Region 0 & 2 PAL
ACHILLES and AENEAS/WAR OF THE TROJANS (German double bill). 2.35:1, 16x9 anamorphic widescreen, with German and Italian soundtracks only.
ATLAS AGAINST THE CZAR/LE TRESOR DES TSARS/MACISTE A LA CORTE DELLO ZAR/SAMSON VS THE GIANT
KING/GIANT OF THE LOST TOMB (France). Mike Eustace reports that this "is a further addition to
the unofficial Kirk Morris/Amerigo Anton collection released by Sony Music
Video France. The 2.35:1 Letterbox image is clean and sharp with good strong
colours, but has a slight tendency to pixellate during fast camera moves.
There's plenty of action in this one, with Kirk holding back two teams of
horses whilst standing in a circle of spears, bending ornate pedestals around
his neck, and destroying a windlass attached to a giant, spiked
sandwich-press that threatens to perforate our lovely squirming heroines:
Ombretta Colli and Gloria Milland. Carlo Rustichelli's score is a compilation
of his greatest hits from previous Peplum, but I'm certainly not complaining
about this unintentional bonus music quiz, especially when I get to hear a
subtle variation of THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD theme, played quietly during an
encampment at night.
"It's French Language only."
CAESAR THE CONQUEROR/JULES CESAR CONQUERANT DE LA GAULE (France).
From Sony Music Video France. Mike Eustace reports that this "is a good quality 2.35:1
anamorphic Widescreen DVD from a well-preserved print that shows only occasional minor
damage. It's sharp and clean with good colour, but the DVD does suffer from a motion-blur
effect where the general sharpness is considerably reduced whenever the camera
moves. The language is French only, no subtitles, so it is hard going, since
the action is very infrequent and there are long dialogue scenes. The battles
are clumsily staged and indistinguishable from each other, featuring only
small numbers of extras whose swordfighting skills are non-existent. It
almost makes you wish they'd bought the Hannibal/Constantine stock-shots
package like everybody else. The only delight is when you realise that the
marching Romans in the Gallic countryside are being accompanied by composers
Stellari & Robuschi's wonderful plagiarised version of Alex North's battle
theme from SPARTACUS.
"Cameron Mitchell provides a strong, commanding figure for Caesar, and I
particularly like the scene where he's attending
martial games performed by Gallic prisoners. Rik Battaglia does particularly
well in his wrestling/boxing free-for-all and Caesar gives him his freedom.
Almost as an afterthought he asks 'what is your name?'
"'Vercingetorix', replies Battaglia.
"And as we absorb the frisson, there is a splendid forward mix to him in full battle
gear superimposed over a burning Roman Fort - for as we all know, Vercingetorix is to
be Caesar's major foe in his campaign to conquer Gaul.
"This is the second Amerigo Anton movie released on DVD by Sony Music Video
France, after MACISTE ET LES FILLES DE LA VALLEE, and what with LE BRIGAND DE
LA STEPPE (The Mighty Khan) and LE TRESOR DES TSARS (Giant of the Lost Tomb)
promised to come, it looks like we're in for a major retrospective.
"Some new "extracts" show that we can look forward to good quality letterbox
versions of LE TRESOR DES TSARS (Atlas against the Tsar/Giant of the Lost
Tomb) and LES GEANTS DE THESSALIE (Giants of Thessaly/Jason and the Golden
Fleece)."
CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER/DER FLUCH DES PHARAO (Germany). Mike Eustace writes, "This is cropped from 2.35:1 to 1.85:1 and does not have the scene of the three Grave Robbers being brought before Pharaoh at the beginning of the movie."
COLOSSUS OF RHODES/LE COLOSSE DE RHODES (France). From Canal+ Video. Letterboxed and
enhanced for 16x9.
Olivier Tocanne comments on the disc and the running time for the film. To read
it, click here.
Mike Eustace also has some comments regarding the French DVD of COLOSSUS OF RHODES. To read
it, click here.
COLOSSUS OF RHODES/IL COLOSSO DI RODI (Italy). From CVC. Anamorphic widescreen (2.35), italian language only, without subtitles. Bonus : "Chi era Sergio Leone?", an interview with Sergio Leone. Running time: 142 mins. Mike Eustace confirms this: "The DVD clocks in at 136 minutes and 49 seconds, but this is TV speed of 25 frames a second for PAL. If you convert this to the correct Cinema speed of 24 frames per second, then you get a running time of 142 minutes and 7 seconds."
