Examine individual changes

'[[Image:Maciste-MarkForest.jpg|thumb|200px|This poster from a 1961 [[Maciste]] film illustrates many people's expectations from films of this genre.]] [[File:Bartolomeo Pagano - Maciste.JPG|frame|Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste.]] The [[Peplum]] (or '''pepla''' plural), also known as '''Sword-and-Sandal''', is a genre of Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western". The pepla attempted to emulate, or competejjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj with, the big budget Hollywood Historical Epics of the time, such as "Spartacus", "Samson and Delilah" and "The Ten Commandments", just as the Spaghetti westerns were low-budget imitations of the Hollywood Western. The terms "peplum" (referring to the togas or robes which the ancient Romans wore) and "sword-and-sandal" were used in a condescending way by film critics. The peplum genre does not include Hollywood or British films such as "Clash of the Titans" or "King of Kings" (just as the "Spaghetti Western" genre obviously does not include Hollywood westerns such as "High Noon" or "The Outlaw Josey Wales"). While Hollywood filmmakers, such as D. W. Griffith with his 1916 "Intolerance", peopled their epics with dramatic conflicts and realistic protagonists, the Peplum merely took a real [[historical]] or Biblical event and used it as a backdrop for a simplistic (albeit engrossing), comic book-like heroic adventure. The pepla are a specific class of Italian [[Adventure film|adventure]] or fantasy films that have subjects set in [[Bible|biblical]], [[medieval]] or [[classical antiquity]], often with contrived plots based very loosely on [[mythology]], [[Legend|legendary]] [[Greco-Roman]] history, or the contemporary cultures of the time, ([[Ancient Egypt|Egyptians]], [[Assyria]]ns, [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]], [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]], etc.). Most of the pepla featured a supernaturally strong muscleman type as the protagonist, such as Hercules, Samson, Goliath, or Italy's own popular folk hero [[Maciste]]. These supermen often rescued captive princesses from tyrannical despots and fought mythological creatures. Not all of the films were fantasy-based however. Many of these films featured actual historical personalities (such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Hannibal, etc.), although great liberties were taken with the storylines. [[Gladiators]], pirates, [[Vikings]], and [[slaves]] rebelling against tyrannical [[kings]] were also popular subjects. The [[1914 in film|1914]] Italian silent film ''[[Cabiria]]'' was one of the first sword-and-sandal films to make use of a massively muscled character ([[Maciste]]) (played by actor [[Bartolomeo Pagano]]) who served initially as the hero's loyal sidekick. Maciste became the public's favourite character in the film, and Pagano was called back to reprise the role. The Maciste character appeared in at least two dozen silent films from 1915 to 1926, all of which featured a protagonist named Maciste although the films were set in many different time periods and geographical locations. When the peplum genre became popular again in 1957, Italian filmmakers resurrected the Maciste character in a brand new 1960's sound film series (1960-1964). ==Typical Pepla Subjects== Gladiators were perennial favorite subjects, as were the adventures of [[Hercules]], Goliath, [[Samson]], [[Ursus (film character)|Ursus]], [[Jason]] and the [[Argonauts]], or Italy's legendary strongman [[Maciste]]. Although Italy had always produced pepla through the decades (such as 1954's classic "Ulysses"), the peplum mania really began with the 1957 release of ''[[Hercules (1958 film)|Hercules]]'', starring [[United States|American]] [[bodybuilding|bodybuilder]] [[Steve Reeves]]. This spawned the [[1959 in film|1959]] sequel ''[[Hercules Unchained]]'', and literally dozens of low-budget imitations followed, starring similar bodybuilder stars such as [[Reg Park]], [[Gordon Scott]], [[Mark Forest]], [[Brad Harris]], [[Dan Vadis]], and Alan Steel. European audiences tended to prefer an Anglo-American in the lead, and Italian bodybuilders would adopt English pseudonyms for the screen ([[Sergio Ciani]] became Alan Steel and Adrianno Belli became [[Kirk Morris]], for example). In the formulaic plots common to many of the films, two women vied for the affection of the bodybuilder hero: the good love interest (a [[damsel in distress]] needing rescue), and an evil queen who served as a [[femme fatale]]. The films often featured an ambitious ruler who would ascend the throne by murdering whoever stood in his way, and often it was only the muscular hero who could stop him. Most of the films involved an impending clash between two warring populations, one civilized and the other evilly barbaric. So