Peplum Paradise Part 1: Italian Historical and Fantasy films 1949-1969

Wanted!

THE ADVENTURES OF MANDERIN

Like quite a number of 50’s and 60’s Italian productions, this one originally received a wide international release but today remains noticeable in it’s absence in any DVD or video release in any language, though fortunately I was able to discover an Italian language print online and it is this one I am reviewing. Raf Vallone plays the title character, a notorious real-life thief and highwayman in 18th century France and a hero to the poor. Anyone viewing it under either of the alternative English language titles might understandably feel short-changed since it is not much of a romance, does not feature Don Juan, and the character of Madame de Beaudricourt (Michele Phillippe), a favourite of the King whose character resembles the notorious Madame de Pompadour, only appears half way through and then only briefly. There are apparently a number of historical inaccuracies (for instance there is no evidence that Manderin and Madame de Pompadour ever met), but these aren’t really relevant to your enjoyment of the film. It is a fairly lively and likeable adventure, which doesn’t take itself too seriously and can be enjoyed even without a full understanding of the language you are watching it in.

THE ADVENTURES OF SCARAMOUCHE

Enjoyable period costume romp, with all the intrigue and infidelity you would expect from this particularly French genre (unusually shot in Spain). Primarily of interest today for it’s featuring four female genre stars; Gianna Maria Canale, who has surprisingly little screen time given her third billing status, Michele Giradon, who forayed into peplum with “Devil of the Desert against the Son of Hercules”, Yvette Lebon, who had featured roles in “Cleopatra’s Daughter” and “Ulysses against the Son of Hercules”, and an unbilled Helga Liné, whose next film, “Goliath at the conquest of Damascus” established her as a peplum name. Gerard Barray is on familiar ground playing the title role, an actor who spends more time in women’s boudoirs or duelling than he ever does on stage, which will be familiar to western audiences from the 1952 Hollywood version, which starred Stewart Granger. It’s all inconsequential fluff of course, but well directed and edited at such a relentless pace that you barely have time to pause for breath.

This above average entry in the ‘British in India’ peplum sub-genre is far more fun than any of the ‘Sandokan’ series. Richard Harrison, Ugo Sasso and Nazzareno Zamperla are three renegade officers given a second chance when they are sent on a hopeless mission, surviving elephants, scorpions and headhunters along the way. All three play it tongue firmly in cheek, though it’s Sasso as the alcoholic doctor sneaking a drink at every opportunity who steals the show. On the minus side Harrison keeps his shirt on throughout, and Guida is wasted as little more than window dressing. The following year Harrison and Zamperla appeared together again in the similarly themed ‘Jungle Adventurer’.

Boyd's Review: Richard Harrison stars in one of the best Raj Peplums … Three soldiers have to find and destroy some guy called Sikki Dahma … Great name … And of course Wandisa Guida turns up as female eye fodder … Though the men were doing perfectly well without her … This one moves along at a great pace… All fairly tongue in cheek … Umberto Lenzi really does excel with this and turn it into a great Saturday afternoon fun family movie … And that’s not meant as a putdown … Well worth watching if it turns up an a screen near you soon

THE ADVENTURES OF ULYSSES

Following the inexplicably rapid demise of the peplum film industry in 1965-1966, several of the genre’s stars found work in this epic Italian mini-series produced three years later by the man responsible for launching the genre a decade earlier, Dino De Laurentis. Beautifully shot, but a little slow moving and dreamy, particularly for non-Italian or German speakers viewing the only available commercial options of the full-length version. Somewhat of an endurance test at over 6 hours in length (originally 7 ½ hours), but a rewarding one if you can last the talky first hour, and infinitely preferable to it’s nearest peplum relative, “The Giants Of Thessaly”. A fitting epitaph to the genre. The only English language version currently available from Video Screams runs 25 minutes shorter than even the US theatrical version, and only offers a frustrating glimpse of how this epic should be seen.