CONQUEROR OF ATLANTIS/KAMPF UM ATLANTIS/KINGDOM IN THE SAND (Germany). 2.35:1 Anamophic widescreen and German language.
CORIOLANUS HERO WITHOUT A COUNTRY/CORIOLANUS, EROE SENZA PATRIA/DIE SCHLACHT DER GLADIATOREN
(Germany). From Marketing Film. German language only. 97 mins.
Mike Eustace reports, "DIE SCHLACT DER GLADIATOREN is CORIOLANUS EROE SENZA PATRIA/THUNDER OF
BATTLE. This a good quality DVD from a rather scratched and contrasty print
in 2.35:1 Letterbox, German language only. Good value at £8.24 from
www.amazon.de, as is it's sister release DIE RUCKKEHR DER STARKSTEN
GLADIATOREN DER WELT."
LES DERNIERS JOURS DE POMPEI/Last Days of Pompeii (France). Mike Eustace writes, "Another excellent high quality anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 PAL DVD with French or English dialogue tracks. French subtitles are obligatory on the English Language version, but are removable on my machine with the previously mentioned hack. Despite the age of the film, there are very few duped or slo-mo sections to hide the original damages to the negative. It's so sharp and highly coloured that you can even see Christine Kauffman's modern white knickers under her flimsy blue dress when Steve Reeves rescues her from the runaway chariot!"
EL CID (Spain). "2.35:1 Letterbox, which is only available at 4:3 in England," writes Mike Eustace. "The picture is good quality, but a little dark, and occasionally suffers from those black lines off highlights during the second hour. I'm convinced they've just dug out the old Master they used for the VHS version. However, it comes with both Spanish and English Language (Stereo) and sub-titles, and for the full immersement in Spanish History, I recommend watching the Spanish Language version, and reading English sub-titles. For me, it improves Heston's mannered performance immeasurably."
EL CID/LE CID (France). Mike Eustace writes, "Excellent High Quality anamorphic widescreen with English Stereo soundtrack (box says mono). Obligatory French subtitles are removable with the 4:3/16:9 hack (see **** below)."
FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE/LA CAIDA DEL IMPERIO ROMANO (Spain). Same specs as EL CID (Spain).
FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE/ROMERRIGETS FALD (Denmark). Mike Eustace writes, "This is far inferior to the French version, and far inferior to the general quality of the Danish western DVDs. It's 2.35:1 Letterbox, non-anamorphic, good colour, but rather soft, and has only a mono soundtrack. The big joke is that it's from the same print as the French Version, because it's got that big purple-ink sync mark over the end of Commodus Triumphal entry into Rome!"
FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE/LA CHUTE D'EMPIRE ROMAN (France). Mike Eustace writes, "Exceptionally high quality Anamorphic 2.35:1 Widescreen DVD, with high definition and glowing colour; the only flaws being some minor damage within the original film master, like scratches and sparkle, presumably due to it's age and the way in which it was stored. There is also a nasty purple-ink sync mark stamped on a frame, just as the camera tilts up to the summit of the Roman Forum during Commodus' Triumphal entry to Rome, but I'm not going to quibble about that. The electronic French sub-titles are non-removable on the English Language version, but are subtle enough not to be distracting. Despite what the cover says about mono sound, the English Language track is thunderingly, gloriously Stereophonic. One bizarre note: the chapter list on the inlay card is printed over stills from LES TRAVAUX D'HERCULE, identical to the one that accompanies that film!"
****Mike Eustace writes: "Here's a hot tip that I've just discovered - the obligatory French sub-titles on the anamorphic versions of LA CHUTE D'EMPIRE ROMAIN & LES TRAVAUX D'HERCULE can actually be removed. This may only work on my Wharfedale 750s, and it may be a fluke, but it has possibilities. Start the movie, stop, select set-up, choose 4:3, resume play, stop, select set-up, choose 16:9, resume play - Voila! No subtitles."****
GIANTS OF THESSALY/LE GEANT DE THESSALIE/I GIGANTI DELLA TESSAGLIA (France)
Mike Eustace reports that this "is Riccardo Freda's re-telling of the
Mythological story of Jason and his quest
for the Golden Fleece, which didn't fare too well in the UK on account of it
being beaten to the Cinemas by Ray Harryhausen's spectacularly engineered
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. It's 2.35:1 Letterbox, fairly sharp, but from a
grainy print that sometimes exhibits murky colours and low contrast. It's not
without it's own spectacular moments, such as Jason's climb to retrieve the
Fleece from the top of a colossal statue; a cleverly staged fight with a
Cyclopean monster using perspective tricks and midgets; and the final
stunning attack by the Argonauts from concealed positions in the Tyrant's
throne room, signalled by an eerie shot of their ship prowling past the
camera, crewed only by faceless mannequins constructed from discarded spears,
shields and cloaks.
