to be filmed in Italy as early as 1952.
Riccardo Freda's Sins of Rome was filmed in 1953 and released by RKO in an edited, English-dubbed version the following year. Unlike Quo Vadis, there were no American actors or production crew. The Anthony Quinn film Attila (directed by Pietro Francisci in 1954), the Kirk Douglas epic Ulysses (co-directed by an uncredited Mario Bava in 1954) and Helen of Troy (directed by Robert Wise with Sergio Leone as an uncredited second unit director in 1955) were the first of the big peplum films of the 1950s. Riccardo Freda directed another peplum, Theodora, Slave Empress in 1954, starring his wife Gianna Maria Canale. Howard Hawks directed his Land of the Pharaohs (starring Joan Collins) in Italy and Egypt in 1955. Robert Rossen made his film Alexander the Great in Egypt in 1956, with a music score by famed Italian composer Mario Nascimbene.
The main sword-and-sandal period (1958-1965)
To cash in on the success of the Kirk Douglas film Ulysses, Pietro Francisci planned to make a film about Hercules, but searched unsuccessfully for years for a physically convincing yet experienced actor. His daughter spotted American bodybuilder Steve Reeves in the American film Athena and he was hired to play Hercules in 1957 when the film was made. (Reeves was paid $10,000 to star in the film).
The genre's instantaneous growth began with the U.S. theatrical release of Hercules in 1959. American producer Joseph E. Levine acquired the U.S. distribution rights for $120,000, spent $1 million promoting the film and made more than $5 million profit. This spawned the 1959 Steve Reeves sequel Hercules Unchained, the 1959 re-release of Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949), and dozens of imitations that followed in their wake. Italian filmmakers resurrected their 1920s Maciste character in a brand new 1960s sound film series (1960–1964), followed rapidly by Ursus, Samson, Goliath and various other mighty-muscled heroes.
Almost all peplum films of this period featured bodybuilder stars, the most popular being Steve Reeves, Reg Park and Gordon Scott. Some of these stars, such as Mickey Hargitay, Reg Lewis, Mark Forest, Gordon Mitchell and Dan Vadis, had starred in Mae West's touring stage review in the United States in the 1950s. Bodybuilders of Italian origin, on the other hand, would adopt English pseudonyms for the screen; thus, stuntman Sergio Ciani became Alan Steel, and ex-gondolier Adriano Bellini was called Kirk Morris.
To be sure, many of the films enjoyed widespread popularity among general audiences, and had production values that were typical for popular films of their day. Some films included frequent re-use of the impressive film sets that had been created for Ben-Hur and Cleopatra.
Although many of the bigger budget pepla were released theatrically in the US, fourteen of them were released directly to Embassy Pictures television in a syndicated TV package called The Sons of Hercules. Since few American viewers had a familiarity with Italian film heroes such as Maciste or Ursus, the characters were renamed and the films molded into a series of sorts by splicing on the same opening and closing theme song and newly designed voice-over narration that attempted to link the protagonist of each film to the Hercules mythos. These films ran on Saturday afternoons in the 1960s.
Peplum films were, and still are, often ridiculed for their low budgets and bad English dubbing. The contrived plots, poorly overdubbed dialogue, novice acting skills of the bodybuilder leads, and primitive special effects that were often inadequate to depict the mythological creatures on screen all conspire to give these films a certain camp appeal now. In the 1990s, several of them have been subjects of riffing and satire in the United States comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
However, in the early 1960s, a group of French critics, mostly writing for the Cahiers du cinéma, such as Luc Moullet, started to celebrate the genre and some of its directors, including Vittorio Cottafavi, Riccardo Freda, Mario Bava, Pietro Francisci, Duccio Tessari, and Sergio Leone. Not only directors, but also some of the screenwriters, often put together in teams, worked past the typically formulaic plot structure to include a mixture of "bits of philosophical readings and scraps of psychoanalysis, reflections on the biggest political systems, the fate of the world and humanity, fatalistic notions of accepting the will of destiny and the gods, anthropocentric belief in the powers of the human physique, and brilliant syntheses of military treatises".
With reference to the genre's free use of ancient mythology and other influences, Italian director Vittorio Cottafavi, who directed a number of peplum films, used the term "neo-mythologism".
Hercules series (1958–1965)
A series of 19 Hercules movies were made in Italy in the late '50s and early '60s. The films were all sequels to the successful Steve Reeves peplum Hercules (1958), but with the exception of Hercules Unchained, each film was a stand-alone story not connected to the others. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves followed by Gordon Scott, Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay, Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris, Reg Park, Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens) and Mike Lane. In a 1997 interview, Reeves said he felt his two Hercules films could not be topped by another sequel, so he declined to do any more Hercules films.
The films are listed below by their American release titles, and the titles in parentheses are their original Italian titles with an approximate English translation. Dates shown are the original Italian theatrical release dates, not the U.S. release dates (which were years later in some cases).
Hercules (Le fatiche di Ercole / The Labors of Hercules, 1958) starring Steve Reeves
Hercules Unchained (Ercole e la regina di Lidia / Hercules and the Queen of Lydia, 1959) starring Steve Reeves
Goliath and the Dragon (La vendetta di Ercole / The Revenge of Hercules, 1960) starring Mark Forest as Hercules (Hercules' name was changed to Goliath when this film was dubbed in English and distributed in the U.S.)
Hercules Vs The Hydra (Gli amori di Ercole / The Loves of Hercules, 1960) co-starring Mickey Hargitay (as Hercules) and Jayne Mansfield
Hercules and the Captive Women (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide / Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis, 1961) starring Reg Park as Hercules (alternate U.S. title: Hercules and the Haunted Women)
Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al centro della terra / Hercules at the Center of the Earth, 1961) directed by Mario Bava, starring Reg Park as Hercules
Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai / Maciste vs Hercules in the Vale of Woe) comedy starring Frank Gordon as Hercules, 1961
Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules (Ulisse contro Ercole / Ulysses vs. Hercules) starring Mike Lane as Hercules, 1962
The Fury of Hercules (La furia di Ercole / The Fury of Hercules) starring Brad Harris as Hercules, 1962 (alternate U.S. title: The Fury of Samson)
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (Ercole sfida Sansone / Hercules Challenges Samson) starring Kirk Morris as Hercules, 1963
Hercules Against Moloch (Ercole contro Molock / Hercules vs. Molock) starring Gordon Scott as Hercules, 1963 (The Conquest of Mycenae)
Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (Ercole l'invincibile / Hercules the Invincible) starring Dan Vadis as Hercules, 1964. (this was originally a Hercules film that was re-titled for inclusion in the U.S. syndicated TV package The Sons of Hercules).
Hercules vs The Giant Warriors (il trionfo di Ercole / The Triumph of Hercules) starring Dan Vadis as Hercules, 1964 (alternate U.S. title: Hercules and the Ten Avengers)
Hercules Against Rome (Ercole contro Roma / Hercules vs. Rome) starring Alan Steel as Hercules, 1964
Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (Ercole contro i figli del sole / Hercules vs. the Sons of the Sun) starring Mark Forest as Hercules, 1964
Samson and His Mighty Challenge (Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili / Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles) starring Alan Steel as Hercules, 1964 (Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Defi)
Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia / Hercules vs. the Tyrants of Babylon) starring Rock Stevens as Hercules, 1964
Hercules and the Princess of Troy (no Italian title) starring Gordon Scott as Hercules, 1965 (Hercules vs. the Sea Monster; this U.S./ Italian co-production was made as a pilot for a Charles Band-produced TV series that never materialized and it was later distributed as a feature film)
Hercules the Avenger (Sfida dei giganti / Challenge of the Giants) starring Reg Park as Hercules, 1965 (this film was composed mostly of re-edited footage from the two 1961 Reg Park Hercules films)
A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the word "Hercules" in the title were not made as Hercules movies originally, such as:
Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongols and Hercules of the Desert were all originally Maciste films. (See "Maciste" section below)
Hercules and the Black Pirate and Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both re-titled Samson movies. (See "Samson" section below)
Hercules, Prisoner of Evil was actually a re-titled Ursus film. (See "Ursus" section below)
Hercules and the Masked Rider was actually a re-titled Goliath movie. (See "Goliath" section below)
None of these films in their original Italian versions involved the Hercules character in any way. Likewise, most of the Sons of Hercules movies shown on American TV in the 1960s had nothing to do with Hercules in their original Italian versions.
(see also The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962), an American-made genre parody starring peplum star Samson Burke as Hercules)
Goliath series (1959–1964)
The Italians used Goliath as the superhero protagonist in a series of adventure films (pepla) in the early 1960s. He was a man possessed of amazing strength, although he seemed to be a different person in each film. After the classic Hercules (1958) became a blockbuster sensation in the film industry, a 1959 Steve Reeves film Il terrore dei barbari (Terror of the Barbarians) was re-titled Goliath and the Barbarians in the U.S. The film was so successful at the box office, it inspired Italian filmmakers to do a series of four more films featuring a generic beefcake hero named Goliath, although the films were not related to each other in any way (the 1960 Italian peplum David and Goliath starring Orson Welles was not part of this series, since that movie was just a historical retelling of the Biblical story).
