Region 0: NTSC
THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES set includes:
HERCULES VS. THE HYDRA (aka THE LOVES OF
HERCULES), HERCULES VS. THE SONS OF THE SUN (aka HERCULES AND THE SONS OF THE SUN),
LION OF THEBES, HERCULES VS. THE MOLOCH (aka CONQUEST OF MYCENE), THE TRIUMPH OF
HERCULES, THE TROJAN HORSE (aka THE WOODEN HORSE OF TROY, aka THE TROJAN WAR),
and MEDUSA VS. THE SON OF HERCULES (aka PERSIUS). From Trimark Home Video. None letterboxed.
GLADIATORS set from Brentwood.
Mike Eustace reports: "GLADIATORS SEVEN is letterboxed 2.35:1 and is of fairly reasonsable
quality. GIANTS OF ROME and DUEL OF CHAMPIONS are presented in appallingly full screen Pan &
Scan versions with soft images and bleeding color, taken from dreadfully scratched and worn
prints. REBEL GLADIATORS is just as bad but doesn't suffer from the color problems because
it's a black & white print.
"GLADIATORS SEVEN is rather murkier than the German EMS version. It's the MGM print
so it starts slightly later in the escape attempt of the Gladiators when they
are grouped together beneath the passing guards - the EMS version starts with
them whistling to each other and individually amassing in a bravura extended
tracking shot. At the end, MGM have completely removed the downbeat death of
Emily/Emila Walkowicz by a stray arrow, and simply segued from the victorious
cheering at the death of the tyrant to Darius bidding farewell to his
Gladiator friends.
"The soundtrack is distorted by what sounds like an incessant drumming effect,
but is instead just stray noise. I first noticed this at a louder level in
GIANTS OF ROME, where I thought Margheriti was striving for a continuous
drumbeat to underline the feeling of War, but after a while you just realise
that it's a monotonous pulsing from a damaged soundtrack transfer that
eventually irritates so much that you want the movie to end."
GLADIATORS COLLECTOR'S EDITION from Diamond Entertainment.
This two disc/four movie set shares three titles
with the GLADIATORS set from Brentwood. Instead of DUEL OF THE CAMPIONS, the Diamond set
features THE INVINCIBLE GLADIATOR starring Richard Harrison. While obviously a worn, pan & scan
TV print, INVINCIBLE GLADIATOR does have okay color. Diamond has a faded color copy of THE
REBEL GLADIATOR instead of Brentwood's B&W print. The copies of GLADIATORS 7 and GIANTS OF
ROME are similar, though Diamond's cover copy gets it backwards and says that GIANTS is
Widescreen instead of GLADIATORS 7.
GODS OF WAR from Inspired Pictures.
This one disc double feature has a copy of THE GIANT OF MARATHON transfered from a U.S. 16mm
pan & scan TV print, with the credits and opening narrative title in English and the MGM logo
at the beginning. The second movie may have the title THE LAST GLORY OF TROY, but it's a pan &
scan copy of the U.S. version - which saw a theatrical release with the title THE AVENGER. The
print's color has faded to sepia.
RETURN TO TROY from Inspired Pictures.
Another single disc double-feature DVD, this has a pan & scan copy of LION OF THEBES that is
not the same as the version released by Trimark on a double-feature with THE TROJAN HORSE;
this copy has more contrast and obvious wear, but also seems sharper and more colorful. FURY
OF ACHILLES is from a rather battered and scratchy pan & scan 16mm print, but with okay color
and is the only copy I've seen in English.
50 MOVIE PACKS SCIFI CLASSICS from Treeline.
Oddly, this Science Fiction collection includes a number of mythological flicks:
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN
HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN
HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON
HERCULES UNCHAINED
SON OF HERCULES IN THE LAND OF DARKNESS
DEVIL OF THE DESERT VS THE SON OF HERCULES
COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN
Brian Tomkins wrote, "Every frame of these films has been lovingly dragged across the Sahara by the Devil of the Desert;
personally trampled on by each and every one of the Tyrants of Babylon; pressed
beneath the mattress during a particularly energetic encounter between Colossus
and the Amazon Queen before being stored for many decades in the jock strap of the
Son of Hercules."
Mike Eustace wrote, "I watched SON OF HERCULES IN THE LAND OF DARKNESS last night,
otherwise known as HERCULES THE INVINCIBLE and can only agree. It's soft, Panned & Scanned,
features dreadful colours and frequently burnt-out highlights, and is scratched to buggery.