Boyd’s Review: This was one of my favourite discoveries of the year … How this 1968 Italian television adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey isn’t more well known is beyond me … It is visually totally spot on … I watched the whole 6 hours in Italian with no subtitles and it held me throughout … And Bava’s work on the Cyclops segment was wonderful to see … The set and costume design are just perfect … This is so obviously not a Hollywood production … It all looks real and possible … Perhaps a bit clean … But that is acceptable … It outshines Fellini’s Satyricon in as much as it has the wonderful design but non of the over indulgence …The acting … Even from Barbara Bach … Is perfect … Bekim Fehmiu and Irene Papas are superb … And the film lingers on endless beautiful faces… Male and female … Stylishly taking you into another world … And if this film proves one thing … Nobody could light a film like the Italians … Try and see this … Its marvellous … And it really does deserve a subtitled release

To be reviewed

This is pretty much what you would expect from a biography of a man who spent the majority of his life sculpting and painting, namely it’s a lot less interesting than the subject matters of it’s subject. Before the actual film begins you are treated to a ten minute retrospective of the artist’s work, which while interesting and informative, is also rather frustrating while waiting for the story to start. That the film is likeable at all is, surprisingly, totally down to the central performance of Charlton Heston as Michaelangelo, though he is playing an annoying and arrogant ass (no comment). He is surprisingly, but somewhat effectively, paired with Rex Harrison as an unlikely Pope who doubles as military leader, while Diane Cilento is rather drab as the love interest the artist isn’t interested in. It probably comes to life about as much as is possible given the subject matter, but just remember that at times you will be watching paint dry – literally. Keep a look out for a number of familiar peplum names in small featured roles who are inexplicably missing from IMDb's credits including Rosalba Neri, Daniele Vargas and Giulio Donnini.

A strange operatic adaptation which visually and thematically definitely falls within the peplum genre. It’s sumptuous to look at and contains some stunning sets, set pieces and dance routines, but the modern viewer has to contend with the decidedly odd sights of a pre-international fame Sophia Loren in black face and a pre-Miss Moneypenny Lois Maxwell singing/shouting at each other in other peoples voices as Ethopian slave and princess respectively. Add to that the ‘English language version’ having English narration, but no subtitles for the singing in Italian, and it’s pretty much all round bizarre. Of definite interest as an early peplum oddity though.

AL SERVIZIO DELL’IMPERATORE

Wanted!

ALI BABA AND THE SEVEN SARACENS

Colourful, visually untypical peplum, looking more like some 40’s Maria Montez opus. Otherwise it’s business as usual, with 8 representatives of opposing tribes (the Saracens) battling it out for rulership of the land, including nasty Omar (Gordon Mitchell looking far more at home as the over-tanned mascara wearing villain than he ever did as a hero) and the rather puny Ali Baba (Dan Harrison-real name Bruno Piergentili). Carla Caló, given a chance to play nasty for a change, relishes every lash of the whip she inflicts on her slave girls. Of note is that the scenes in the English and European language versions play in completely different order with little change in the end result. Be warned, this film contains an annoying dwarf AND an even more annoying mute eunuch!

Boyd’s Review: Now I might as well be honest from the outset, Gordon Mitchell frightens me. He looks like an untrustworthy cat and has one of those sinewy muscular bodies that I have always found a little repulsive. He is also a very bad actor. In this he plays Omar, the villain of the piece, and as soon as we get away from him ponsing round with some tart, to a scene in a torture chamber, you realise that it could all have been so much better without him. Anyway old Omar wants to take over the throne and to do that he has to fight 7 warriors who each represent one of the tribes of the country. Ali Baba is the head of the Mahariti, Omar’s most hated tribe. Princess Fatima meets Ali Baba when she finds him unconscious in the sand dunes, and later falls in love with him as soon as he starts pushing her around !!! They are captured by Omar’s forces, Ali meets a dwarf in prison, and Fatima ends up in the harem. The dwarf is small enough to squeeze through tunnels and take messages between them. Featuring dancing boys, face painting tramps, a harem revolt and dwarves with spears, you would think it would be more amusing than a bag of lambs intestines … but it isn’t.