The titles in the Italian Goliath adventure series were as follows: (the first title listed for each film is the film's original Italian title along with its English translation, while the U.S. release title follows in bold type in parentheses)
Il terrore dei barbari / Terror of the Barbarians (1959) (Goliath and the Barbarians in the U.S.), starring Steve Reeves as Goliath (although he is referred to as "Emiliano" in the original Italian-language version)
Goliath contro i giganti / Goliath Against the Giants (Goliath Against the Giants) (1960) starring Brad Harris
Goliath e la schiava ribelle / Goliath and the Rebel Slave (Tyrant of Lydia Against The Son of Hercules) (1963) starring Gordon Scott
Golia e il cavaliere mascherato / Goliath and the Masked Rider (Hercules and the Masked Rider) (1964) starring Alan Steel (note: Goliath is referred to as "Hercules" in English-dubbed prints)
Golia alla conquista di Bagdad / Goliath at the Conquest of Baghdad (Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus, 1964) starring Rock Stevens (aka Peter Lupus)
The name Goliath was also inserted into the English titles of three other Italian pepla that were re-titled for U.S. distribution in an attempt to cash in on the Goliath craze, but these films were not originally made as "Goliath movies" in Italy.
Both Goliath and the Vampires (1961) and Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (1963) actually featured the famed Italian folk hero Maciste in the original Italian versions, but American distributors did not feel the name "Maciste" meant anything to American audiences.
Goliath and the Dragon (1960) was originally an Italian Hercules movie called The Revenge of Hercules, but it was re-titled Goliath and the Dragon in the U.S. since at the time Goliath and the Barbarians was breaking box-office records, and the distributors may have thought the name "Hercules" was trademarked by distributor Joseph E. Levine.
Maciste series (1960–1965)
There were a total of 25 Maciste films from the 1960s peplum craze (not counting the two dozen silent Maciste films made in Italy pre-1930). By 1960, seeing how well the two Steve Reeves Hercules films were doing at the box office, Italian producers decided to revive the 1920s silent film character Maciste in a new series of color/sound films. Unlike the other Italian peplum protagonists, Maciste found himself in a variety of time periods ranging from the Ice Age to 16th century Scotland. Maciste was never given an origin, and the source of his mighty powers was never revealed. However, in the first film of the 1960s series, he mentions to another character that the name "Maciste" means "born of the rock" (almost as if he was a god who would just appear out of the earth itself in times of need). One of the 1920s silent Maciste films was actually titled The Giant from the Dolomite, hinting that Maciste may be more god than man, which would explain his great strength.
The first title listed for each film is the film's original Italian title along with its English translation, while the U.S. release title follows in bold type in parentheses (note how many times Maciste's name in the Italian title is altered to an entirely different name in the American title):
Maciste nella valle dei re / Maciste in the Valley of the Kings (Son of Samson, 1960) Maciste the Mighty, Maciste the Giant, starring Mark Forest
Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi / Maciste in the Land of the Cyclops (Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops, 1961) starring Gordon Mitchell
Maciste contro il vampiro / Maciste Vs. the Vampire (Goliath and the Vampires, 1961) starring Gordon Scott
Il trionfo di Maciste / The Triumph of Maciste (Triumph of the Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Kirk Morris
Maciste alla corte del gran khan / Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan (Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World, 1961) starring Gordon Scott
Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo / Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World (Mole Men vs the Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Mark Forest
Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai / Maciste Against Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Hercules in the Vale of Woe, 1961) starring Kirk Morris as Maciste; this was a satire/spoof featuring the comedy team of Franco and Ciccio
Totò contro Maciste / Totò vs. Maciste (no American title, 1962) starring Samson Burke; this was a comedy satirizing the peplum genre (part of the Italian "Toto" film series) and was never distributed in the U.S.; it is apparently not even available in English
Maciste all'inferno / Maciste in Hell (The Witch's Curse, 1962) starring Kirk Morris
Maciste contro lo sceicco / Maciste Against the Sheik (Samson Against the Sheik, 1962) starring Ed Fury
Maciste, il gladiatore piu forte del mondo / Maciste, the World's Strongest Gladiator (Colossus of the Arena, 1962) starring Mark Forest
Maciste contro i mostri / Maciste Against the Monsters (Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Reg Lewis
Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste / Maciste Against the Headhunters (Colossus and the Headhunters, 1962) starring Kirk Morris; Fury of the Headhunters
Maciste, l'eroe piu grande del mondo / Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero (Goliath and the Sins of Babylon, 1963) starring Mark Forest
Zorro contro Maciste / Zorro Against Maciste (Samson and the Slave Queen, 1963) starring Alan Steel
Maciste contro i mongoli / Maciste Against the Mongols (Hercules Against the Mongols, 1963) starring Mark Forest
Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan / Maciste in Genghis Khan's Hell (Hercules Against the Barbarians, 1963) starring Mark Forest
Maciste alla corte dello zar / Maciste at the Court of the Czar (Atlas Against The Czar, 1964) starring Kirk Morris (Samson vs. the Giant King)
Maciste, gladiatore di Sparta / Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules, 1964) starring Mark Forest
Maciste nelle miniere de re salomone / Maciste in King Solomon's Mines (Samson in King Solomon's Mines, 1964) starring Reg Park
Maciste e la regina de Samar / Maciste and the Queen of Samar (Hercules Against the Moon Men, 1964) starring Alan Steel
La valle dell'eco tonante / Valley of the Thundering Echo (Hercules of the Desert, 1964) starring Kirk Morris, Desert Raiders, in France as Maciste and the Women of the Valley
Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili / Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and His Mighty Challenge, 1964) starring Renato Rossini as Maciste (Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Defi)
Gli invicibili fratelli Maciste / The Invincible Maciste Brothers (The Invincible Brothers Maciste, 1964) The Invincible Gladiators, starring Richard Lloyd as Maciste
Maciste il Vendicatore dei Mayas / Maciste, Avenger of the Mayans (has no American title, 1965) (Note:* this Maciste film was made up almost entirely of re-edited stock footage from two older Maciste films, Maciste contro i mostri and Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste, so Maciste switches from Kirk Morris to Reg Lewis in various scenes; this movie is very scarce since it was never distributed in the U.S. and is apparently not even available in English)
In 1973, the Spanish cult film director Jesus Franco directed two low-budget "Maciste films" for French producers: Maciste contre la Reine des Amazones (Maciste vs the Queen of the Amazons) and Les exploits érotiques de Maciste dans l'Atlantide (The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis). The films had almost identical casts, both starring Val Davis as Maciste, and appear to have been shot back-to-back. The former was distributed in Italy as a "Karzan" movie (a cheap Tarzan imitation), while the latter film was released only in France with hardcore inserts as Les Gloutonnes ("The Gobblers"). These two films were totally unrelated to the 1960s Italian Maciste series.
Ursus series (1960–1964)
Following Buddy Baer's portrayal of Ursus in the classic 1951 film Quo Vadis, Ursus was used as a superhuman Roman-era character who became the protagonist in a series of Italian adventure films made in the early 1960s.
When the "Hercules" film craze hit in 1959, Italian filmmakers were looking for other muscleman characters similar to Hercules whom they could exploit, resulting in the nine-film Ursus series listed below. Ursus was referred to as a "Son of Hercules" in two of the films when they were dubbed in English (in an attempt to cash in on the then-popular "Hercules" craze), although in the original Italian films, Ursus had no connection to Hercules whatsoever. In the English-dubbed version of one Ursus film (retitled Hercules, Prisoner of Evil), Ursus was actually referred to throughout the entire film as "Hercules".
There were a total of nine Italian films that featured Ursus as the main character, listed below as follows: Italian title / English translation of the Italian title (American release title);
Ursus / Ursus (Ursus, Son of Hercules, 1960) Mighty Ursus (United Kingdom), starring Ed Fury
La Vendetta di Ursus / The Revenge of Ursus (The Vengeance of Ursus, 1961) starring Samson Burke
Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara / Ursus and the Tartar Girl (Ursus and the Tartar Princess, 1961) The Tartar Invasion, The Tartar Girl; starring Joe Robinson, Akim Tamiroff, Yoko Tani; directed by Remigio Del Grosso
Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni / Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (Valley of the Lions, 1962) starring Ed Fury; this film revealed the origin story of Ursus
Ursus il gladiatore ribelle / Ursus the Rebel Gladiator (The Rebel Gladiators, 1962) starring Dan Vadis
Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco / Ursus in the Land of Fire (Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire, 1963) Son of Atlas in the Land of Fire; starring Ed Fury
Ursus il terrore dei Kirghisi / Ursus, the Terror of the Kirghiz (Hercules, Prisoner of Evil, 1964) starring Reg Park
Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili / Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and His Mighty Challenge, 1964) starring Yan Larvor as Ursus (Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Defi)
Gli Invincibili Tre / The Invincible Three (Three Avengers, 1964) starring Alan Steel as Ursus
Samson series (1961–1964)
A character named Samson was featured in a series of five Italian peplum films in the 1960s, no doubt inspired by the 1959 re-release of the epic Victor Mature film Samson and Delilah. The character was similar to the Biblical Samson in the third and fifth films only; in the other three, he just appears to be a very strong man (not related at all to the Biblical figure).