Other than that, I loved it.
"All the features in this collection are 'Sons of Hercules' TV versions, complete
with wacky song and opening montage of clips form other Hercules movies. This one
has a centre break where the story suddenly stops and you are treated to an
action-packed preview of the final part, complete with exhortational voice over.
Since this comes completely without warning, I dreaded that I was seeing a
cut-down version that was suddenly going to end, but after the preview, thankfully
the movie continues as advertised.
"Having only half-remembered the UK Cinema version from the '60s, and seen the
German Satellite version recently, I was surprised to note all the cannibalistic
references: When Hercules is chained to two Elephants in what I thought was a test
of strength, he's actually supposed to be torn apart so that the villainous tribe
can eat his flesh and gain strength and courage from it. And when heroine Spela
Rozina is tied to a cross and stabbed in the side so that blood drips down her
legs into a bowl, it's not just for the usual sadistic torture that we expect in
these movies, it is so the Queen can drink of her blood and become youthful again.
In fact, much is made of gaining Spela's 'periwinkle' eyes. No, I'm not making
this up.
"Anyway, it certainly doesn't read anything like this in the UK pressbook, so
maybe there were a couple of different dubs on the shelf. And talking of dubs, the
Son of Hercules in this one is called 'Argoles'. No problem with lip-movements
there then."
Henrik Larsen wrote, "I bought the Treeline Scifi boxset because of the peplum
titles included. Two of them, SON OF HERCULES IN THE LAND OF DARKNESS and
HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON, I'd never seen before. Plus, I didn't own any
English language version of COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN. So even with
dubious print quality, lots of digital artifacts and menus that tend to
freeze it was quite a bargain.
"Of the seven titles, HERCULES UNCHAINED looks the best. Sure, it's
fullscreen, but at least it's in genuine colors, not 'monochrome mud
color' like, for example, DEVIL OF THE DESERT. Plus it's the only title I'm sure
is uncut.
"As you probably all know HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN is an edited
version of HERCULES CONQUERORS ATLANTIS. Sadly COLOSSUS turned out to be
cut as well. I've compared with my German rental video, URSUS IM REICH DER
AMAZONEN, and noticed several small scenes or parts of scenes missing from
the DVD print."
Mike Eustace wrote, "I also watched COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN, and like Henrik
Larsen agree that it has been cut. I compared it with a version I recorded off
German Satellite TV.
"What is interesting is that a lot of the music cues are different too. So whilst the jazzy
comedy music matches at the front, the German version sometimes has more serious music, where
the US version has comedy music. The scene of the Amazon riders chasing after the escapees
towards the end is a good example of this.
"I thought Rod Taylor was good in his comedy role as a wide-boy con-man, and Ed Fury was
funny too, playing the dumb strongman at the other end of the con-tricks. Two things tell you
that Vittorio Cottafavi once had a hand in this: The brawl at the inn, and the hero turning
up on ship after being slipped a Mickey Finn. - both straight out of HERCULES CONQUERS
ATLANTIS."
50 MOVIE PACK WARRIORS from Mill Creek Entertainment
Here are 50 dreadful copies of movies mostly available on other dreadful collections.
However, there are a few titles not previously available on DVD. Here's the list:
ALI BABA AND THE SEVEN SARACENS
ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS
CAESAR THE CONQUEROR
CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER
COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN
COLOSSUS AND THE HEADHUNTERS
THE CONQUEROR OF THE ORIENT
DAMON AND PYTHIAS
DEVIL OF THE DESERT AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES
DUEL OF CHAMPIONS
FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES
FURY OF ACHILLES - Bob Monell wrote, "FURY OF ACHILLES unfolds in a brownish hue
for the most part, although the color slightly improves at points. It appears to
be complete at nearly two hours. The film itself is rather interesting in that
the English dialogue seems to strive for a poetic quality and is quite literate
throughout. The filmmakers seemed to want to take a look at the human aspect of
these characters caught up in the Trojan War and it's interesting to compare it
to Giorgio Ferroni's THE TROJAN HORSE, a better directed film, perhaps, but
without the emotional depths found here."