many pepla begin with an opening scene of a peaceful, defenseless village being razed to the ground by a wild barbarian horde. For their musical content, most films contained a well-choreographed belly-dancing scene or some colorful ballet, meant to underline the [[paganism|pagan]] [[decadence]] of the villains. The contrived plots, poorly [[overdub]]bed [[dialogue]], novice acting skills of the bodybuilder leads, and primitive [[special effects]] that were often inadequate to depict the [[legendary creature]]s on screen all conspire to give these films a certain [[camp (style)|camp]] appeal now. To be sure, however, many of the films enjoyed widespread popularity among very general audiences, and had production values that were typical for popular films of the day. Although many of the bigger budget pepla were released theatrically in the USA, fourteen of them were released directly to [[American International Pictures]] [[television]] in a syndicated TV package called ''[[The Sons of Hercules]]''. The movies were turned into a [[Film series|series]] of sorts by splicing on the same opening title song and newly-designed narration that desperately attempted to link whoever the hero of the film was to the Hercules Mythos, as few American viewers had a familiarity with Italian film heroes such as Maciste or Ursus, etc. These films ran on Saturday afternoons in the 1960s. Often ridiculed for their low budgets and bad English dubbing, several of these films have been subjects of the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' treatment. ==Hercules Series (1957-1965)== A series of 19 Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 50's/ early 60's. The films were all sequels to the fantastically successful Steve Reeves movie "Hercules" (1957) and its sequel "Hercules Unchained" (1959). The actors who played Hercules in these films were [[Steve Reeves]], [[Gordon Scott]], [[Kirk Morris]], [[Mickey Hargitay]], [[Mark Forest]], [[Alan Steel]], [[Dan Vadis]], [[Brad Harris]], [[Reg Park]], [[Peter Lupus]] (billed as [[Rock Stevens]]) and Michael Lane. The films are listed below by their American release titles, and the titles in parentheses are the original Italian titles with English translation. <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--> *''[[Hercules (1958 film)|Hercules]]'' (Le Fatiche di Ercole/ The Labors of Hercules, 1957) 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) (this Hercules film had its title changed to ''Goliath'' when it was distributed in the U.S.) *''Hercules Vs The Hydra'' (Gli Amori di Ercole/ The Loves of Hercules, 1960) co-starring Jayne Mansfield *''Hercules and the Captive Women'' (''Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide''/''Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis'', 1961) (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) *''Hercules in the Vale of Woe'' (''Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai''/''Maciste Vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe'') 1961 *''Ulysses Vs. The Son of Hercules'' (''Ulisse contro Ercole''/''Ulysses Vs. Hercules'') 1962 *''The Fury of Hercules'' (''La Furia di Ercole''/''The Fury of Hercules'', a.k.a. ''The Fury of Samson'') 1962 *''Hercules, Samson and Ulysses'' (''Ercole sfida Sansone''/''Hercules Challenges Samson'') 1963 *''Hercules Vs. the Moloch'' (''Ercole contro Molock''/''Hercules Vs. Moloch'', 1963) (alternate U.S. title: ''The Conquest of Mycene'') *''Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness'' (''Ercole l'invincibile''/''Hercules, the Invincible'') 1964 (this was originally a Hercules film that was retitled to "Son of Hercules" so that it could be included in the "Sons of Hercules" TV syndication package) *''Hercules Vs. The Giant Warrior'' (''il Trionfo di Ercole''/''The Triumph of Hercules'', 1964) (alternate U.S. title: ''Hercules and the Ten Avengers'') *''Hercules Against Rome'' (''Ercole contro Roma'', 1964) *''Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun'' (''Ercole contro i figli del sole'', 1964) *''Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon'' (''Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia'', 1964) *''Samson and the Mighty Challenge'' (''Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili''/ ''Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles'', 1964) (a.k.a. ''Combate dei Gigantes'', a.k.a. ''Le Grand Defi'') *''Hercules and the Princess of Troy'' (No Italian title, 1965)(a.k.a. ''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 & it was later distributed as a feature film. *''Hercules, the Avenger'' (''Sfida dei giganti''/''Challenge of the Giants'', 1965) This film was comprised mostly of stock footage from the two 1961 Reg Park Hercules films. The [[Three Stooges]] made an American comedy in 1962 called ''[[The Three Stooges Meet Hercules]]'' with Samson