The titles are listed as follows: Italian title / its English translation (U.S. release title in parentheses);
Sansone / Samson (Samson) 1961, starring Brad Harris, in France as Samson Against Hercules
Sansone contro i pirati / Samson Against the Pirates (Samson and the Sea Beast) 1963, starring Kirk Morris
Ercole sfida Sansone / Hercules challenges Samson (Hercules, Samson and Ulysses) 1963, starring Richard Lloyd
Sansone contro il corsaro nero / Samson Against the Black Pirate (Hercules and the Black Pirate) 1963, starring Alan Steel
Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili / Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge) 1964, starring Nadir Baltimore as Samson (Samson and His Mighty Challenge, Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Défi)
The name Samson was also inserted into the U.S. titles of six other Italian movies when they were dubbed in English for U.S. distribution, although these films actually featured the adventures of the famed Italian folk hero Maciste.
Samson Against the Sheik (1962), Son of Samson (1960), Samson and the Slave Queen (1963), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1961), Samson vs. the Giant King (1964), and Samson in King Solomon's Mines (1964) were all re-titled Maciste movies, because the American distributors did not feel the name Maciste was marketable to U.S. filmgoers.
Samson and the Treasure of the Incas (Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas) (1965) sounds like a peplum title, but was actually a spaghetti Western.
The Sons of Hercules (TV syndication package)
The Sons of Hercules was a syndicated television show that aired in the United States in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 randomly chosen Italian peplum films by unifying them with memorable title and end title theme songs and a standard voice-over intro relating the main hero in each film to Hercules any way they could. In some areas, each film was split into two one-hour episodes, so the 14 films were shown as 28 weekly episodes. None of the films were ever theatrically released in the U.S.
The films are not listed in chronological order, since they were not really related to each other in any way. The first title listed below for each film was its American broadcast television title, followed in parentheses by the English translation of its original Italian theatrical title:
Ursus, Son of Hercules (Ursus) 1961, starring Ed Fury, Mighty Ursus in England
Mole Men vs the Son of Hercules (Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World) 1961, starring Mark Forest
Triumph of the Son of Hercules (The Triumph of Maciste) 1961, starring Kirk Morris
Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (Maciste vs. the Monsters) 1962, starring Reg Lewis
Venus Against the Son of Hercules (Mars, God Of War) 1962, starring Roger Browne
Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules (Ulysses against Hercules) 1962, starring Mike Lane
Medusa Against the Son of Hercules (Perseus The Invincible) 1962, starring Richard Harrison
Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire (Ursus In The Land Of Fire) 1963, starring Ed Fury
Tyrant of Lydia Against The Son of Hercules (Goliath and the Rebel Slave) 1963, starring Gordon Scott
Messalina Against the Son of Hercules (The Last Gladiator) 1963, starring Richard Harrison
The Beast of Babylon Against the Son of Hercules (Hero of Babylon) 1963, starring Gordon Scott, Goliath, King of the Slaves
Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules (Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta) 1964, starring Mark Forest
Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (Hercules the Invincible) 1964, starring Dan Vadis
Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules (Anthar the Invincible) 1964, starring Kirk Morris, directed by Antonio Margheriti, The Slave Merchants, Soraya, Queen of the Desert
Steve Reeves pepla (in chronological order of production)
Steve Reeves appeared in 14 pepla made in Italy from 1958 to 1964, and most of his films are highly regarded examples of the genre. His pepla are listed below in order of production, not in order of release. The U.S. release titles are shown below, followed by the original Italian title and its translation (in parentheses)
Hercules (1958) (Le fatiche di Ercole / The Labors of Hercules) actually filmed in 1957, released in Italy in 1958, released in the U.S. in 1959
Hercules Unchained (1959) (Ercole e la regina di Lidia / Hercules and the Queen of Lydia) released in the U.S. in 1960
Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) (Il terrore dei barbari / Terror of the Barbarians)
The Giant of Marathon (1959) (La battaglia di Maratona / The Battle of Marathon)
The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) (Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei / The Last Days of Pompeii)
The White Warrior (1959) (Hadji Murad il Diavolo Bianco / Hadji Murad, The White Devil) directed by Riccardo Freda
Morgan, the Pirate (1960) (Morgan, il pirata/ Morgan, the Pirate)
The Thief of Baghdad (1960) (Il Ladro di Bagdad / The Thief of Baghdad)
The Trojan Horse (1961) (La guerra di Troia/ The Trojan War)
Duel of the Titans (1961) (Romolo e Remo / Romulus And Remus)
The Slave (1962) (Il Figlio di Spartaco / Son of Spartacus)
The Avenger (1962) (La leggenda di Enea / The Legend Of Aeneas) The Last Glory of Troy; (this was a sequel to The Trojan Horse)
Sandokan the Great (1963) (Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem/ Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem) directed by Umberto Lenzi
Pirates of Malaysia (1964) Sandokan, the Pirate of Malaysia, Pirates of the Seven Seas; this was a sequel to Sandokan the Great, directed by Umberto Lenzi
Other (non-series) Italian pepla
There were many 1950s and 1960s Italian pepla that did not feature a major superhero (such as Hercules, Maciste or Samson), and as such they fall into a sort of miscellaneous category. Many were of the Cappa e spada (swashbuckler) variety, though they often feature well-known characters such as Ali Baba, Julius Caesar, Ulysses, Cleopatra, the Three Musketeers, Zorro, Theseus, Perseus, Achilles, Robin Hood, and Sandokan. The first really successful Italian films of this kind were Black Eagle (1946) and Fabiola (1949).