FURY OF HERCULES
THE GIANT OF MARATHON
THE GIANTS OF THESSALY
GLADIATORS OF ROME
GLADIATORS SEVEN
GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON
GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON - This looks to be a copy of the Sinister Cinema
VHS which was made from the 16mm print given to me by
HERCULES AGAINST THE BARBARIANS
HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN
HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN
HERCULES AND THE MASKED RIDER
HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY
HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON
HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD
HERCULES UNCHAINED
HERO OF ROME
HEROD THE GREAT
KINDAR THE INVULNERABLE
THE LAST OF THE VIKINGS
THE LION OF THEBES
MACISTE IN KING SOLOMON'S MINES - Bob Monell wrote, "Most interesting to me was
MACISTE IN KING SOLOMON'S MINES, a Piero Regnoli film I have wanted to see for a
long time. The exteriors were shot in South Africa, presumably by a second unit,
adding authentic scenographic value. A few years ago I noted an article in
SPAGHETTI CINEMA on the FOFI papers where Mike Eustace speculated that parts of
this might have been directed by Riccardo Freda. Possibly supporting that guess
is the fact that this was a production of Panda films by the same producers of
Freda's LO SPETTRO/THE GHOST, made the same year, and featuring the same villain,
Leonard White/Elio Jotta. Freda sometimes acted as a second unit specialist on
other director's films and the action scenes here are the best thing about it,
dynamically and imaginatively staged, although Reg Park's fight with the lion looks
a lot like a notorious scene in Freda's MACISTE IN HELL. Unfortantely, there is
almost no color whatsoever in this very faded TV print. Too bad, because the
sets look pretty imaginative."
MOLE MEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES
ROMULUS AND THE SABINES
SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD
SANDOKAN, PIRATE OF MALAYSIA
SON OF SAMSON
SPARTACUS AND THE TEN GLADIATORS - While this is listed on the box and on the
disc label, SON OF HERCULES IN THE LAND OF DARKNESS is what is actually on the
disc.
THE TEN GLADIATORS
THOR AND THE AMAZON WOMEN
TRIUMPH OF THE SON OF HERCULES - This is in B&W.
TWO GLADIATORS
ULYSSES AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES
URSUS IN THE LAND OF FIRE
URSUS IN THE VALLEY OF THE LIONS - This looks to be the same B&W 16mm print
from Sinister Cinema that UCLA screened years ago with Ed Fury introducing.
VENGEANCE OF URSUS
VULCAN, SON OF JUPITER - Bob Monell wrote, "I had the a lot of fun discovering
director Emmimo Salvi's VULCAN, SON OF JUPITER, a wacky and wild look at the
conflict between Mars (Roger Browne), Pluto (Gordon Mitchell) and Vulcan over
Venus. The sets have a surreal quality, creating an aesthetic somewhere between
a high school play and FELLINI SATYRICON, and any film with Roger Browne
and Gordon Mitchell as Greek gods is OK in my book. Unfortunately, this print
sometime crops the heads off the characters."
THE WHITE WARRIOR
THE BARBARIANS. From Wellspring. Mike Eustace reports:
"THE BARBARIANS/IL SACCO DI ROMA is a high quality NTSC DVD from Wellspring,
shown in it's original 4:3 apect ratio. The beautiful, luminous monochrome
photography by Tonino delli Colli is well preserved from an excellent print
that shows only minor signs of damage, although I am fairly sure that censor
cuts have removed some of the more serious moments of murder, rape and naked
female flesh from this highly dramatic and hugely spectacular re-telling of
the16th century sack of Rome.
"The lighting and photographic effects are highly reminiscent of those old
Michael Curtiz/Errol Flynn swashbucklers - the swordfight played out in huge
shadows looming on a castle wall; a lovers tryst in a rain-drenched garden
illuminated by sudden flashes of lightning; a church interior split by a
diagonal shaft of sunlight in which the dust dances like golden flakes.
There is a plethora of lovely girls - Anna Maria Bugliardi was apparently
Miss Italy of 1951 - and since one of the main characters is Benvenuto
Cellini, there is plenty of excuse for scenes of half-naked girls posing as
wood-nymphs whilst the artist sculpts, which the movie consistently delivers."