"It's French Language only, no subtitles, released by Sony Music Video. My
copy came from Amazon.fr."
GLADIATOR OF ROME/IL GLADIATORE DI ROMA (Italy). From Minerva Video. In Italian only and letterboxed at 2.35:1.
GLADIATORS SEVEN/DIE SIEBEN GLADIATOREN (Germany) In German. Available on Amazon.de.
Mike Eustace reports, "DIE SIEBEN GLADIATOREN/GLADIATORS SEVEN is a high quality 2.35:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen PAL DVD, let down only by the use of a very grainy original print,
possibly 16mm. Language track is German only, but with such an
action-oriented film this is no serious problem.
"I've always rated this film highly on account of the imaginative
mise-en-scene: the frequent use of tracking shots, unusual camera angles and
framings; and for the audacious matte paintings by Emilio Ruiz. Pedro Lazaga
is a director whose other work I'd love to see, but unfortunately he mainly
directed Spanish musicals and comedies. And furthermore, William Connolly
tells me that according to Richard Harrison, Lazaga wasn't even there. The
film was actually directed by Alberto De Martino, with the Lazaga credit
getting them a thrifty co-production deal with Spain where all of the
exteriors were shot. An added bonus for Western fans is recognising the
locations of Peplum villages that would subsequently be torn down to make way
for Ranches and Western Towns.
"The releasing company can be found here: www.e-m-s.de; and my copy was very
cheaply acquired from www.amazon.de."
GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS/LA TERREUR DES BARBARES (France) Widescreen, enhanced for
16X9. French language only with no subtitles and no special features.
Mike Eustace reports: "LA TERREUR DES BARBARES / GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS is one of the poorer
quality offerings from the French Sony Music Video Peplum series. It's
impressively 2.35:1 anamorphic, but from a print of very variable quality,
with certain scenes excessively dark and low contrast, whilst others seem
perfectly normal. Sometimes it looks quite sharp, other times a little soft.
It's also been cut, losing the odd single shot here, a short sequence
elsewhere. But that's expected, because when I compare it with the UK TV
transmission, the Medusa vhs, and the German satellite transmission, they all
have different bits missing, and carry different bits the others don't have.
To compound matters there are two specifically different versions of the
film: a re-cut version attributed to the US distributor where the sequence of
the city envoys being murdered comes at the end of the opening barbarian
ride, and the original where it comes somewhat later to create the idea of
the barbarians attacking more than one City. And there are two different
music scores: The original by Carlo Innocenzi, and the US re-score by Les
Baxter.
"So what version do we have on this French DVD?
"It's actually a re-cut with the envoy sequence played earlier as per the US
version, but with plain white on red titles in English rather than the US
clouds-of-smoke background and their re-designed graphics. The score is the
original Innocenzi version, but uses a different piece for the main title
than the German version. The latter cuts the music after the titles in favour
of a long narration over sound effects of the barbarian riders, but the
French version title music segues into the barbarian riders and surprisingly
into the envoy sequence, which suggests that either the French have dubbed on
some extra library music, or Maestro Innocenzi scored after the re-cut.
It's French language only, no subtitles and I bought my copy from Amazon.fr."
GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON/LA VENDETTA DI ERCOLE/THE REVENGE OF HERCULES (Germany). The original film without the Dragon in 2.35:1 16x1 Anamorphic Widescreen with German and Italian soundtracks.
HEAD OF A TYRANT/JUDITH DAS SCHWERT DER RACHE (Germany). Mike Eustace writes, "A slightly soft and murky 1.85:1 crop of the original 2.35:1 original in German Language only from Marketing Film. Fernando Cerchio's Biblical epic features Isabelle Corey belly-dancing her way into Tyrant Massimo Girotti's boudoir in order to kill him, but then falling in love instead. Unforgettable climax featuring Corey on the steps of the palace holding aloft the tyrant's head as a thunderstorm rages around her."
HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED (German Double Bill).
Mike Eustace writes,
"The German HERKULES Double DVD contains the two Steve Reeves movies DIE
UNGLAUBLICHEN ABENTEUER DES HERKULES (HERCULES) and HERKULES UND DIE KONIGEN DER
AMAZONEN (HERCULES UNCHAINED), both of which have a choice of German or
English Language tracks.
"The latter is a good quality 2.35:1 anamorphic picture from an amazingly
blemish-free print, but the former disappoints by being non-anamorphic, soft and
over-bright, and cropped to 1,77:1. If you want to see HERCULES, then get
the superior French DVD, but if you're as desperate as I was to own the
gloriously spectacular HERCULES UNCHAINED, with the unforgettable Sylvia Lopez
sashaying around in skimpy swimsuits as the voluptuous Queen Omphale, then I guess
you need to buy this German set, and use the HERCULES DVD as a coaster. I
ordered from amazon.de.
"By the way, I finally spotted Giuliano Gemma in HERCULES UNCHAINED, thanks
to this widescreen version."
HERCULES/LES TRAVAUX D'HERCULE (France) 2.35 Anamorphic Letterbox. French, Italian and English language. Mike Eustace writes, "Beautiful, sharp, brightly coloured. High Quality 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The only flaw being a tendency to graininess. Three Languages: French, Italian and English, the latter two being accompanied by non-removable French subtitles, which is not too much of a distraction, since they are quite subtly sized. English soundtrack is a little buzzy, but the Italian is much clearer - all suffer from plops and clicks due to extreme age."
HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS/HERCULE A LA CONQUETE DE L'ATLANDIDE (France). From Canal+ Video. Scope 16X9. Mike Eustace writes, "Excellent High Quality French Pal DVD, 2.35:1 anamorphic Widescreen, French and Italian Languages only, optional French subtitles. Extras include some French Interviews with famous director Bertrand Tavernier (D'Artagnan's Daughter) and "Cineaste" Luc Mollet, plus the usual filmographies. This is the same version as the original Italian and the UK Cinema release; thankfully not the butchered HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN."
HERCULES, SAMSON AND ULYSSES/ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE (Italy). From Minerva Video. In Italian and letterboxed.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE EAGLE/ALL'OMBRA DELLE AQUILE (Italy). From Minerva Video. In Italian only and letterboxed at 2.35:1.
THE INVADERS/ERIK THE CONQUEROR/GLI INVASORI (Italy). From Alan Young Home Video. In Italian only and letterboxed 2.35:1 - enhanced for 16X9.
THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII/LES DERNIERS JOURS DE POMPEII. (France) From Sony Music Video France. Mike Eustace reports that this "is the Marcel L'Herbier Franco-Italian co-production from 1950 with Georges Marchal and Micheline Presle. It's an original format 4:3, black and white DVD, French Language only. It bears little resemblance plot-wise, to the Sergio Leone/Mario Bonnard version, being a rather creaky piece about love-philtres and frame-ups for murder which result in the hero finding himself in the arena facing a mangy Lion. A rather uninspiring eruption of a cardboard Vesuvius and the destruction of the city wraps everything up, although there are some nice vignettes, like the crying child separated from it's family, and a man scrabbling to pick up jewellry from the cobbles before being engulfed in lava, that have become well-used cliches."
MACISTE ET LES FILLES DE LA VALLEE (The new French title has dropped the
final "PERDUES" - Maciste and the women of the forgotten valley) or HERCULES
OF THE DESERT, as it is known in the US. (France) From Sony Music Video France.
Mike Eustace reports that this "is a high quality 2.35:1 Letterbox
transfer, with good sharp images from a well preserved print, in French
Language only.