Burke playing Hercules. Note* - A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their title were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators. * ''Hercules, Prisoner of Evil'' was actually a retitled Ursus film. * ''Hercules and the Black Pirate'' and ''Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas'' were both retitled Samson movies. * ''Hercules and the Masked Rider'' was actually a retitled Goliath movie. * ''Hercules Against the Moon Men'', ''Hercules Against the Barbarians'', ''Hercules Against the Mongols'' and ''Hercules of the Desert'' were all originally Maciste films. None of these films in their original Italian versions were connected to 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 incarnations. ==Maciste Series (1960-1965)== {{main|Maciste}} 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). When the 2 Steve Reeves HERCULES films were so successful, Italian producers decided to revive the old silent film character of Maciste in a new series of sound movies. 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 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) starring Mark Forest * ''Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste''/''Maciste Vs. the Headhunters'' (''Colossus and the Headhunters'', 1960) starring Kirk Morris * ''Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi''/''Maciste in the Land of the Cyclops'' (''Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops'', 1961) starring Gordon Mitchell * ''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 contro il vampiro''/''Maciste Vs. the Vampire'' (''Goliath and the Vampires'', 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'', 1962) starring Mark Forest * ''Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai''/''Maciste Against Hercules in the Vale of Woe'' (''Hercules in the Vale of Woe'', 1962) * ''Maciste all'inferno''/''Maciste in Hell'' (''The Witch's Curse'', 1962) starring Kirk Morris * ''Il trionfo di Maciste''/''The Triumph of Maciste'' (''Triumph of the Son of Hercules'', 1962) starring Kirk Morris * ''Maciste contro i mostri''/''Maciste vs. the Monsters'' (''Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules'', 1962) starring Reg Lewis * ''Totò contro Maciste'' (''Totò vs Maciste'', 1962) starring Samson Burke; this was a comedy/satire (part of the Italian "Toto" film series) and was never distributed in the USA; it is apparently not available in English * ''Maciste, il gladiatore piu forte del mondo''/''Maciste, the World's Strongest Gladiator'' (''Colossus of the Arena'', 1962) starring Mark Forest * ''Maciste contro el sheik''/''Maciste Vs. the Sheik'' (''Samson Against the Sheik'', 1962) starring Ed Fury * ''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 Vs. Maciste'' (''Samson and the Slave Queen'', 1963) starring Alan Steel * ''Maciste e la regina de Samar''/''Maciste and the Queen of Samar'' (''Hercules Against the Moon Men'', 1964) starring Alan Steel * ''Maciste nelle miniere de re salomone''/''Maciste in King Solomon's Mines'' (''Samson in King Solomon's Mines'', 1964) starring Reg Park * ''Maciste alla corte dello zar''/''Maciste at the Court of the Czar'' (''Samson vs the Giant King'', 1964) starring Kirk Morris (aka ''Atlas Against The Czar'') * ''Maciste, gladiatore di sparta''/''Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta'' (''Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules'', 1964) starring Mark Forest * ''Maciste contro i mongoli''/''Maciste Vs. the Mongols'' (''Hercules Against the Mongols'', 1964) starring Mark Forest * ''Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan''/''Maciste in Genghis Khan's Hell'' (''Hercules Against the Barbarians'', 1964) starring Mark Forest * ''La valle dell'eco tonante''/''Valley of the Thundering Echo'' (''Hercules of the Desert'', 1964) starring Kirk Morris (released 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 the Mighty Challenge'', 1965) starring Renato Rossini as Maciste (aka ''Combate dei Gigantes'' or ''Le Grand Defi'') * ''Gli invicibili fratelli Maciste''/''The Invincible Brothers Maciste'' (1965) starring Richard Lloyd as Maciste * ''Maciste il Vendicatore dei Mayas''/''Maciste, Avenger of the Mayans'' (No American title, 1965) (Note* This Maciste film was made up almost entirely of re-edited stock footage from 2 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 USA and is not available in English.) Sidenote - In 1973, the bizarre Spanish cult film director Jesus Franco knocked off two low-budget Maciste films which were an odd mix of fantasy, adventure and eroticism. The films were called ''The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis'' and ''Maciste vs The Amazon Queen'' (both starring Val Davis as Maciste). The films had almost identical casts, and appear to have been shot and edited simultaneously. These