BATTLE OF THE AMAZONS. From Eurovista. Letterboxed. Mike Eustaces writes, "This is a disappointingly below par DVD. Picture is soft, particularly on the right of screen where you get a sort of green halo on backlit images. Colour is mostly muddy and lacking in punch. It's Letterbox, but they haven't quite got the squeeze ratio correct, so ZOOM has people a bit thin, and WIDE has them a bit fat. Surprisingly the SMART button gets it just about right, which is about the first time I found a use for this usually stupid feature. The original print is quite worn, has occasional green or bright yellow vertical scratches, variable colour, and several jump cuts where bits have gone missing."
BEAST OF BABYLON AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
CALIGULA II - MESSALINA, MESSALINA. Soft Touch Video from Woodhaven Entertainment. Full Screen. Poor quality transfer.
CHALLENGE OF THE GLADIATORS. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
CONSTANTINE AND THE CROSS. From Diamond Entertainment. Letterboxed. Slightly soft images, washed out colour, old and damaged print. Full 2.35:1 anamorphic.
DAVID AND GOLIATH. From Diamond Entertainment. Full Screen.
DAVID AND GOLIATH. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
Trevor Thomas reports that "the recording transfer is poor." He also reports that
Platinum Disc Corporation and Gemstone Entertainment have also released this title.
DUEL OF CHAMPIONS. From Diamond Entertainment. Full Screen.
ESTHER AND THE KING. From Diamond Entertainment. Full Screen.
FABIOLA. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Alpha. Full Screen.
FURY OF ACHILLES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
THE GIANT OF MARATHON. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
THE GIANT OF MARATHON. From Alpha Video. Mike Eustace reports, "It's a Letterbox edition in 16:9, from a worn print, and duped-VHs type quality. Their web site is www.Oldies.com."
THE GIANT OF MARATHON. From Digiview and usually found at Walmart for $1.
GIANTS OF THESSALY. From Alpha Video. Full Screen.
GLADIATORS SEVEN. From VCI Entertainment. Letterboxed at 2.35:1, this is sharper than the Brentwood version in the Gladiators 4 Movie set, but could have been made from the same master.
GLADIATORS SEVEN. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON/THE CONQUEROR OF ATLANTIS. From Something Weird/Image Entertainment. GOLIATH is letterboxed, CONQUEROR is not.
GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON. From Sinister Cinema. Partially letterboxed and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES. From Sterling Home Entertainment. Full Screen.
HERCULES. From Alpha Video. Full Screen.
HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES/MOLE MEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Retromedia.
Gary Smith wrote,
"HERCULES is an incredibly gorgeous widescreen transfer of the European version of this film.
The color is dazzling. MOLE MEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES is a full screen transfer with decent color. Actually the color is pretty good when you turn it up on your TV. A better
print than the Something Weird video I had."
HERCULES/HERCULES UNCHAINED. Double Bill DVD from Diamond. Gary Smith wrote,
"I broke down and bought the Diamond double feature of HERCULES/HERCULES
UNCHAINED. Both are pan and scan, of course. HERCULES is the American
version and the print is a bit rough (as least the beginning was) but
HERCULES UNCHAINED is a really nice copy. For $5.99 it was a pretty good
value and the prints seem comparable to most of the other P.D. ones that are
out there at higher prices."
HERCULES UNCHAINED. From Digiview. Full screen and usually found at Walmart for $1.
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN/THE WITCH'S CURSE - Mike Eustace reports that
"HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN is an excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
release from Something Weird Video. The picture is sharp and nicely coloured,
but taken from a frequently dirty original print whose contrast is marginally
flatter than normal. I personally find it one of the more boring muscleman
movies, although there is no denying the compelling weirdness of the green
monochrome sequences featuring the rock-like moon-men of the title.
"At first glance, the fantastic array of extras on the DVD seems to make this
a worthwhile purchase, but ultimately it's all very disappointing. The bonus
second feature is Riccardo Freda's THE WITCH'S CURSE, an unwatchably soft,
badly coloured 4:3 transfer that looks like it's been taken from the bottom
of several-generations of VHS, and is far worse than the 1.85:1 Dutch VHS
retitled MACISTE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, which was merely abysmal. Then there's a
fight between Mark Forest and a man-in-a-gorilla-suit taken from a poor
quality 4:3 print of THE TERROR OF ROME AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES; followed
by a 32 minute version of MOLE MEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES, from another
poor 4:3 print. The latter reduces the plot to Mark Forest being captured by
the Mole Men - snip - the Kingdom of the Mole Men being destroyed by Mark
Forest. I think it's safe to call it a Kingdom, since Moira Orfei's ruling
Queen, Halis Mojab, hardly gets a look-in.