ALONE AGAINST ROME

A more apt title would have been “Everybody Against Rome”, since when the Romans invade a town the locals do all they can to fight back. Poor Fabiola (Rossana Podesta) has it worse than most, as her family and household are humiliated, imprisoned and killed, her fiancé Brenno (Lang Jeffries) is whipped and taken off to gladiator school, and she herself is made plaything of Silla (Philippe Leroy), leader of the Roman garrison. Sub-par performances and a weak script mean there’s little of value here other than for diehard genre fans, though there are a couple of impressive gladiatorial sequences which appear to have been filmed in the actual Coliseum in Rome.

Boyd’s Review: Lang Jeffries and Rossana Podesta, who is as beautiful and glamorous as ever, can’t manage to save this rather pedestrian historical ‘Romans getting it wrong but everything turning out right in the end’ snooze fest...marred once again by insidious Christianity.. That is probably going to be the longest sentence I use in a while, but it’s all I have to say about this really. There’s nothing wrong with it...but there’s nothing right either. Having said that, Riccardo Freda directed the action scenes in the arena...he should have done the whole film. Although the print I saw was pan and scanned and sepia, I can’t see that seeing a crisp new transfer would make this anywhere near as good as a lot of people seem to think.

To be reviewed

AMAZONS OF ROME

Some of the most bizarre peplum casting finds Sylvia Syms as Clelia, leader of a band of mini-skirted female rebel Roman warriors (around 50 in number, although the script and tagline claim 1000). Equally unlikely mis-casting finds Louis Jourdan as Drusco, leader of the barbarian forces. Naturally the pair fall in love, and their union brings about a truce between the warring Italian factions. Standouts as always are the bad guys of the piece, Nicole Courcel as the vengeful Lucilla who demands Clelia be tied to a post, whipped and stripped naked (we get 2 ½ out of 3), and her scheming cohort Rasmal (Nicolas Vogel). Enjoyable as light entertainment, but historically dubious.

Boyd’s Review: Not a beefcake movie, this one more of a minor historical epic. With a good cast who take it all fairly seriously and for once it pays off. Louis Jourdan, Michel Piccoli and Sylvia Syms in a rare Euro movie outing, and she is really good. She was obviously going through a bit of a St Joan phase and she really has star quality in this film. It’s the Etruscans and the Barbarians against Rome in this one, good Battle scenes, decent storyline. Different in as much as it concentrates on the Roman women’s determination to fight for justice, if not alongside their men then on their own. Not that imaginative visually but up there with most higher budget material of the day and certainly worth watching for the scene where Syms is flogged and then stripped naked...and the trick played by the Barbarians to shield her modesty : )) The idea of course that being naked in Roman times would not bother anyone, but seeing this happen to Silvia Syms is another matter altogether. Well worth catching on a Sunday afternoon.

Wanted!

THE AMOROUS CORPORAL

Wanted!

Wanted!

It’s not difficult to see why this production had the great international success it did, though it’s hardly the stuff that one would imagine would have led to four sequels. It certainly has it’s charms, the production values are high, the photography attractive, and the performances likeable if unexceptional. The storyline however is mostly fluff along the lines of Beauty and the Beast, about a rude and rebellious girl in 1600’s France, forced to marry a disfigured man against her will, who eventually succumbs to his charms, only to see him sentenced to death for witchcraft. Michele Mercier, already a peplum veteran, turns in a feisty performance, and her willingness to frequently disrobe certainly can’t have hindered the box office. The film also has more peplum credentials than are initially apparent – in addition to the presence of Giuliano Gemma as Angelique’s true love, and Rosalba Neri inexplicably way down the cast list, the film was also partially filmed at Italy’s Cinecitta studios, as were all it’s sequels…and there’s a dwarf!