Adventurer of Tortuga, The (1964), starring Guy Madison
Adventures of Mandrin, The (1952) Captain Adventure Don Juan's Night of Love The Affair of Madame Pompadour, starring Raf Vallone and Silvana Pampanini,
Adventures of Scaramouche, The (1963) The Mask of Scaramouche, starring Gérard Barray and Gianna Maria Canale
Alexander The Great (1956), starring Richard Burton (U.S. film with music score by Mario Nascimbene)
Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown (1962) The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba, starring Richard Lloyd
Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1964) Sinbad Against the Seven Saracens, starring Gordon Mitchell
Alone Against Rome (1962) Vengeance of the Gladiators, starring Lang Jeffries and Rossana Podestà
Anthar the Invincible (1964) Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules, starring Kirk Morris, directed by Antonio Margheriti
Antigone (1961) Rites for the Dead, starring Irene Papas, a Greek production
Arena, The (1974) Naked Warriors, directed by Steve Carver and Joe D'Amato, starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov (a late entry in the genre)
Arms of the Avenger (1963) The Devils of Spartivento/ The Fighting Legions, starring John Drew Barrymore
Atlas (1961) Atlas, the Winner of Athena, directed in Greece by Roger Corman, starring Michael Forest
Attack of the Moors (1959) The Kings of France
Attack of the Normans (1962) The Normans, The Vikings Attack; starring Cameron Mitchell
Attila (1954), directed by Pietro Francisci, starring Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren
Avenger of the Seven Seas (1961) Executioner of the Seas, starring Richard Harrison and Michèle Mercier
Avenger of Venice, The (1963), starring Brett Halsey and Gianna Maria Canale
Bacchantes, The (1961), starring Pierre Brice and Akim Tamiroff
Balboa (Spanish, 1963) Conquistadors of the Pacific
Barabbas (1961) produced by Dino de Laurentiis, starring Anthony Quinn, filmed in Italy
Battle of the Amazons (1973) Amazons: Women of Love and War, Beauty of the Barbarian (directed by Alfonso Brescia)
Beatrice Cenci (1956) directed by Riccardo Freda
Beatrice Cenci (1969) directed by Lucio Fulci
Behind the Mask of Zorro (1966) The Oath of Zorro, Tony Russel
Bible, The (1966) (La Bibbia), Dino de Laurentiis, Ennio Morricone music, filmed in Italy
Black Archer, The (1959)
Black Devil, The (1957) starred Gerard Landry
Black Duke, The (1963), starring Cameron Mitchell
Black Eagle, The (1946) Return of the Black Eagle, directed by Riccardo Freda
Black Lancers, The (1962) Charge of the Black Lancers, Mel Ferrer
Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1964) Battle of the Valiant, Gordon Mitchell
Burning of Rome, The (1963) The Magnificent Adventurer, Brett Halsey
Caesar Against the Pirates (1962) Gordon Mitchell
Caesar the Conqueror (1962), starring Cameron Mitchell
Captain Falcon (1958) Lex Barker
Captain from Toledo, The (1966)
Captain of Iron, The (1961) Revenge of the Mercenaries, Barbara Steele
Captain Phantom (1953)
Captains of Adventure (1961) starring Paul Muller, Gerard Landry
Caribbean Hawk, The (1963) Yvonne Monlaur
Carthage in Flames (1960)
Castillian, The (1963) Cesare Romero
Catherine of Russia (1963) directed by Umberto Lenzi
Cavalier in the Devil's Castle (1959)
Centurion, The (1962) The Conqueror of Corinth
Challenge of the Gladiator (1965) Peter Lupus
Cleopatra's Daughter (1960) The Tomb of the Kings, Debra Paget
Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960), Ed Fury and Rod Taylor
Colossus of Rhodes, The (1960) directed by Sergio Leone
Conqueror of Atlantis (1965) The Kingdom in the Sand, Kirk Morris (U.S. dubbed version calls the hero "Hercules")
Conqueror of Maracaibo, The (1961) Eugenio Martin (director)
Conqueror of the Orient (1961) starring Rik Battaglia
Constantine and the Cross (1960) Constantine the Great, starring Cornel Wilde
Coriolanus: Hero without a Country (1963) Thunder of Battle, Gordon Scott
Cossacks, The (1959) Edmund Purdom
The Count of Braggalone (1954) aka The Last Musketeer, starring Georges Marchal
Count of Monte Cristo, The (1961) Louis Jourdan
Damon and Pythias (1962) The Tyrant of Syracuse, Guy Williams
David and Goliath (1960) Orson Welles
Defeat of Hannibal, The (1937) Scipione l'Africano
Defeat of the Barbarians (1962) King Manfred
Desert Desperadoes (1959) Akim Tamiroff
Desert Warrior (1957) The Desert Lovers, Ricardo Montalban
Devil Made a Woman, The (1959) A Girl Against Napoleon
Devil's Cavaliers, The (1959)
Diary of a Roman Virgin (1974) Livia, una vergine per l'impero romano, directed by Joe D'Amato (used stock footage from The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) and The Arena (1974))
Dragon's Blood, The (1957) Sigfrido, based on the legend of the Niebelungen, special effects by Carlo Rambaldi
Duel of Champions (1961) Horatio and Curiazi, Alan Ladd
Erik the Conqueror (1961) Gli Invasori/ The Invaders, directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell
Esther and the King (1961) Joan Collins, Richard Egan
Executioner of Venice, The (1963) Lex Barker, Guy Madison
Fabiola (1949) The Fighting Gladiator
Falcon of the Desert (1965) The Magnificent Challenge, starring Kirk Morris
Fall of Rome, The (1961) directed by Antonio Margheriti
Fall of the Roman Empire, The (1964) U.S. production filmed in Spain, Sophia Loren
Fighting Musketeers, The (1961)
Fire Over Rome (1963)
Fury of Achilles, The (1962) Gordon Mitchell
Fury of the Pagans (1960) Fury of the Barbarians
Giant of Metropolis, The (1961) Gordon Mitchell (this peplum had a science fiction theme instead of fantasy)
Giant of the Evil Island (1965) Mystery of the Cursed Island, Peter Lupus
Giants of Rome (1964) directed by Antonio Margheriti, starring Richard Harrison
Giants of Thessaly (1960) directed by Riccardo Freda
Gladiator of Rome (1962) Battle of the Gladiators, Gordon Scott
Gladiators Seven (1962) The Seven Gladiators, Richard Harrison
Golden Arrow, The (1962) directed by Antonio Margheriti
Gold for the Caesars (1963) Jeffrey Hunter
Golgotha (1935) Behold the Man (made in France)
Guns of the Black Witch (1961) Terror of the Sea, Don Megowan
Hannibal (1959) Victor Mature
Hawk of the Caribbean (1963) The Caribbean Hawk
Head of a Tyrant (1959) Judith and Holophernes
Helen of Troy (1956) starring Jacques Sernas
Hero of Babylon (1963) The Beast of Babylon vs. the Son of Hercules, Gordon Scott
Hero of Rome (1964) The Colossus of Rome, Gordon Scott
Herod the Great (1958)
Huns, The (1960) Queen of the Tartars
Invasion 1700 (1962) With Iron and Fire, With Fire and Sword, Daggers of Blood
Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman (1971) La spada normanna, directed by Roberto Mauri
Invincible Gladiator, The (1961) Richard Harrison
Invincible Swordsman, The (1963)
The Iron Swordsman (1949) Count Ugolino, directed by Riccardo Freda
Jacob, The Man Who Fought With God (1963)
Kampf um Rom (1968) The Last Roman, starring Laurence Harvey, Honor Blackman, Orson Welles
Kindar, the Invulnerable (1965) Mark Forest
King of the Vikings (1960) Prince in Chains, The
Knight of a Hundred Faces, The (1960) The Silver Knight, Knight of a Thousand Faces, The, starring Lex Barker
Knights of Terror (1963) Terror of the Red Capes, Tony Russel
Knight Without a Country (1959) The Faceless Rider
Knives of the Avenger (1967) Viking Massacre, directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell
Last Gladiator, The (1963) Messalina Against the Son of Hercules
Last of the Vikings (1961), starring Cameron Mitchell
Legions of the Nile (1959) The Legions of Cleopatra
Lion of St. Mark, The (1964) Gordon Scott
Lion of Thebes, The (1964) Helen of Troy, Mark Forest
Loves of Salammbo, The (1960) Salambo
Magnificent Gladiator, The (1964) Mark Forest
Marco Polo (1962) Rory Calhoun
Marco the Magnificent (1965) Anthony Quinn, Orson Welles
Mars, God of War (1962) Venus Against the Son of Hercules
Masked Conqueror, The (1962)
Masked Man Against the Pirates, The (1965)
Mask of the Musketeers (1963) Zorro and the Three Musketeers, starring Gordon Scott
Massacre in the Black Forest (1967), starring Cameron Mitchell
Messalina (1960) Belinda Lee
Michael Strogoff (1956) Revolt of the Tartars
Mighty Crusaders, The (1958) Jerusalem Set Free, Gianna Maria Canale
Minotaur, The (1960) Theseus Against the Minotaur, The Warlord of Crete
Miracle of the Wolves (1961) Blood on his Sword, starring Jean Marais
Missione sabbie roventi (Mission Burning Sands) (1966) starring Renato Rossini, directed by Alfonso Brescia
Mongols, The (1961) directed by Riccardo Freda, starring Jack Palance
Moses the Lawgiver (1973) aka Moses in Egypt, starring Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quayle (6-hour made-for-TV Italian/British co-production) also released theatrically
Musketeers of the Sea (1962)
My Son, The Hero (1961) Arrivano i Titani, The Titans
Mysterious Rider, The (1948) directed by Riccardo Freda
Mysterious Swordsman, The (1956) starring Gerard Landry
Nero and the Burning of Rome (1953) Nero and Messalina
Night of the Great Attack (1961) Revenge of the Borgias
Night They Killed Rasputin, The (1960) The Last Czar
Nights of Lucretia Borgia, The (1959)
Odyssey, The (1968) L'Odissea, Cyclops segment directed by Mario Bava; Samson Burke played Polyphemus the Cyclops
Old Testament, The (1962) starred Brad Harris
Perseus the Invincible (1962) Medusa vs. the Son of Hercules
Pharaoh's Woman, The (1960)
Pia of Ptolomey (1962)
Pirate and the Slave Girl, The (1959) Scimitar of the Saracen, Lex Barker
Pirate of the Black Hawk, The (1958) Gérard Landry
Pirate of the Half Moon (1957)
Pirates of the Coast (1960) Lex Barker
Pontius Pilate (1962) Basil Rathbone
Prince with the Red Mask, The (1955) The Red Eagle, starring Frank Latimore
Prisoner of the Iron Mask, The (1962) The Revenge of the Iron Mask
Pugni, Pirati e Karatè (1973) Fists, Pirates and Karate, directed by Joe D'Amato, starring Richard Harrison (a 1970s Italian spoof of pirate movies)
Queen for Caesar, A (1962) Gordon Scott
Queen of Sheba (1952) directed by Pietro Francisci
Queen of the Amazons (1960) Colossus and the Amazon Queen
Queen of the Nile (1961) Nefertiti, Vincent Price
Queen of the Pirates (1960) The Venus of the Pirates, Gianna Maria Canale
Queen of the Seas (1961) directed by Umberto Lenzi
Quo Vadis (1951) filmed in Italy, Sergio Leone asst. dir.