two (apparently lost) films were not connected in any way with the 1960's Italian Maciste series. ==Ursus Series (1961-1964)== {{main|Ursus (film character)}} [[Ursus (film character)|Ursus]] was a super-human Roman era character who was used as the protagonist in a series of Italian adventure films made in the early 1960s. The character was obviously inspired by the mightily-muscled Roman slave Ursus (played by Buddy Baer) who slays a bull with his bare hards in a Roman gladiatorial arena in the 1951 Hollywood classic "QUO VADIS?". When the "Hercules" film craze hit in 1959, Italian filmmakers were looking for other muscleman characters similar to Hercules whom they could exploit. Soon after, the Ursus movies began to be appear in theatres . 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 film (''Hercules, Prisoner of Evil''), Ursus was actually referred to throughout the entire film as "Hercules". There were a total of 9 Italian films that featured Ursus as the main character, listed below as follows: Italian title/ English translation (USA title); * ''Ursus''/ ''Ursus'' (''Mighty Ursus'', 1961) starring Ed Fury (aka "Ursus, Son of Hercules") * ''[[La Vendetta di Ursus]]''/''The Revenge of Ursus'' (''The Revenge of Ursus'', 1961) starring Samson Burke * ''Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni''/''Ursus in the Valley of the Lions'' (''Valley of the Lions'', 1961) starring Ed Fury * ''Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara''/''Ursus and the Tartar Girl'' (''Ursus and the Tartar Princess'', 1962) starring Joe Robinson (aka "The Tartar Invasion") * ''Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco''/''Ursus in the Land of Fire'' (''Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire'', 1963) starring Ed Fury * ''Ursus il Gladiatore Rebelle''/ ''Ursus the Rebel Gladiator'' (''Rebel Gladiators'', 1963) starring Dan Vadis * ''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 the Mighty Challenge'', 1964) starring Yan Larvor as Ursus (aka "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 Samson character was featured in a series of 5 sword-and-sandal adventure films made in Italy in the 1960s. The character was similar to the Biblical Samson in the 3rd and 5th films only; in the other three, he just appears to be a very strong adventurer/ pirate-type character named Samson (not related to the Biblical figure). The titles are listed as follows: the Italian title & its English translation followed by the U.S. release title in parentheses) * ''Sansone''/''Samson'' (''Samson'', 1961) starring Brad Harris * ''Sansone contro i pirati''/''Samson vs 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 vs 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'', 1965) starring Nadir Baltimore as Samson (a.k.a. "Combate dei Gigantes") The name Samson was later inserted into the titles of six other Italian movies when they were dubbed in English for distribution in the USA, 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 retitled Maciste movies, because the American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste was marketable to U.S. filmgoers. ''Samson and the Treasure of the Incas'' (a.k.a. ''Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas'') (1965) is listed in some reference books as a peplum, but the film was actually an Italian western. ==Goliath Series (1960-1964)== The Italians used Goliath as an action superhero in a series of adventure films (pepla) in the early 1960s. He was a man possessed of amazing strength, and the films were similar in theme to the Hercules and Maciste movies. After the classic ''[[Hercules (1957 film)|Hercules]]'' (1957) became a blockbuster sensation in the film industry, a 1959 Steve Reeves film ''Terrore dei Barbari'' (''Terror of the Barbarians'') was retitled ''Goliath and the Barbarians'' in the USA. 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: * ''Goliath contro i giganti''/ ''Goliath Against the Giants'' (1960) starring Brad Harris * ''Goliath e la schiava ribelle''/ ''Goliath and the Rebel Slave'' (a.k.a. ''The Tyrant of Lydia Vs. The Son of Hercules'') (1963) starring Gordon Scott * ''Golia e il cavaliere mascherato''/ ''Goliath and the Masked Rider'' (a.k.a. ''Hercules and the Masked Rider'') (1964) starring Alan Steel * ''Golia alla conquista di Bagdad''/ ''Goliath at the Conquest of Baghdad'' (a.k.a. ''Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus'', 1964) starring Peter Lupus The name Goliath was later inserted into the English titles of 3 other Italian pepla that were retitled for distribution in the USA 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 superhero Maciste in the original Italian versions, but American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste had any meaning to American audiences. ''Goliath and the Dragon'' (1960) was originally an Italian Hercules movie called ''The Revenge of Hercules'', but it was retitled to "Goliath" in the USA. ==The Sons of Hercules (TV Syndication Package)== {{main|The Sons of Hercules}} ''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 sword-and-sandal 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. 