ANGÉLIQUE AND THE KING

The third part of the Angelique saga gives you more of the same, with our heroine (Michele Mercier) seducing various kings, princes and assorted other males, but while the quality remains high and it works perfectly well as a continuation of the story, it does not work so well as a stand alone entertainment since it relies too heavily on a knowledge of what has gone before. The convenient disappearance of her second husband and reappearance of her first also stretches credibility somewhat. While there is less nudity on view than in previous episodes, there is a scene between Angelique and the Persian ambassador (Sami Frey) which is certainly as bizarrely kinky as anything that DeSade ever came up with, and also a devil-worship subplot which is never satisfactorily concluded. This is also the least ‘Italian’ of the series, having lost Gemma and Neri, and without the other familiar faces that would turn up in the following instalments.

ANGÉLIQUE AND THE SULTAN

The fifth and final instalment in the Angelique saga carries on directly where Untameable Angelique left off and finds our heroine (Michele Mercier) a prisoner in the harem of the Persian sultan. This one boasts some beautiful locations and cinematography, but is the weakest in the series as a standalone entertainment. Another familiar peplum face crops up with Erno Crisa as the Turkish ambassador.

The second instalment in the Angelique saga picks up where the first left off, with Angelique using all her wiles to regain her position in French society which she lost in the first film. Most of the cast return, including Michele Mercier as the flamboyant heroine, Giuliano Gemma, who rescued his childhood sweetheart at the end of the first part but dies early on here, and Rosalba Neri in an expanded role as a feisty gypsy trollope. The pace here is brisker, and the plot a little lighter, but the production values remain high and the picture is on a par with its predecessor.

ANTHONY OF PADUA

Wanted!

APHRODITE, GODDESS OF LOVE

“Gossips of Rome” would be a more apt title for this dull drama of backstabbing, dancing girls and Christians - in which the titular goddess fails to put in an appearance other than in statue form. Despite the best efforts of some of peplum’s most reliable supporting players to camp it up (the outrageously costumed Irene Tunc, along with Ivo Garrani and Mino Doro, are stand-outs), they fail to atone for the lack of action and muscle and two uncharismatic leads. Notable for containing some rare peplum nudity from Tunc.

Boyd’s Review: Good peplum cast, even Clara Calamai, “THAT” lady from Profundo Rosso, but it couldn’t save it for me, much too much religious nonsense. Well at least I think there was, only saw it in Italian. OK to look at, burning of Christians at stake and then getting bored and shooting arrows into them. Brief scene of tumbling beefcake, but unless there was a bloody good script then I think this one probably bombed. Bored me silly even though the baddie died of the plague in the end : )

ARMS OF THE AVENGER

As far as I was able to gather from the only available review copy in German, and no information on the internet whatsoever, what we have here is a costume revenge drama, with John Drew Barrymore, Giacomo Rossi Stuart and one other donning masks and becoming bandits after some event which happened before the opening credits drives them to it, in a Robin Hood sort of way. Good to see Barrymore surprisingly at ease in a non-villainous role for once.

AT SWORD'S EDGE

Wanted!

ATLAS AGAINST THE CZAR

While searching for lost treasure some Russians uncover a sarcophagus containing the body of the blonde, permed Kirk Morris as Maciste (where did Atlas come from?). Rubbing some oil on his left nipple soon brings our hero back to life, and before you know it he is up and running around, stuffing his face, grunting fluent English/French/Italian/German (delete as appropriate), and wrecking havoc on the royal court, throwing Russians, horses, barbells and other heavy objects around, and managing to stay warm with only his skimpy posing pouch while all around him are decked to the nines in furs. Massimo Serato is on villain duty as the Czar of the title, ably assisted by Dada Gallotti and Giulio Donnini. This is as enjoyably daft as they get, though the first half hour is a bit slow with lots of people whose names all end in vich riding around and plotting, and not much action takes place until Maciste finally appears.