Rage of the Buccaneers (1961) Gordon, The Black Pirate, starring Vincent Price
Rape of the Sabine Women, The (1961) Romulus and the Sabines, Roger Moore
Red Cloak, The (1955) Bruce Cabot
Red Sheik, The (1962)
Revak the Rebel (1960) The Barbarians, Jack Palance
Revenge of Black Eagle, The (1951) Gianna Maria Canale
Revenge of Ivanhoe, The (1965) Rik Battaglia
Revenge of Spartacus, The (1965) Revenge of the Gladiators, Roger Browne
Revenge of the Barbarians (1960)
Revenge of the Black Eagle (1951) directed by Riccardo Freda
Revenge of the Conquered (1961) Drakut the Avenger
Revenge of the Gladiators (1961) starring Mickey Hargitay
Revenge of the Musketeers (1964) Dartagnan vs. the Three Musketeers, starring Fernando Lamas
Revolt of the Barbarians (1964) directed by Guido Malatesta
Revolt of the Mercenaries (1961)
Revolt of the Praetorians (1964) The Invincible Warriors, starring Richard Harrison
Revolt of the Seven (1964) The Spartan Gladiator, starring Helga Line
Revolt of the Slaves, The (1960) Rhonda Fleming
Robin Hood and the Pirates (1960) Lex Barker
Roland the Mighty (1956) Orlando, directed by Pietro Francisci
Rome Against Rome (1964) War of the Zombies
Rome 1585 (1961) The Mercenaries, Debra Paget
Rover, The (1967) The Adventurer, starring Anthony Quinn
Sack of Rome, The (1953) The Barbarians, The Pagans
Samson and Gideon (1965) Fernando Rey, Biblical film
Sandokan Fights Back (1964) Sandokan to the Rescue, The Revenge of Sandokan
Sandokan vs. the Leopard of Sarawak (1964) Throne of Vengeance
Saracens, The (1965) The Devil's Pirate, The Flag of Death, starring Richard Harrison
Saul and David (1964)
Scheherazade (1963) starring Anna Karina
Sea Pirate, The (1966) Thunder Over the Indian Ocean, Surcouf, Hero of the Seven Seas
Secret Mark of D'Artagnan, The (1962)
Secret Seven, The (1965) The Invincible Seven
Seven from Thebes (1964)
Seven Rebel Gladiators (1965) Seven Against All, starring Roger Browne
Seven Revenges, The (1961) The Seven Challenges, Ivan the Conqueror, starring Ed Fury
Seven Seas to Calais (1962) Sir Francis Drake, King of the Seven Seas, Rod Taylor
Seven Slaves Against the World (1964) Seven Slaves Against Rome, starring Roger Browne and Gordon Mitchell
Seven Tasks of Ali Baba, The (1962) Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown
Seventh Sword, The (1962) Brett Halsey
79 A.D., the Destruction of Herculaneum (1962) Brad Harris
Shadow of Zorro, The (1962)
Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) The Sign of Rome, Sign of the Gladiator, Anita Ekberg
Siege of Syracuse (1960) Tina Louise
Simbad e il califfo di Bagdad (1973) directed by Pietro Francisci
Sins of Rome (1953) Spartacus, directed by Riccardo Freda
Slave Girls of Sheba (1963) starring Linda Cristal
Slave of Rome (1960) starring Guy Madison
Slave Queen of Babylon (1963) Yvonne Furneaux
Slaves of Carthage, The (1956) The Sword and the Cross, Gianna Maria Canale (not to be confused with Mary Magdalene; see below)
Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) Rosanna Podesta, U.S./Italian film shot in Italy, co-directed by Sergio Leone
Son of Black Eagle (1968)
Son of Captain Blood, The (1962)
Son of Cleopatra, The (1965) Mark Damon
Son of d'Artagnan (1950) directed by Riccardo Freda
Son of El Cid, The (1965) 100 Horsemen, Mark Damon
Son of the Red Corsair (1959) a.k.a. Son of the Red Pirate, Lex Barker
Son of the Sheik (1961) Kerim, Son of the Sheik, starring Gordon Scott
Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators (1964) Ten Invincible Gladiators, starring Dan Vadis
Spartan Gladiator, The (1965) Tony Russel
Story of Joseph and his Brethren, The (1961)
Suleiman the Conqueror (1961)
Sword and the Cross, The (1958) Mary Magdalene
Sword in the Shadow, A (1961) starring Livio Lorenzon
Sword of Damascus, The (1964) The Thief of Damascus
Sword of El Cid, The (1962) The Daughters of El Cid
Sword of Islam, The (1961)
Sword of the Conqueror (1961) Rosamund and Alboino, Jack Palance
Sword for the Empire, A (1965) Sword of the Empire
Sword of the Rebellion, The (1964) The Rebel of Castelmonte
Swordsman of Siena (1962) The Mercenary
Sword of Vengeance (1961) La spada della vendetta
Sword Without a Country (1961) Sword Without a Flag
Tartars, The (1961) starring Victor Mature
Taras Bulba, The Cossack (1963) Plains of Battle
Taur, the Mighty (1963) Tor the Warrior, Taur, the King of Brute Force, starring Joe Robinson
Temple of the White Elephant (1965) Sandok, the Giant of the Jungle, Sandok, the Maciste of the Jungle (not a Maciste film, however, in spite of the alternate title)
Ten Gladiators, The (1963) starring Dan Vadis
Terror of the Black Mask (1963) The Invincible Masked Rider
Terror of the Red Mask (1960) starring Lex Barker
Terror of the Steppes (1964) The Mighty Khan, Kirk Morris
Tharus, Son of Attila (1962) Colossus and the Huns, Ricardo Montalban
Theodora, Slave Empress (1954) directed by Riccardo Freda
Thor and the Amazon Women (1963) starring Joe Robinson
Three Hundred Spartans, The (1963) starring Richard Egan; U.S. film filmed in Greece using Italian screenwriters
Three Swords for Rome (1965) starring Roger Browne
Three Swords of Zorro, The (1963)
Tiger of the Seven Seas (1962)
Treasure of the Petrified Forest, The (1965) starring Gordon Mitchell
Triumph of Robin Hood (1962) starring Samson Burke
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (1965) starring Dan Vadis
Two Gladiators, The (1964) Fight or Die, starring Richard Harrison
Tyrant of Castile, The (1964) starring Mark Damon
Ulysses (1954) produced by Dino De Laurentiis, starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn
Virgins of Rome, The (1961) Amazons of Rome
Vulcan, Son of Jupiter (1962) Vulcan, Son of Jove, Gordon Mitchell, Richard Lloyd, Roger Browne
War Goddess (1973) The Bare-Breasted Warriors, Le guerriere dal seno nudo, directed by Terence Young
War Gods of Babylon (1962) The Seventh Thunderbolt, The Seven Glories of Assur
Warrior and the Slave Girl, The (1958) The Revolt of the Gladiators, starring Gianna Maria Canale
Warrior Empress, The (1960) Sappho, Venus of Lesbos, Kerwin Mathews, Tina Louise
White Slave Ship (1961) directed by Silvio Amadio
Women of Devil's Island (1962) starring Guy Madison
Wonders of Aladdin, The (1961) starring Donald O'Connor
Zorikan the Barbarian (1964) starring Dan Vadis
Zorro (1975) Alain Delon
Zorro and the Three Musketeers (1963) Mask of the Musketeers, starring Gordon Scott
Zorro in the Court of England (1970) starring Spiros Focás
Zorro at the Court of Spain (1962) The Masked Conqueror, George Ardisson
Zorro of Monterrey (1971) El Zorro de Monterrey, Carlos Quiney
Zorro, Rider of Vengeance (1971) Carlos Quiney
Zorro's Last Adventure (1970) La última aventura del Zorro, Carlos Quiney
Zorro the Avenger (1962) The Revenge of Zorro, Frank Latimore
Zorro the Avenger (1969) El Zorro justiciero (1969) starring Fabio Testi
Zorro the Fox (1968) El Zorro, George Ardisson
Zorro, the Navarra Marquis (1969) Nino Vingelli
Zorro the Rebel (1966) Howard Ross
Zorro Against Maciste (1963) Samson and the Slave Queen (1963) starring Pierre Brice, Alan Steel
Gladiator films
Inspired by the success of Spartacus, there were a number of Italian peplums that heavily emphasized the gladiatorial arena in their plots, with it becoming almost a peplum subgenre in itself. One group of supermen known as "The Ten Gladiators" appeared in a trilogy, all three films starring Dan Vadis in the lead role.