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 by the English translation of the original Italian theatrical title in parentheses: * ''Ursus, Son Of Hercules'' (''Ursus'') 1961, starring Ed Fury (a.k.a. ''Mighty Ursus'') * ''Mole Men vs the Son of Hercules'' (''Maciste, The Strongest Man in the World'') 1962, starring Mark Forest * ''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 * ''Triumph Of The Son Of Hercules'' (''The Triumph Of Maciste'') 1962, starring Kirk Morris * ''Ulysses vs The Son Of Hercules'' (''Ulysses Against Hercules'') 1962, starring Mike Lane * ''Medusa vs 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 * ''The Tyrant Of Lydia vs 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 vs The Son Of Hercules'' (''The Hero Of Babylon'') 1963, starring Gordon Scott * ''The Terror of Rome vs 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 * ''The Devil Of The Desert vs The Son Of Hercules'' (''Anthar The Invincible'') 1964, starring Kirk Morris, directed by Antonio Margheriti ==Italian Gladiator Movies, 1948-1965== There were a number of Italian peplums that heavily emphasized the gladiatorial arena in their plots, with it becoming almost a peplum sub-genre 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. * ''[[Fabiola]]'' (1948) aka ''The Fighting Gladiator'' * ''Sins of Rome'' (1952) a.k.a. ''Spartacus'', directed by Riccardo Freda * ''The Invincible Gladiator'' (1961) Richard Harrison * ''Gladiators Seven'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Seven Gladiators'', starring Richard Harrison * ''Gladiator of Rome'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Battle of the Gladiators'', starring Gordon Scott * ''The Slave'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Son of Spartacus'', starring Steve Reeves * ''The Last Gladiator'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Messalina Against the Son of Hercules'' * ''The Ten Gladiators'' (1963) starring Dan Vadis * ''Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Rebel Gladiators'', starring Dan Vadis * ''Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Ten Invincible Gladiators'', starring Dan Vadis * ''Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Terror of Rome vs. the Son of Hercules'' * ''Revolt of the Seven'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Spartan Gladiator'', starring Helga Line * ''The Two Gladiators'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Fight or Die'', starring Richard Harrison * ''Triumph of the Ten Gladiators'' (1965) starring Dan Vadis * ''Challenge of the Gladiator'' (1965) starring Peter Lupus * ''The Revenge of Spartacus'' (1965) starring Roger Browne * ''Seven Slaves Against the World'' (1965) a.k.a. ''Seven Slaves Against Rome'', starring Roger Browne ==Steve Reeves Pepla (in chronological order of production)== * See Main Page [[Steve Reeves]] Steve Reeves appeared in 14 peplums made in Italy from 1957 to 1964, and most of his films are highly regarded examples of the sword and sandal genre. The films are listed by their American release titles, followed by the translation of the original Italian title in parentheses: * ''[[Hercules (1957 film)|Hercules]]'' (1957) (''The Labors of Hercules'') * ''[[Hercules Unchained]]'' (1959) (''Hercules and the Queen of Lydia'') * ''[[The Giant of Marathon]]'' (1959) (''The Battle of Marathon'') * ''Goliath and the Barbarians'' (1959) (''Terror of the Barbarians'') * ''[[The Last Days of Pompeii]]'' (1959) (''The Last Days of Pompeii'') * ''The White Warrior'' (1959) (''Hadji Murad, The White Devil'') directed by [[Riccardo Freda]] * ''[[Morgan, the Pirate]]'' (1960) (''Morgan, the Pirate'') * ''The Thief of Baghdad'' (1961) (''The Thief of Baghdad'') * ''The Trojan Horse'' (1961) (''The Trojan War'') * ''Duel of the Titans'' (1961) (''Romulus And Remus'') * ''The Slave'' (1962) (''Son of [[Spartacus]]'') * ''The Avenger'' (1962) (''The Legend Of Aeneas'') a.k.a. ''The Last Glory of Troy'' * ''[[Sandokan the Great]]'' (1964) (''Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem'') directed by [[Umberto Lenzi]] * ''The Pirates of Malaysia'' (1964) (''The Pirates of Malaysia'') directed by Umberto Lenzi (*Note - this film was also known as ''Pirates of the Seven Seas'') ==Other Classic Peplum Films (1960's)== There were many 1960's 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. (They do however feature well-known characters such as Ali Baba, Julius Caesar, Ulysses, Cleopatra, The Three Musketeers, Theseus, Perseus, Achilles, Robin Hood, [[Sandokan]], El