"The package wraps up with a collection of Sword & Sandal artwork and eleven
trailers of variable quality, which for no apparent reason includes SABU AND
THE MAGIC RING."
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOONMEN . From Digiview. Full screen and usually found at Walmart for $1. Charles Gilbert writes, "The color is inferior to the prints by Something Weird, and the 60 second scene with Hercules battling the mutant simian is missing."
HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN. From Sinister Cinema. Letterboxed and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES AND THE MASKED RIDER/HERCULES AND THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON. Charles Gilbert wrote,
"Digiview comes through again with a DVD double header featuring two peplums I'd never seen.
$1 at Wal-Mart:
"Quality is mediocore, but I don't mind with HERCULES AND THE MASKED RIDER and HERCULES AND
THE TYRANTS OF BABYLON. In the latter, it sounds like someone is sending Morse Code in a
couple scenes. Oh, well.
"In HERCULES AND THE MASKED RIDER, the 'Greek' strongman is relegated to second string.
Perennial villain Mimmo Palmara gets a turn as hero this time, playing the Zorro-like
protagonist Masked Rider. Gypsy queen Pilar Cansino is cousin to Rita Hayworth.
"In HERCULES AND THE TRYANTS OF BABYLON, Rock Stevens essays the role of Hercules in comic
book hero fashion with a surprisingly chiseled, depilated physique (looking better than he
did in MUSCLE BEACH PARTY). If any actor had the squared-jawed Dudley Do-Right mug and
incorruptible eyes that should have played Clark Kent/Superman, it's Peter Lupus (Rock
Stevens). His lines here parellel those from Mark Forest in a couple other Domenico
Paoella Hercules flicks, 'I accept'. And pretty Anna Maria Polani reprises her demure charm,
this time as the adored but enslaved Esperia, Queen of Helenes."
HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY/ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS/GIANTS OF ROME. From Retromedia.
Gary Smith wrote,
"HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY is a beautiful print which is far superior to the one released by Alpha as a bonus feature on their GIANT OF METROPOLIS disc. It's one of the best transfers I have ever seen of this title. ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS is full screen and poor color, but is still better than the Alpha disc of this title. GIANTS OF ROME is also Full screen and
a bit better quality than the VCI tape I had of this title.
HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD. From Fantoma.
Mike Eustace reports:
"HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD is an excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
DVD from Fantoma of the original Italian release HERCULES IN THE CENTER OF
THE EARTH. The picture is sharp, with strong colours, from a high quality
print. There are no motion blurs that I have been seeing recently on other
NTSC releases. The extras include a US trailer made from an appallingly poor,
very pink print. This is all the more annoying, because I own a high-quality
35mm 2.35:1 anamorphic copy of the European Trailer, which I offered to
Fantoma for free use, but they did not reply to my e-mails.
"The liner notes by Tim Lucas are excellent, extensive and very informative.
The story that Bava made all the interiors from a few columns and a couple of
moveable walls with a door and windows, forces you to look at the film in a
different way, and marvel at the ingenuity. You can either watch with an
Italian soundtrack and English sub-titles or an English soundtrack. The
original Italian is more serious and poetic than the lighthearted and comedic
English dub. My only disappointment is that Fantoma did not include the
European prologue. According to Tim Lucas, it was not part of Bava's original
design, but it would have made a fine extra."
HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES PRISONER OF EVIL. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
HERCULES THE AVENGER. From Retromedia.
Mike Eustace reports, "The picture is quite soft
and because it lacks detail in the shadow areas, rather muddy. There are some missing frames
in certain scenes causing slight jump cuts and some scenes have vertical scratches. However,
it is shown in the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio enhanced for 16:9 anamorphic TV. But as a
guide to the ingenuity of film editing, it is invaluable, since first-time director Maurizio
Lucidi has seamlessly incorporated scenes from HERCULES IN THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH and
HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS, both of which he edited, to tell a completely new story, along
with a lion hunt which I believe originally showed up in SEMIRAMIS. The new footage includes
a titanic confrontation between Reg Park and Steve Reeves' stand in Giovanni Cianfriglia,
made particularly exciting by the fact that Cianfriglia derives his strength from contact
with mother Earth and Park has to separate him from Her long enough to strangle the life
out of him.