Alone Against Rome (1962) Vengeance of the Gladiators
The Arena (1974) Naked Warriors, co-directed by Joe D'Amato, starring Pam Grier, Paul Muller and Rosalba Neri
Challenge of the Gladiator (1965) starring Peter Lupus (Rock Stevens)
Fabiola (1949) The Fighting Gladiator
Gladiator of Rome (1962) Battle of the Gladiators, starring Gordon Scott
Gladiators Seven (1962) The Seven Gladiators, starring Richard Harrison
Invincible Gladiator, The (1961) Richard Harrison
Last Gladiator, The (1963) Messalina Against the Son of Hercules
Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (1964) Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules
Revenge of Spartacus, The (1965) Revenge of the Gladiators, starring Roger Browne
Revenge of The Gladiators (1961) starring Mickey Hargitay
Revolt of the Seven (1964) The Spartan Gladiator, starring Tony Russel and Helga Line
Revolt of the Slaves (1961) Rhonda Fleming
Seven Rebel Gladiators (1965) Seven Against All, starring Roger Browne
Seven Slaves Against the World (1965) Seven Slaves Against Rome, The Strongest Slaves in the World, starring Roger Browne and Gordon Mitchell
Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) The Sign of Rome, Sign of the Gladiator, Anita Ekberg
Sins of Rome (1952) Spartacus, directed by Riccardo Freda
Slave, The (1962) Son of Spartacus, Steve Reeves
Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators (1964) Ten Invincible Gladiators, Dan Vadis
Spartan Gladiator, The (1965) Tony Russel
Ten Gladiators, The (1963) Dan Vadis
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (1965) Dan Vadis
Two Gladiators, The (1964) Fight or Die, Richard Harrison
Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator (1963) Rebel Gladiators, Dan Vadis
Warrior and the Slave Girl, The (1958) The Revolt of the Gladiators, Gianna Maria Canale
Ancient Rome
Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1964) Battle of the Valiant, Gordon Mitchell
Caesar Against the Pirates (1962) Gordon Mitchell
Caesar the Conqueror (1962) Cameron Mitchell, Rik Battaglia
Carthage in Flames (1960) Cartagine in fiamme, directed by Carmine Gallone
Centurion The (1962) The Conqueror of Corinth
Colossus of Rhodes, The (1960) directed by Sergio Leone
Constantine and the Cross (1960) Constantine the Great
Coriolanus: Hero without a Country (1963) Thunder of Battle, Gordon Scott
Diary of a Roman Virgin (1974) Livia, una vergine per l'impero romano, directed by Joe D'Amato (used stock footage from The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) and The Arena (1974))
Duel of Champions (1961) Horatio and Curiazi, Alan Ladd
Duel of the Titans (1962) Romulus and Remus, Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott
Fall of Rome, The (1961) directed by Antonio Margheriti
Fire Over Rome (1963)
Giants of Rome (1963) directed by Antonio Margheriti, starring Richard Harrison
Gold for the Caesars (1963) Jeffrey Hunter
Hannibal (1959) Victor Mature
Hero of Rome (1964) The Colossus of Rome, Gordon Scott
Kampf um Rom (1968) The Last Roman, starring Laurence Harvey, Honor Blackman, Orson Welles
Last Days of Pompeii (1959) Steve Reeves
Massacre in the Black Forest (1967) Cameron Mitchell
Messalina (1960)
Nero and the Burning of Rome (1955) Nero and Messalina
Quo Vadis (1951) assistant director Sergio Leone
Rape of the Sabine Women, The (1961) Roger Moore
Revenge of Spartacus, The (1965) Roger Browne
Revenge of the Barbarians (1960)
Revolt of the Praetorians (1965) Richard Harrison
Rome Against Rome (1963) War of the Zombies
The Secret Seven (1965) The Invincible Seven
79 A.D., the Destruction of Herculaneum (1962) Brad Harris
Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) The Sign of Rome, Sign of the Gladiator, Anita Ekberg
Sins of Rome (1952) Spartaco, directed by Riccardo Freda
The Slave of Rome (1960) starring Guy Madison
Slaves of Carthage, The (1956) The Sword and the Cross, Gianna Maria Canale (not to be confused with Mary Magdalene)
Theodora, Slave Empress (1954) directed by Riccardo Freda
Three Swords for Rome (1965) Roger Browne
Virgins of Rome, The (1961) Amazons of Rome
Greek mythology
The Avenger (1962) Legend of Aeneas, Steve Reeves
Alexander The Great (1956) U.S. film with music score by Mario Nascimbene
Antigone (1961) Rites for the Dead, a Greek production
Bacchantes, The (1961)
Battle of the Amazons (1973) Amazons: Women of Love and War, Beauty of the Barbarian (directed by Alfonso Brescia)
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone
Conqueror of Atlantis (1965) starring Kirk Morris
Damon and Pythias (1962) Guy Williams
Fury of Achilles (1962) Gordon Mitchell
Giant of Marathon (1959) (The Battle of Marathon) Steve Reeves
Giants of Thessaly (1960) directed by Riccardo Freda
Helen of Troy (1956) directed by Robert Wise
Hercules Challenges Samson (1963) Hercules, Samson and Ulysses
Lion of Thebes, The (1964) Helen of Troy, Mark Forest
Mars, God of War (1962) Venus Against the Son of Hercules
The Minotaur (1961) Theseus Against the Minotaur, The Warlord of Crete
My Son, the Hero (1961) Arrivano i Titani, The Titans
Odyssey, The (1968) Cyclops segment directed by Mario Bava; Samson Burke played Polyphemus the Cyclops
Perseus the Invincible (1962) Medusa vs. the Son of Hercules
Queen of the Amazons (1960) Colossus and the Amazon Queen
Seven from Thebes (1964) André Lawrence
Siege of Syracuse, The (1962) Tina Louise
Treasure of the Petrified Forest (1965) Gordon Mitchell (the plot involves Amazons)
Trojan Horse, The (1961) The Trojan War, Steve Reeves
Ulysses (1954) starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn
Vulcan, Son of Jupiter (1962) Vulcan, Son of Jove, Gordon Mitchell, Richard Lloyd, Roger Browne
Warrior Empress, The (1960) Sappho, Venus of Lesbos, Kerwin Mathews, Tina Louise
Barbarian and Viking films
Attack of the Normans (1962) The Normans, Cameron Mitchell
Attila (1954) directed by Pietro Francisci, Anthony Quinn, Sophia Loren
The Cossacks (1960)
Defeat of the Barbarians (1962) King Manfred
Dragon's Blood, The (1957) Sigfrido, based on the legend of the Niebelungen, special effects by Carlo Rambaldi
Erik the Conqueror (1961) The Invaders, directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell
Fury of the Pagans (1960) Fury of the Barbarians
Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) Terror of the Barbarians, Steve Reeves
The Huns (1960) Queen of the Tartars
Invasion 1700 (1962) With Iron and Fire, With Fire and Sword, Daggers of Blood
King of the Vikings (1960) The Prince in Chains
The Last of the Vikings (1961) starring Cameron Mitchell and Broderick Crawford
Marco Polo (1962) Rory Calhoun
Marco the Magnificent (1965) Anthony Quinn, Orson Welles
Michel Strogoff (1956) Revolt of the Tartars
The Mongols (1961) starring Jack Palance
Revak the Rebel (1960) The Barbarians, Jack Palance
Revolt of the Barbarians (1964) directed by Guido Malatesta
Roland the Mighty (1956) directed by Pietro Francisci
Saracens, The (1965) The Devil's Pirate, The Flag of Death
The Seven Revenges (1961) The Seven Challenges, Ivan the Conqueror, starring Ed Fury
Suleiman the Conqueror (1961)
Sword of the Conqueror (1961) Rosamund and Alboino, Jack Palance
Sword of the Empire (1964)
Taras Bulba, The Cossack (1963) Plains of Battle
The Tartars (1961) Victor Mature, Orson Welles
Terror of the Steppes (1963) The Mighty Khan, starring Kirk Morris
Tharus Son of Attila (1962) Colossus and the Huns, Ricardo Montalban
Zorikan the Barbarian (1964) Dan Vadis
Swashbucklers / pirates
Adventurer of Tortuga (1965) starring Guy Madison
Adventures of Mandrin, The (1960) Captain Adventure
Adventures of Scaramouche, The (1963) The Mask of Scaramouche, Gianna Maria Canale
Arms of the Avenger (1963) The Devils of Spartivento, starring John Drew Barrymore
At Sword's Edge (1952) dir. by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Attack of the Moors (1959) The Kings of France
Avenger of the Seven Seas (1961) Executioner of the Seas, Richard Harrison
Avenger of Venice, The (1963) directed by Riccardo Freda, starring Brett Halsey