Cid, etc). Although the Kirk Douglas epic ''Ulysses'' (1954) was the first of the big peplum films of the 1950's, it was Steve Reeves' "Hercules" (1957) that sparked the genre's instantaneous growth. Here is a list of the best-known titles: * ''Adventurer of Tortuga'' (1965) starring Guy Madison * ''Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba'', starring Richard Lloyd * ''Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Sinbad Vs. The Seven Saracens'', starring Gordon Mitchell * ''Anthar, The Invincible'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Devil of the Desert vs the Son of Hercules'', starring Kirk Morris, directed by Antonio Margheriti * ''Attack of the Moors'' (1959) a.k.a. ''The Kings of France'' * ''Attack of the Normans'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Normans'', starring Cameron Mitchell * ''Avenger of the Seven Seas'' (1961) starring Richard Harrison * ''The Barbarians'' (1953) a.k.a. ''The Sack of Rome'', a.k.a. ''The Pagans'' * ''The Black Archer'' (1959) * ''The Black Devil'' (1957) starring Gerard Landry * ''The Black Duke'' (1963) Cameron Mitchell * ''The Black Lancers'' (1962) starring Mel Ferrer * ''Brennus, Enemy of Rome'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Battle of the Valiant'', starring Gordon Mitchell * ''The Burning of Rome'' (1963) a.k.a. ''The Magnificent Adventurer'' * ''Caesar, the Conquerer'' (1963) starring Cameron Mitchell, Rik Battaglia * ''Captain Falcon'' (1958) starring Lex Barker * ''Captain Phantom'' (1953) * ''Captains of Adventure'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Rampage of Evil'', starring Paul Muller & Gerard Landry * ''Caroline and the Rebels'' (1962) starring Bridget Bardot * ''The Castillian'' (1963) starring Cesar Romero * ''Catherine of Russia'' (1963) directed by Umberto Lenzi * ''Cavalier In the Devil’s Castle'' (1959) * ''The Centurion'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Conqueror of Corinth'' * ''Charge of the Black Lancers'' (1962) Mel Ferrer * ''Cleopatra's Daughter'' (1960) starring Debra Paget * ''[[Il Colosso di Rodi|The Colossus of Rhodes]]'' (1960) directed By Sergio Leone * ''Conqueror of Atlantis'' (1965) starring Kirk Morris * ''Conqueror of the Orient'' (1961) starring Rik Battaglia * ''Constantine and the Cross'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Constantine the Great'', starring Cornel Wilde * ''Coriolanus, Hero Without a Country'' (1963) Gordon Scott * ''Damon and Pythias'' (1962) Guy Williams * ''David and Goliath'' (1960) Orson Welles * ''Defeat of the Barbarians'' (1962) a.k.a. ''King Manfred'' * ''Desert Warrior'' (1957) a.k.a. ''The Desert Lovers'', Ricardo Montalban * ''The Devil's Cavaliers'' (1959) * ''Duel of the Champions'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Horatio and Curiazi'', Alan Ladd * ''Esther and the King'' (1961) Joan Collins, Richard Egan * ''Executioner of Venice, The'' (1963) Lex Barker, Guy Madison * ''Fabiola'' (1948) a.k.a. ''The Fighting Gladiator'' * ''Falcon of the Desert'' (1965) a.k.a. ''The Magnificent Challenge'', starring Kirk Morris * ''The Fighting Musketeers'' (1961) * ''Fire Over Rome'' (1963) * ''The Fury of Achilles'' (1962) Gordon Mitchell * ''The Giant of Metropolis'' (1962) Gordon Mitchell (this unusual peplum had a science fiction theme instead of fantasy) * ''Giant of the Evil Island'' (1965) a.k.a. ''Mystery of the Cursed Island'', Peter Lupus * ''Giants of Rome'' (1963) directed by Antonio Margheriti, starring Richard Harrison * ''The Giants of Thessaly'' (1960) directed by Riccardo Freda * ''Gold for the Caesars'' (1963) Jeffrey Hunter * ''Golgotha'' (1935) a.k.a. ''Behold The Man'' (made in France) * ''Hawk of the Caribbean'' (1963) a.k.a. ''The Caribbean Hawk'' * ''The Head of a Tyrant'' (1959) * ''Hero of Babylon'' (1963) a.k.a. ''The Beast of Babylon Vs. the Son of Hercules'', Gordon Scott * ''Hero of Rome'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Colossus of Rome'', Gordon Scott * ''Herod, the Great'' (1958) * ''The Huns'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Queen of the Tartars'' * ''The Invaders'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Erik, the Conquerer'', directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell * ''Kindar, the Invulnerable'' (1965) Mark Forest * ''The Knight of a Hundred Faces'' (1960) a.k.a. ''The Silver Knight'', starring Lex Barker * ''Knight Without a Country'' (1959) a.k.a. ''The Faceless Rider'' * ''Knives of the Avenger'' (1967) a.k.a. ''Viking Massacre'', directed by Mario Bava * ''Last of the Vikings'' (1961) starring Cameron Mitchell & Broderick Crawford * ''The Lion of St. Mark'' (1964) Gordon Scott * ''The Lion of Thebes'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Helen of Troy'', Mark Forest * ''The Loves of Salammbo'' (1959) * ''The Magnificent