***Hercules and the Amazon Women*** is a 1994 television movie starring Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst. This movie is loosely based on the labor of Hercules to get the Golden Girdle. Here instead of getting the Golden Girdle, he faces the Amazon women who are plaguing the men in their area. Hippolyte like in the Marvel comics and mythology falls in love with Hercules. But unlike in the myth, Hippolyte befriends Hercules.

Plot Summary
------------

The main actor: Kevin Sorbo
Three men are walking through the woods, they hear strange noises and catch glimpses of something moving in the undergrowth. Suddenly they are attacked by unseen creatures. Two men are killed, but one escapes and flees the woods.

Hercules strolls into a village after returning from one of his adventures, and is greeted by Iolaus. It is established that Iolaus is getting married and that Hercules is the best man. The two men set off for Alcmene's house. While walking through the woods, they reminisce that it has been a long time since they last saw each other. Iolaus tells Hercules about his bride-to-be, Ania. They stumble upon a little girl crying alone near an altar. She tells them that a monster killed her father while they were placing an offering to the goddess. Hercules tries to comfort the girl and asks if he can help, but the girl transforms into a monster. Hercules chops off its head, thinking it is now dead, Hercules and Iolaus begin walking away. They hear a noise and turn around to see that the monster is not dead, but has now grown two new heads in the place where the previous one was. The monster is a Hydra. Hercules tells Iolaus to grab the torch from the altar, Hercules cuts off the heads and burns the Hydra, preventing it from growing new heads, thus killing it. After the Hydra is destroyed a peacock feather remains in its place, Hercules tells Iolaus that Hera is responsible for the Hydra.

Hercules and Iolaus finally reach his mother's house, after a short chat with Alcmene, Iolaus invites them both for dinner, then leaves. Later on that evening while the four are enjoying dinner, Ania glimpses a man outside the window and Hercules goes to investigate. It is Pithus, the man who escaped the creatures at the beginning of the film. He explains to Hercules about his village being attacked by the creatures and Hercules agrees to help. Iolaus persuades Hercules to let him go along for one last adventure before he is married, Hercules reluctantly relents and says that he can come along. The three men set off for the village. When they arrive Hercules asks where all the women are, Pithus tells him that they were stolen by the creatures in the forest. Hercules and Iolaus head off to find the beast and rescue the village's women. In the forest they are ambushed by the beasts, they manage to stave off the attack for a time, but Iolaus discovers that the beasts are really women. After he chases after one he is fatally injured in the fight and Hercules is captured and taken to the City of Amazons.

Hercules is then seen being taken captive by the women. He has been stripped of his shirt and chained to a wooden sled assembled by the women that is attached to a horses saddle and being pulled along. The women have also cleave gagged his mouth with a black leather strap. He is surrounded by women on each side of him and led into a village full of women. He is starred at by many of the women. A few laugh and taunt him. You can hear one of the women saying "keep him bound" and another saying "Men should be seen and not heard" in reference to him being gagged. In vein Hercules muffles angry speech through the gag. Women continue to laugh at him. In the village, some women are being trained in combat and others are doing chores. When he arrives at the end of the village, the leader of the Amazon army (Lysia) helps to release him from the sled. She tells Hercules "If you're looking for men, you won't find any. Not in the city of amazons. You're the only one and I don't think you'll last very long."

Hercules is taken by the women to the Queen, Hippolyta. She removes the gag from his mouth. She tells him that she knows he is here to defeat them and that Hercules has been beaten by women. Hercules tells her she is wrong. Using a magic candle, the Hippolyta turns Hercules into a baby telling him she will show him what he is really like. As Hercules reverts to infant form we are shown flashbacks to Hercules's youth and times when he has been told by people how to behave toward women. Later he returns to adult state, realising that Hippolyta is right and that his attitude toward women is wrong, he tells her that he can change. She says that he cannot change and that all men are the same. Hippolyta goes to consult with Hera, she tells Hippolyta to lead an attack on the village

Hercules escapes from the Amazons and warns the men of the village of the forthcoming attack. He prepares them for when the women arrive. The women ride into the village and order the men to remove their clothes, telling them they are here for only one thing. The men tell the women to sit and talk with them for a while. Pithus's wife enters her home, and her son Franco asks if she really is his mother. He tells her he often dreams about her but she has no face, she removes her mask and shows her face to Franco. Hercules stands up to Hippolyta, who says she's not afraid of Hercules. He kisses her, she tells him she's not afraid and kisses him back. The two make love. The following day the women are still with the men. The Amazons return to their city and both men and women reminisce about the night before. Hera tells Hippolyta that Hercules has tricked her and to attack the village again, this time killing all the men and boys. Hippolyta refuses but Hera possesses her. Hera, now in control of Hippolyta's action orders the women to attack the village.

Hercules stops Hippolyta and realises that she is possessed by Hera. She rides off and Hercules goes after her. As they fight Hercules tries to get through to Hippolyta, telling her that she is stronger than Hera. Hercules best her and is about to deal the fatal blow, but cannot because it is Hippolyta's body and not really Hera. Hercules leaves and Hera follows him, goading him. He tells Hera that if he or Hippolyta have to die then he will give up his life for her, saying he could not live his life without her. Upon hearing this Hera runs Hippolyta's body over the edge of a waterfall, killing her.

Hercules returns to the City of Amazons, and retrieves the candle Hippolyta used to send him back to his childhood. Zeus appears and tells him the candle does not work in the way Hercules wants it to. Hercules replies that Zeus could make it work that way. Zeus tells Hercules that if he did that he would be in big trouble with Hera, but Hercules persuades him anyway. Zeus blows out the candle and Hercules is taken back to the night of the dinner. Ania see Pithus outside the window and Hercules goes to tell him that the village does not need the help of Hercules. He explains that all the men need to do is treat the women with respect and things will sort themselves out. Pithus returns to the village and when the women come the men sort out the problems that have been occurring. Alcmene asks Hercules if there is a woman out there who will make him happy like Ania did for Iolaus, Hercules replies that he is sure there is.

Cultural references
-------------------

The special actor: Anthony Quinn.
* The scene involving the fight with the Hydra is loosely based on the second labor of Hercules.
* The rapproachment of the women and the men is apparently based on Herodotus' account of the formation of the Sauromatae people by the union of an Amazon offshoot with a group of Scythian men.

Main cast
---------

* Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
* Michael Hurst as Iolaus
* Anthony Quinn as Zeus
* Roma Downey as Hippolyta

Continuity and notes
--------------------

* Rose McIver who plays the human form of the Hydra in this film, went on to play Ilea, the daughter of Hercules in the later TV Movies and a few episodes of the series.
* This episode marks the first time Iolaus is killed. Although the time reversal undoes his death, he mentions it in the last TV Movie as though he remembers it happening. Also Iolaus' wife is never mentioned again.

Other websites
--------------

* *Hercules and the Amazon Women* on IMDb
* *Hercules and the Amazon Women* at Whoosh.org