Boyd’s Review: OK, this one is set in Russia though some of the cast seem to be dressed as Eskimo’s and the palace looks distinctly Middle Eastern to me. Also I’ve only seen this in French, which isn’t the best language to watch these things in, especially when you don’t speak it. Anyway, Maciste doesn’t turn up till about 25 minutes into the film, when the Cossacks discover him buried in a cave. Then it takes them a couple more minutes to bring him back to life. Kirk Morris is Maciste, buff and horny, and manages to look not too farcical as he runs round in his loincloth when everyone else is dressed as Russians. Now I’m a bit vague as to the plot of this due to the language barrier, and unfortunately the director and cameraman are a bit lacking in style and imagination. It’s OK, but nothing special, really only worth watching for big Kirk Morris fans.

ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS

Lively entry with Gordon Mitchell in better physical shape than usual in his peplum debut, and Chelo Alonso on top form as an evil queen with an angry Cyclops to appease. When Queen Capys (Alonso) orders that the last descendent of Ulysses be killed, her soldiers mess up and kill the boys father and the baby escapes, while Penope (Vira Silenti), the boys mother, winds up among the prisoners waiting to be given to the Cyclops on a nearby island. Meanwhile Maciste (Mitchell) wakes up on a beach just in time to save the child by cuddling a lion to death. Leaving the child in safe hands, Maciste sets out to rescue Penope, on the way inadvertently saving Capys’s life. Maciste is captured, and Capys falls for his charms, belatedly switching sides, but will their alliance be in time to save the life of the baby whom Ifito (Dante DiPaolo), her former right hand man, is taking to be sacrificed to the Cyclops (Aldo Podinotti)?

Boyd’s Review: Chelo Alonso is the evil queen who keeps a Cyclops in a cave on an island and feeds her enemies to it...and Dante Di Paulo (George Clooney’s uncle) is her sidekick, and suffers a very nasty fate a la Deodato’s “Cut and Run”...though obviously not as graphic. The muscle is played by Gordon Mitchell (groan), who saves the wicked queen when an earthquake strikes as she’s in another cave consulting an oracle. Raffaella Carra (of “Do it, Do it again” fame), is in there too...as is Massimo Righi, one of De Paulo’s co-stars in Bava’s “Blood and Black Lace”. Of course Mr Mitchell could make wood look emotive, and this film does suffer a little due to that...and some of it is incredibly stage bound, especially one scene where GM enters a glade of maidens playing, causing one of them to faint when she takes off her blindfold and sees his face : ) Then he gets captured and has to play tug-of-war over some lions. Chelo falls for Gordon of course, and the usual shenanigans ensue. To be honest, not too bad really...I was thinking I should try and get over my Gordon Mitchell phobia...but I just saw him ponce about the set again and I can’t!

ATTACK OF THE MOORS

With perennial bridesmaid Rik Battaglia the nominal star, a virtual who’s who of peplums finest supporting players are given their chance to shine. There must have been some mix-up in the casting department the day that Chelo Alonso was cast as an Arab princess while Liana Orfei was given the role of a feisty Spanish dancer, but casting curiosities aside this is a highly enjoyable romp, with the unimportant plot having something to do with battles between French nobility, Spanish gypsies and Arabian infidels. Anyone who studied Othello at school may be somewhat confused by a distinct lack of moors! The (rather posh) English language version has been dubbed on top of, rather than in place of, the Italian original, giving the effect that there are constantly people talking in the background, amusing at first but it does begin to grate after awhile (adding to the confusion the opening credits are in German!).

Expensive and well acted tale of Attila the Hun (Anthony Quinn, suitably barbaric and demented) and his romance with Honoria (Sophia Loren, pre-Hollywood, glamorous and aloof), sister of Roman Emperor Valentiniano Caesar (Claude Laydu, playing the emperor as mad spoiled child card). A little slow to start, but it eventually pulls you in if you persevere, and the sets and costumes are impressive. In addition to the leads, acting honours are also due to Irene Papas as the wronged woman in Attila’s life, a young Ettore Manni as Attila’s brother, and Colette Regis as Sophia’s mother. Director Pietro Francisci went on to direct the film that started the peplum explosion, Hercules, two years later.