"The flip side has Alan Steel in HERCULES AND THE BLACK PIRATE, just as soft and just as
muddy, but completely unwatchable since it is Pan & Scan only. Rosalba Neri fans will love it."
HERCULES UNCHAINED. From Goodtimes DVD. Full Screen.
HERCULES UNCHAINED. From Gemstone Entertainment. Full Screen.
HERCULES UNCHAINED. From Alpha Video. Full Screen.
HEROD THE GREAT. From Gemstone Entertainment. Full Screen.
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. From Digiview Productions and can be found at Walmart Stores for $1. While the color is okay on this presentation, the worn TV print used is missing about three minutes featuring Belinda Lee's failed seduction of Geoffrey Horne.
KNIVES OF THE AVENGER. The Mario Bava Collection from Image Entertainment. Letterboxed and Anamorphic 16:9. Mike Eustace writes, "Image Entertainment's KNIVES OF THE AVENGER is an excellent NTSC DVD transfer, 2.35:1 anamorphic Widescreen, good colour and sharpness. Extras include the usual filmographies, and trailers for this and six other Mario Bava films. Of particular interest is the imaginative original trailer for THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH/THE EVIL EYE featuring all sorts of creepy moments from the film accompanied by a sleazy jazz saxophone score in stunning counterpoint. It's lack of voice-over makes the threatening tone of US trailers seem moronic by comparison. Special mention goes to the four-page booklet by Tim Lucas, extracted from his upcoming Bava book, which gives fascinating background information to the making of this film that Bava took over and virtually re-shot in a week. Interestingly, Lucas describes it as more of a Western than Bava's proper Westerns, and claims that SHANE was its inspiration! I can find no reason to disagree."
MEDUSA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
MOLEMEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
THE MONGOLS. From Sinster Cinema. Probably DVD-R
QUEEN OF SHEBA. From Wellspring. Mike Eustace reports:
"An English language version of Pietro Francisci's 1953 movie THE QUEEN OF
SHEBA has now been released on DVD by Wellspring. It's an excellent quality
transfer from a well-preserved print in the correct 4:3 ratio, which
preserves the beautiful luminous quality of the original monochrome
camerawork.
"Leonora Ruffo's acting is about as subtle as a sledgehammer - all pouting
lips, flaring nostrils and flashing eyes. I haven't seen anything this
over-the-top theatrical since Cherkasov's full blown performance as Ivan the
Terrible. But there's no denying that she's absolutely gorgeous. Shame then,
that this version has been cut and does not feature her bath in gazelle milk
(as teasingly mentioned on the cover), nor a few other harem scenes. The box
states 93 minutes NTSC, comparing rather unfavourably with the more complete
Spanish PAL VHS which runs at 99 minutes, thus giving an NTSC and original
Cinema duration of 103 minutes.
"Extras include filmographies, film facts and a set of slightly worn trailers
featuring amongst others THE QUEEN OF SHEBA and an upcoming THE BARBARIANS.
REVAK THE REBEL. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
SAMSON AND HIS MIGHTY CHALLENGE. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD. From Alpha Video.
SEVEN FROM THEBES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
SON OF SAMSON. From Retromedia. Mike Eustace wrote,
"It's 2.35:1 anamorphic and rather good quality, apart from a few scratches, lost frames and
general blemishes. It's a little overbright, slightly burnt in the highlights and slightly,
only very slightly soft. If I hadn't been spoilt by some of the recent Italian releases, I'd
be thinking this was awesome. I highly recommend it.
"It comes with a nasty Pan & Scan version of SON OF CLEOPATRA on the flip side, and
they really shouldn't have bothered."
THARUS, SON OF ATTILA. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
TRIUMPH OF THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
TYRANT OF LYDIA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
ULYSSES AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES. From Alpha Video. Full Screen.
WAR GODS OF BABYLON/WAR GODDESS. From Retromedia. WAR GODS OF BABYLON is presented 2.35:1, while WAR GODDESS is presented in 1.33:1.
THE WITCH'S CURSE. From Sinister Cinema. Full Screen and probably DVD-R.
Region 1: NTSC
CALIGULA. From Penthouse. Letterboxed. Available in Unrated and R-Rated Versions.
ULYSSES. From Fox Lorber. Full Screen.
Thank you for information:
Mike Eustace, John Charles, Trevor Thomas, Olivier Tocanne, Al Tran, Carl Morano,
Gordon Harmer and Video Watchdog.
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