Gladiator'' (1962) Mark Forest * ''Mars, God of War'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Venus Against the Son of Hercules'' * ''The Masked Man Against the Pirates'' (1965) * ''Mask of the Musketeers'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Zorro and the Three Musketeers'', starring Gordon Scott * ''The Minotaur'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Theseus Against the Minotaur'' * ''The Mongols'' (1961) directed by Riccardo Freda, starring Jack Palance * ''My Son, The Hero'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Arrivano i Titani'', a.k.a. ''The Titans'' * ''Night of the Great Attack'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Revenge of the Borgias'' * ''The Odyssey'' (1968) Cyclops segment directed by Mario Bava; Samson Burke played Polyphemus the Cyclops * ''Perseus the Invincible'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Medusa Vs. the Son of Hercules'' * ''Pia of Ptolomey'' (1962) * ''The Pirate and the Slave Girl'' (1959) Lex Barker * ''The Pirate of the Black Hawk'' (1958) * ''Pirate of the Half Moon'' (1957) * ''Pirates of the Coast'' (1960) Lex Barker * ''The Prince With the Red Mask'' (1955) a.k.a. ''The Red Eagle'' * ''A Queen For Caesar'' (1962) * ''The Queen of Sheba'' (1953) directed by Pietro Francisci (who later directed ''Hercules'') * ''Queen of the Amazons'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Colossus and the Amazon Queen'' * ''Queen of the Nile'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Nefertiti'', Vincent Price * ''Queen of the Pirates'' (1961) * ''Rage of the Buccaneers'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Gordon, The Black Pirate'', starring Vincent Price * ''The Red Cloak'' (1955) Bruce Cabot * ''Revenge of Ivanhoe'' (1965) Rik Battaglia * ''Revenge of the Black Eagle'' (1951) directed by Riccardo Freda * ''Revenge of the Conquered'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Drakut the Avenger'' * ''Revenge of the Gladiators'' (1961) starring Mickey Hargitay * ''Revenge of the Musketeers'' (1963) a.k.a. ''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 Pretorians'' (1965) a.k.a. ''The Invincible Warriors'', starring Richard Harrison * ''Revolt of the Seven'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Spartan Gladiator'', starring Helga Line * ''Robin Hood and the Pirates'' (1960) Lex Barker * ''Roland, the Mighty'' (1956) directed by Pietro Francisci * ''Rome Against Rome'' (1963) a.k.a. ''War of the Zombies'' * ''Rome 1585'' (1961) Debra Paget * ''Romulus and the Sabines'' (1961) Roger Moore * ''The Rover'' (1967) a.k.a ''The Adventurer'', starring Anthony Quinn * ''Sandokan Fights Back'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Sandokan To the Rescue'', a.k.a. ''The Revenge of Sandokan'' * ''Sandokan Vs The Leopard of Sarawak'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Throne of Vengeance'' * ''The Secret Mark of D'artagnan'' (1962) * ''The Secret Seven'' (1965) a.k.a. ''The Invincible Seven'' * ''79 A.D., the Destruction of Herculaneum'' (1962) Brad Harris * ''Seven From Thebes'' (1964) * ''Shadow of Zorro, The'' (1962) * ''The Siege of Syracuse'' (1962) Tina Louise * ''Sins of Rome'' (1952) a.k.a. ''Spartacus'', directed by Riccardo Freda * ''The Son of Captain Blood'' (1962) * ''Son of the Red Corsair'' (1959) a.k.a. ''Son of the Red Pirate'', Lex Barker * ''Son of the Sheik'' (1961) a.k.a. ''Kerim, Son of the Sheik'', starring Gordon Scott * ''Suleiman the Conqueror'' (1961) * ''The Sword and the Cross'' (1958) a.k.a. ''Mary Magdalene'' * ''The Sword of Damascus'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Thief of Damascus'' * ''The Sword of El Cid'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Daughters of El Cid'' * ''The Sword of Rebellion'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Rebel of Castelmonte'' * ''Sword of the Conqueror'' (1961) Jack Palance * ''The Sword of Zorro'' (1963) * ''Sword Without A Country'' (1960) a.k.a. ''Sword Without a Flag'' * ''Taur, the Mighty'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Tor the Warrior'', starring Joe Robinson * ''Temple of the White Elephant'' (1965) a.k.a. ''Sandok, the Maciste of the Jungle'' (not a Maciste film however, in spite of the title) * ''Terror of the Red Mask'' (1960) Lex Barker * ''Terror of the Steppes'' (1964) a.k.a. ''The Mighty Khan'', Kirk Morris * ''Tharus, Son of Attila'' (1962) a.k.a. ''Colossus and the Huns'', Ricardo Montalban * ''Thor and the Amazon Women'' (1963) Joe Robinson * ''Tiger of the Seven Seas'' (1963) * ''Triumph of Robin Hood'' (1962) starring Samson Burke, directed by Umberto Lenzi * ''Two Gladiators'' (1964) a.k.a. ''Fight or Die'', starring Richard Harrison * ''Ulysses'' (1954) starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn * ''Vulcan, Son of Jupiter'' (1960) Gordon Mitchell * ''The War