Balboa (Spanish, 1963) Conquistadors of the Pacific
Beatrice Cenci (1956) directed by Riccardo Freda
Beatrice Cenci (1969) directed by Lucio Fulci
Behind the Mask of Zorro (1966) The Oath of Zorro, Tony Russel
Black Archer, The (1959) Gerard Landry
Black Devil, The (1957) Gerard Landry
Black Duke, The (1963) Cameron Mitchell
Black Eagle, The (1946) Return of the Black Eagle, directed by Riccardo Freda
Black Lancers, The (1962) Charge of the Black Lancers, Mel Ferrer
Captain from Toledo, The (1966)
Captain of Iron, The (1962) Revenge of the Mercenaries, Barbara Steele
Captain Phantom (1953)
Captains of Adventure (1961) starring Paul Muller and Gerard Landry
Caribbean Hawk, The (1963) Yvonne Monlaur
Castillian, The (1963) Cesare Romero, U.S./Spanish co-production
Catherine of Russia (1962) directed by Umberto Lenzi
Cavalier in Devil's Castle (1959) Cavalier of Devil's Island
Conqueror of Maracaibo, The (1961)
The Count of Braggalone (1954) aka The Last Musketeer, starring Georges Marchal
Count of Monte Cristo, The (1962) Louis Jourdan
Devil Made a Woman, The (1959) A Girl Against Napoleon
Devil's Cavaliers, The (1959) The Devil's Riders, Gianna Maria Canale
Dick Turpin (1974) a Spanish production
El Cid (1961) Sophia Loren, Charlton Heston, U.S./ Italian film shot in Italy
Executioner of Venice, The (1963) Lex Barker, Guy Madison
Fighting Musketeers, The (1961)
Giant of the Evil Island (1965) Mystery of the Cursed Island, Peter Lupus
Goliath and the Masked Rider (1964) Hercules and the Masked Rider, Alan Steel
Guns of the Black Witch (1961) Terror of the Sea, Don Megowan
Hawk of the Caribbean (1963)
Invincible Swordsman, The (1963)
The Iron Swordsman (1949) Count Ugolino, directed by Riccardo Freda
Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman (1971) La spada normanna, directed by Roberto Mauri
Knight of a Hundred Faces, The (1960) The Silver Knight, starring Lex Barker
Knights of Terror (1963) Terror of the Red Capes, Tony Russel
Knight Without a Country (1959) The Faceless Rider
Lawless Mountain, The (1953) La montaña sin ley (stars Zorro)
Lion of St. Mark, The (1964) Gordon Scott
Mark of Zorro (1975) made in France, Monica Swinn
Mark of Zorro (1976) George Hilton
Masked Conqueror, The (1962)
Mask of the Musketeers (1963) Zorro and the Three Musketeers, starring Gordon Scott
Michael Strogoff (1956) Revolt of the Tartars
Miracle of the Wolves (1961) Blood on his Sword, starring Jean Marais
Morgan, the Pirate (1960) Steve Reeves
Musketeers of the Sea (1960)
Mysterious Rider, The (1948) directed by Riccardo Freda
Mysterious Swordsman, The (1956) starred Gerard Landry
Nephews of Zorro, The (1968) Italian comedy with Franco and Ciccio
Night of the Great Attack (1961) Revenge of the Borgias
Night They Killed Rasputin, The (1960) The Last Czar
Nights of Lucretia Borgia, The (1959)
Pirate and the Slave Girl, The (1959) Lex Barker
Pirate of the Black Hawk, The (1958)
Pirate of the Half Moon (1957)
Pirates of the Coast (1960) Lex Barker
Prince with the Red Mask, The (1955) The Red Eagle
Prisoner of the Iron Mask, The (1961) The Revenge of the Iron Mask
Pugni, Pirati e Karatè (1973) Fists, Pirates and Karate, directed by Joe D'Amato, starring Richard Harrison (a 1970s Italian spoof of pirate movies)
Queen of the Pirates (1961) The Venus of the Pirates, Gianna Maria Canale
Queen of the Seas (1961) directed by Umberto Lenzi
Rage of the Buccaneers (1961) Gordon, The Black Pirate, starring Vincent Price
Red Cloak, The (1955) Bruce Cabot
Revenge of Ivanhoe, The (1965) Rik Battaglia
Revenge of the Black Eagle (1951) directed by Riccardo Freda
Revenge of the Musketeers (1963) Dartagnan vs. the Three Musketeers, Fernando Lamas
Revenge of Spartacus, The (1965) Roger Browne
Revolt of the Mercenaries (1961)
Robin Hood and the Pirates (1960) Lex Barker
Roland, the Mighty (1956) directed by Pietro Francisci
Rome 1585 (1961) The Mercenaries, Debra Paget, set in the 1500s
Rover, The (1967) The Adventurer, starring Anthony Quinn
The Sack of Rome (1953) The Barbarians, The Pagans (set in the 1500s)
Samson vs. the Black Pirate (1963) Hercules and the Black Pirate, Alan Steel
Samson vs. the Pirates (1963) Samson and the Sea Beast, Kirk Morris
Sandokan Fights Back (1964) Sandokan to the Rescue, The Revenge of Sandokan, Guy Madison
Sandokan the Great (1964) Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem, Steve Reeves
Sandokan, the Pirate of Malaysia (1964) Pirates of Malaysia, Pirates of the Seven Seas, Steve Reeves, directed by Umberto Lenzi
Sandokan vs. the Leopard of Sarawak (1964) Throne of Vengeance, Guy Madison
Saracens, The (1965) The Devil's Pirate, The Flag of Death, starring Richard Harrison
Sea Pirate, The (1966) Thunder Over the Indian Ocean, Surcouf, Hero of the Seven Seas
Secret Mark of D'artagnan, The (1962)
Seven Seas to Calais (1961) Sir Francis Drake, King of the Seven Seas, Rod Taylor
Seventh Sword, The (1960) Brett Halsey
Shadow of Zorro (1962) Frank Latimore
Sign of Zorro, The (1952)
(1963) Duel at the Rio Grande, Sean Flynn
Son of Black Eagle (1968)
Son of Captain Blood (1962)
Son of d'Artagnan (1950) directed by Riccardo Freda
Son of El Cid, The (1965) Mark Damon
Son of the Red Corsair (1959) Son of the Red Pirate, Lex Barker
Son of Zorro (1973) Alberto Dell'Acqua
Sword in the Shadow, A (1961) starring Livio Lorenzon
Sword of Rebellion, The (1964) The Rebel of Castelmonte
Sword of Vengeance (1961) La spada della vendetta
Swordsman of Siena, The (1961) The Mercenary
Sword Without a Country (1960) Sword Without a Flag
Taras Bulba, The Cossack (1963) Plains of Battle
Terror of the Black Mask (1963) The Invincible Masked Rider
Terror of the Red Mask (1960) Lex Barker
Three Swords of Zorro, The (1963) The Sword of Zorro, Guy Stockwell
Tiger of the Seven Seas (1963)
Triumph of Robin Hood (1962) starring Samson Burke
Tyrant of Castile, The (1964) Mark Damon
White Slave Ship (1961) directed by Silvio Amadio
The White Warrior (1959) Hadji Murad, the White Devil, Steve Reeves
Women of Devil's Island (1962) starring Guy Madison
Zorro (1968) El Zorro, Zorro the Fox, George Ardisson
Zorro (1975) Alain Delon
Zorro and the Three Musketeers (1963) Gordon Scott
Zorro at the Court of England (1969) Spiros Focás as Zorro
Zorro at the Court of Spain (1962) The Masked Conqueror, Georgio Ardisson
Zorro of Monterrey (1971) El Zorro de Monterrey, Carlos Quiney
Zorro, Rider of Vengeance (1971) Carlos Quiney
Zorro's Last Adventure (1970) La última aventura del Zorro, Carlos Quiney
Zorro the Avenger (1962) The Revenge of Zorro, Frank Latimore
Zorro the Avenger (1969) El Zorro justiciero (1969) Fabio Testi
Zorro, the Navarra Marquis (1969) Nadir Moretti as Zorro
Zorro the Rebel (1966) Howard Ross
Zorro Against Maciste (1963) Samson and the Slave Queen (1963) starring Pierre Brice, Alan Steel
Biblical
Barabbas (1961) Dino de Laurentiis, Anthony Quinn, filmed in Italy
Bible, The (1966) Dino de Laurentiis, John Huston, filmed in Italy
David and Goliath (1960) Orson Welles
Desert Desperadoes (1956) plot involves King Herod
Esther and the King (1961) Joan Collins, Richard Egan
Head of a Tyrant, The (1959)
Herod the Great (1958) Edmund Purdom
Jacob, the Man Who Fought with God (1964) Giorgio Cerioni
Mighty Crusaders, The (1957) Jerusalem Set Free, Gianna Maria Canale
Moses the Lawgiver (1973) aka Moses in Egypt, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quayle (6-hour made-for-TV Italian/British co-production) also released theatrically
Old Testament, The (1962) Brad Harris
Pontius Pilate (1962) Jean Marais
The Queen of Sheba (1952), directed by Pietro Francisci
Samson and Gideon (1965) Fernando Rey
Saul and David (1963) Gianni Garko
Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) Rosanna Podesta, U.S./Italian film shot in Italy
Story of Joseph and his Brethren, The (1960)
Sword and the Cross, The (1958) Mary Magdalene, Gianna Maria Canale
Ancient Egypt
Cleopatra's Daughter (1960) starring Debra Paget
Legions of the Nile (1959) starring Linda Cristal
Pharaoh's Woman, The (1960) with John Drew Barrymore
Queen for Caesar, A (1962) Gordon Scott