THE AVENGER

Steve Reeves’ post Hercules pictures tended to take themselves a little too seriously, and this pseudo-historical effort set in the years following the Trojan war stretches a little intrigue a long way. It was sold as a sequel to the previous years superior ‘The Trojan Horse’, and for anyone who was not aware of this Reeves suffers from hallucinations showing flashbacks. As always it’s the baddies who steal the picture, in this instance Gianni Garko and Lulla Selli as the evil Queen. Then there’s Liana Orfei, who has little to do and struts about in a leather mini-skirt, looking like she belongs in some other film altogether, ideally one set in the swinging sixties. Impressive battle scenes though.

Boyd’s Review: One of Steve Reeves non-Hercules films and he is completely underused. Reeves is best with plenty of action scenes to show off in, and this doesn’t deliver. Instead it is more like a bad piece of talky Shakespearean drama about the Trojans after the battle of Troy looking for a land to settle down in and getting involved in various double dealing with the Etruscans. A good peplum cast can’t save a blandly written and directed story, and its nothing special visually, although the print I saw was very faded and 16.9 instead of scope. This is really only one for real peplum fans … or Steve Reeves freaks ; )

AVENGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS

Rollicking pirate adventure on the high seas with Richard Harrison on top physical and acting form. Unusually violent for the time it was made, it features a novel angle where the pirates are the good guys and the British navy the baddies. David Robinson (Harrison) is on the warpath after crooked British naval Captain Redway (Roldano Lupi), his former commander and the man responsible for the downfall of his family. To achieve his goal he teams up with jolly pirate Van Artz (Walter Barnes). Michele Mercier, making one of her three Italian peplum appearances here playing the role of Jennifer, Van Art’s daughter and David’s love interest, went on to become a major European star with the “Angelique” series a few years later. You also have some of the most unconvincing blackface this side of Al Jolson courtesy of “mulata” Marisa Belli, not the most attractive of women in the first place, and boot-polished up she just looks strange. Things briefly take a turn for the very odd towards the end when Jennifer is sold to some natives who have a man-eating plant to placate and David has to come to save her – this sequence is so bizarre, even filmed with different colour filters, that it looks like it belongs in another film altogether. It’s all good uninvolving Saturday matinee style fun.

Boyd’s Review: Not a sword and sandal film, more of a skull and crossbones movie. Richard Harrison is David Robinson, not a bodybuilder, but well fit and horny none the less. Starts off as an officer on a British ship that is sent to oversee the ex-crim inhabitants of some Aussie seaside place called Freetown, however his dad is one of the head honchos there and his brother, Gary, hangs out there too, so there is a bit of a family reunion. Before long the captain of the British ship shows his true colours and turns out to be a right swine, causing Richard/David to indulge in a quick swapping of sides and ending up being chained to the rocks in the sea when he fails to stop the captain from seriously maltreating the citizens and stealing all their wealth - chests of pearls which they dive for in the shark infested seas off Freetown. He is saved from a watery grave by pirates when they attack, and through a series of captures and escapes we go on rather a good ride. We are talking damn good visuals here, this is one good old pirate romp. Pirates, hunks, blacked up villainesses … and I think this may have been a slightly trimmed for kids version cos I’m sure I saw the end of what looked like a man eating plant scene : )) Well worth checking out.

THE AVENGER OF VENICE

This tale of intrigue in Venice is full of scheming and backstabbing but a little short on swashbuckling action. It is principally of note today for marking the final film appearance of the queen of Italian peplums, Gianna Maria Canale, who, at 37, was admittedly getting on a bit for playing temptresses like the one she plays here, though one would imagine she was more affronted at being cast as a mother and being given very little to do despite her second billing. It was also the the last of the three peplums in which former Hollywood bad boy Brett Halsey starred, though he went on to a lengthy career in Spaghetti westerns and American TV. Falsely imprisoned after his father (Jean Murat), the Doge, is blinded and overthrown, Candiano (Halsey) teams up with his former rival Scalabrino (likeable fellow American Burt Nelson). The pair escape and set about gaining revenge. An enjoyable enough time filler, but hardly a classic.

THE AVENGER, ZORRO

To be reviewed