Goddess'' (1973) a.k.a. ''The Bare-Breasted Warriors'', directed by Terence Young * ''War Gods of Babylon'' (1962) aka ''The Seventh Thunderbolt'' * ''Zorikan the Barbarian'' (1964) Dan Vadis * ''Zorro in the Court of Spain'' (1962) a.k.a. ''The Masked Conqueror'' ==Sword-and-Sandal Films from the 1980's (The Second Wave)== After the peplum gave way to the [[Spaghetti Western]] and imitation [[James Bond]] films in 1965, the genre lay dormant for close to 20 years. Then in 1982, the box-office success of [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]'s ''[[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' spurred a second renaissance of Italian pepla in the five years immediately following. Most notable among them were the four "Ator" films, starring Miles O'Keefe in the lead role. Most of these films were of lower quality due to painfully reduced budgets (focusing more on barbarians than Romans, so as to avoid the need for expensive sets) and the filmmakers tried to compensate for their shortcomings with the addition of some graphic gore and nudity. Many of these 1980's entries were helmed by noted Italian horror film directors, and many featured [[Lou Ferrigno]] or [[Sabrina Siani]] . Here is a list of the 1980s peplums: * ''Ator, the Fighting Eagle'' (1983) a.k.a. ''Ator the Invincible'', starring Miles O'Keefe & Sabrina Siani, directed by Joe D’Amato * ''Barbarian Master'' (1984) a.k.a. ''Sangraal, the Sword of Fire'', starring Sabrina Siani (a.k.a. ''Sword of the Barbarians'') * ''The Barbarians and Company'' (1987) a.k.a. ''The Barbarians'', semi-comedy starring Peter and David Paul, directed by Ruggero Deodato * ''Blademaster'' (1985) a.k.a. ''Ator 2: The Blademaster'', starring Miles O’Keefe, directed by Joe D’Amato * ''Conquest'' (1984) a.k.a. ''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) a.k.a. ''The Adventures of Hercules'', starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi * ''The Invincible Barbarian'' (1982) aka ''Gunan, the Warrior'', starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi * ''Iron Warrior'' (1986) a.k.a. ''Ator 3'', starring Miles O'Keefe, directed by Alfonso Brescia * ''Ironmaster'' (1983) a.k.a. ''The War of Iron'', co-starring Luigi Montefiore, directed by Umberto Lenzi * ''Quest for the Mighty Sword'' (1989) a.k.a. ''Ator 4'', starring Eric Allan Kramer (as the son of Ator), Laura Gemser & Marisa Mell, directed by Joe D'Amato * ''Seven Magnificent Gladiators'' (1985) starring Lou Ferrigno and Dan Vadis * ''She'' (1983) starring Sandahl Bergman and Gordon Mitchell * ''Sinbad of the Seven Seas'' (1988) starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi * ''The Throne of Fire'' (1983) starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi ==The Maciste silent film series (1914-1927)== *''Cabiria'' (1914) introduced the Maciste character *''Maciste'' (1915) aka "Marvelous Maciste" *''Maciste bersagliere'' ("Maciste the Ranger", 1916) *''Maciste alpino'' (1916) aka "Maciste The Warrior" *''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'' ("Maciste's Revenge", 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'' ("Maciste the Emperor", 1924) *''Maciste contro lo sceicco'' ("Maciste Vs the Sheik", 1925) *''Maciste all'inferno'' ("Maciste in Hell", 1926) *''Maciste nella gabbia dei leoni'' ("Maciste in the Lions' Den", 1926) *''il Gigante delle Dolemite'' ("The Giant From the Dolomite", 1927) ==Academic bibliography== *Richard Dyer: "The White Man's Muscles" in R. Dyer: ''White'': London: Routledge: 1997: ISBN 0-4150-9537-9 *David Chapman: ''Retro Studs: Muscle Movie Posters from Around the World'': Portland: Collectors Press: 2002: ISBN 1-888054-69-7 *Maggie Gunsberg: "Heroic Bodies: The Culture of Masculinity in Peplums" in M. Gunsberg: ''Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre'': Houndsmill: Palgrave Macmillan: 2005: ISBN 0-333-75115-9 *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: State University of New York Press: 2006: ISBN 0-7914-6684-1 *Stephen Flacassier: "Muscles, Myths and Movies": Rabbit's Garage: 1994 : ISBN 0-9641643-0-2 ==Additional references== * ''[http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/hercules.html The Many Faces of Hercules]'' at [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/index.html Brian's Drive-In Theatre] * [http://www.peplums.info PEPLVM - Images de l'Antiquité, par Michel Eloy] * [http://www.santoandfriends.com Santo And Friends] (Mexican muscleman movies) *''[http://www.peplumania.com/filme.php?sort=jr&seite=15 Peplumania.com]'' (German peplum and epic database with over 500 sword and sandal films) [[Category:Film genres]] [[Category:Peplum films| ]] [[Category:Historical fiction]] [[de:Sandalenfilm]] [[es:Peplum]] [[eo:Peplofilmo]] [[fr:Péplum]] [[it:Peplum]] [[nl:Sandalenfilm]] [[ja:ソード&サンダル]] [[ru:Пеплум (жанр)]] [[fi:Peplum]]'