Queen of the Nile (1961) Nefertiti, Vincent Price
Son of Cleopatra (1964) Mark Damon
Babylon / the Middle East
Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1962) Sinbad Against the 7 Saracens, starring Gordon Mitchell
Anthar, The Invincible (1964) Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules, starring Kirk Morris, directed by Antonio Margheriti
Desert Warrior (1957) The Desert Lovers, Ricardo Montalban
Falcon of the Desert (1965) The Magnificent Challenge, starring Kirk Morris
Golden Arrow, The (1962) directed by Antonio Margheriti
Goliath at the Conquest of Baghdad (1964) Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus, Peter Lupus
Goliath and the Rebel Slave (1963) The Tyrant of Lydia vs. The Son of Hercules, Gordon Scott
Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (1963) Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero, Mark Forest
Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (1964)
Hero of Babylon (1963) The Beast of Babylon vs. the Son of Hercules, Gordon Scott
Kindar, the Invulnerable (1965) Mark Forest, Rosalba Neri
Missione sabbie roventi (Mission Burning Sands) (1966) starring Renato Rossini, directed by Alfonso Brescia
Red Sheik, The (1962)
Scheherazade (1963) starring Anna Karina
Seven Tasks of Ali Baba, The (1962) Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown, starring Richard Lloyd
Slave Girls of Sheba (1963) starring Linda Cristal
Slave Queen of Babylon (1962) Yvonne Furneaux
Son of the Sheik (1961) Kerim, Son of the Sheik, starring Gordon Scott
Sword of Damascus, The (1964) The Thief of Damascus
Sword of Islam, The (1961) a.k.a. Love and Faith; an Italian/ Egyptian co-production
Thief of Baghdad, The (1961) Steve Reeves
War Gods of Babylon (1962) The Seventh Thunderbolt
Wonders of Aladdin, The (1961) Donald O'Connor
The second peplum wave: the 1980s
After the peplum gave way to the spaghetti Western and Eurospy films in 1965, the genre lay dormant for close to 20 years. Then in 1982, the box-office successes of Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire (1981), Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Clash of the Titans (1981 film) (1981) spurred a second renaissance of sword and sorcery Italian pepla in the five years immediately following. Most of these films had low budgets, focusing more on barbarians and pirates so as to avoid the need for expensive Greco-Roman sets. The filmmakers tried to compensate for their shortcomings with the addition of some graphic gore and nudity. Many of these 1980s entries were helmed by noted Italian horror film directors (Joe D'Amato, Lucio Fulci, Luigi Cozzi, etc.) and many featured actors Lou Ferrigno, Miles O'Keeffe and Sabrina Siani. Here is a list of the 1980s pepla:
Adam and Eve (1983) Adamo ed Eva, la prima storia d'amore, contains stock footage from One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1983) Ator the Invincible, starring Miles O'Keeffe and Sabrina Siani, directed by Joe D'Amato
Ator 2: The Blade Master (1985) Cave Dwellers, starring Miles O'Keefe, directed by Joe D'Amato
Ator 3: Iron Warrior (1986) Iron Warrior, starring Miles O'Keeffe, directed by Alfonso Brescia (Joe D'Amato disowned this entry in the Ator saga, since it was done without his involvement)
Ator 4: Quest for the Mighty Sword (1989) Quest for the Mighty Sword, starring Eric Allan Kramer (as the son of Ator), Laura Gemser and Marisa Mell, directed by Joe D'Amato
Barbarian Master (1984) Sangraal, the Sword of Fire, Sword of the Barbarians, starring Sabrina Siani
The Barbarians (1987) The Barbarians and Company, semi-comedy starring Peter and David Paul, directed by Ruggero Deodato
The Cantabrians (1980) Los Cantabros, directed by Paul Naschy in Spain
Conqueror of the World (1983) I padroni del mondo / Fathers of the World, Master of the World (a barbarian movie set in prehistoric times) directed by Alberto Cavallone
Conquest (1983) Conquest of the Lost Land, starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Lucio Fulci
Hercules (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno and Sybil Danning, directed by Luigi Cozzi
Hercules 2 (1984) The Adventures of Hercules, starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi
Hundra (1983) Italian/ Spanish "Red Sonja" ripoff directed by Matt Cimber
The Invincible Barbarian (1982) Gunan, the Warrior, Gunan, King of the Barbarians, starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi
Ironmaster (1983) The War of Iron, co-starring Luigi Montefiori, directed by Umberto Lenzi
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno and Dan Vadis
She (1982) starring Sandahl Bergman and Gordon Mitchell
Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1988) starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi
Thor, the Conqueror (1983) directed by Tonino Ricci
The Throne of Fire (1983) starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi
Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1983) starring Reb Brown, directed by Antonio Margheriti (a barbarian film that has science fiction elements in the story)
A group of so-called "porno peplum" films were devoted to Roman emperors, especially - but not only - to Caligula and Claudius' spouse Messalina:
Caligula (1979) directed by Tinto Brass
A Filha de Calígula/ The Daughter of Caligula (1981) directed by Ody Fraga; made in Brazil
Caligula and Messalina (1981) directed by Bruno Mattei
Bacanales Romanas/ My Nights with Messalina (1982) directed in Spain by Jaime J. Puig; stars Ajita Wilson
Nerone and Poppea (1982) directed by Bruno Mattei
Caligula... The Untold Story (1982) directed by Joe D'Amato, starring Laura Gemser and Gabriele Tinti
Orgies of Caligula (1984) Caligula's Slaves, Roma, l'antica chiave dei sensi; directed by Lorenzo Onorati
The Erotic Dreams of Cleopatra (1985) directed by Rino Di Silvestro
See also
Cinema of Italy
Greco-Roman antiquity
Middle Ages
The Bible in film
References
Further reading
Diak, Nicholas, editor. The New Peplum: Essays on Sword and Sandal Films and Television Programs Since the 1990s. McFarland and Company, Inc. 2018.
Richard Dyer: "The White Man's Muscles" in R. Dyer: White: London: Routledge: 1997:
David Chapman: Retro Studs: Muscle Movie Posters from Around the World: Portland: Collectors Press: 2002:
Hervé Dumont, L'Antiquité au cinéma. Vérités, légendes et manipulations (Nouveau-Monde, 2009)
Florent Fourcart, Le Péplum italien (1946–1966) : Grandeur et décadence d'une antiquité populaire (2012, CinExploitation)
Maggie Gunsberg: "Heroic Bodies: The Culture of Masculinity in Peplums" in M. Gunsberg: Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre: Houndsmill: Palgrave Macmillan: 2005:
Patrick Lucanio, With Fire and Sword: Italian Spectacles on American Screens, 1958–1968 (Scarecrow Press, 1994)
Irmbert Schenk: "The Cinematic Support to Nationalist(ic) Mythology: The Italian Peplum 1910–1930" in Natascha Gentz and Stefan Kramer (eds.) Globalization, Cultural Identities and Media Representations Albany, NY: State University of New York Press: 2006:
Stephen Flacassier: "Muscles, Myths and Movies": Rabbit's Garage: 1994 :
External links
Films
The Avenger by Georgia Rivalta. Steve Reeves stars as Aeneas.
Hercules Unchained (Pietro Francisci, director.)
The Giant of Metropolis (starring Gordon Mitchell; Umberto Scarpelli, director)
Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (Domenico Paolella, dir.)
Images and discussion
The Many Faces of Hercules at Brian's Drive-In Theatre
PEPLVM - Images de l'Antiquité, par Michel Eloy (in French)
Cinéma & Histoire: L'Antiquité au Cinéma (in French), by Hervé Dumont.
Vincent Price, B Movies, Film Noir, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing,Christopher Lee,Barbara Steele,horror,sci-fi,B westerns,sword & sandal (source of peplum DVD's)
Something Weird Video (source of peplum DVD's)
Santo And Friends (filmography of Mexican muscleman films)
Film genres
Historical fiction
Italian films by genre
20th century in Italy
Fantasy genres
Classical antiquity in modern art and culture