"This is a rather dull entry amongst Kirk Morris' often dull series of Maciste
adventures, with very little happening for very long periods, some shots
being held interminably to fill out what would otherwise have been a really
short movie. There is hope of a little excitement when the titular girls are
captured by the villain and put on the slave block to lure Maciste in to
rescue them, but their harem costumes are disappointingly voluminous and
unrevealing, and not at all what we have come to expect from previous such
moments in other Peplum. The original Italian title is LA VALLE DELL'ECO
TONANTE (Valley of the resounding echo), and this is embodied by a splendid
matte painting which extends the cliffs of Anzio beach to enormous heights,
and provides the movie with a monumentally bizarre climax in a Hellish
cavern, where Maciste discovers the source of the resounding echo and puts a
stop to it. I shouldn't tell you any more about this because a) you wouldn't
believe me, and b) I need to watch it again to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
There are some mild pleasure on the way, including a scene where Maciste is
trapped in a vault whose walls are being gradually pushed towards him by
means of a giant windlass, and the magical scene in the Temple where Maciste
is created in a cloud of smoke by the prayers of the oppressed people. Plus
any film with Helene Chanel, Rosalba Neri and Spela Rozin has got to be easy
on the eye. Strangely, the French pronounce "Maciste" as "Maseest" and not
"Macheestay" as we normally hear from the original italian.
"Released by Sony Music Video, and obtainable from www.amazon.fr."
MACISTE GLADIATOR OF SPARTA (Germany). 2.35:1, 16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen with
German and Italian languages.
Mike Eustace wrote:
"MACISTE GLADIATOR OF SPARTA, which is available in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen from
both Italy or Germany.
"It's not a massive epic; the miniscule number of extras attest to the size of the
budget - just enough to fill that white, tall-walled Gladiatorial arena that they
built inside a studio, rather than the sort of massive numbers required for the
exterior arenas of THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII or BARABBAS.
"Mark Forest is the top-dog Spartan Gladiator, popular with the crowds, partying with
Caesar and enjoying the company of beautiful women, particularly Marilu Tolo.
"Then one day, he rescues the wilting Christian Girl, Elizabeth Fanty, from some Romans,
and is smitten by her.
"When he gets back to Marilu's place, she's performs an erotic dance for him in wispy
chiffon and a gold breastplate, but Mark can't stop thinking of Miss Fanty, and leaving
behind a sobbing Marilu, he sets to help the Christians escape from persecution, by
disguising himself in a Samnite Gladiator helmet and performing all sorts of derring-do.
"This is the movie where the Emperor is Vitellius, the renowned gourmet, so there's
lots of scenes where he's berating the chef for overcooking the larks or discussing
new recipes, which gives an interesting angle to the proceedings, and adds to his
mercurial nature, where at a whim he can punish Mark by making him fight a man in a
Gorilla suit, but next minute be hailing him as the greatest Gladiator of Rome.
"There's a touching moment in the catacombs when the rebel gladiators are fighting the
Romans to protect the Christians, where Mark's comic-relief sidekick suffers a fatal
blow. He'd admitted earlier that he was afraid of the dark, but now that he lays
dying, he tells Mark that he's not afraid any more, because he can see the light:
'a great light'.
"Basically, the movie is about a man who has worked his way to the top in his chosen
field, and now enjoys wealth, public adulation and La Dolce Vita, but, who, because
of a chance encounter with a Beautiful Christian girl, decides to leave behind the
emptiness of that existence, and return to the simple life, where he can work the
land as he used to. It's a good message, and the final scene where Miss Fanty puts
down the lamb she has been cuddling, and runs across the rolling green fields
towards a homecoming Mark is quite uplifting."
MESSALINA (Germany). Mike Eustace wrote, "Vittorio Cotafavi's MESSALINA from German comany EMS is their first Peplum DVD with an English Soundtrack. Don't expect this to be a regular occurrence, however. It appears that in this case it was to do with the fact that they had an English print containing scenes not available in German prints, and so for those scenes, the English soundtrack runs with German subtitles. Since the English track existed, they must have decided to leave it running throughout, which is a great bonus for us non-German speakers. The most prominent missing scene features young actress Paola Pitagora being tortured with a red-hot iron, which is the subject of an amusing anecdote told by Duccio Tessari in SPAGHETTI CINEMA's first segment of the FOFI PAPERS. The 2.35:1 anamorphic image is quite good, if a little soft. I got my copy from Amazon.de."
Odissea, the TV film by Franco Rossi. (Italy) From Multimedia San Paolo SARL. Italian language only, with italian subtitles. (2 discs, 370 mns, Full Screen).
THE RAPE OF THE SABINES/DER RAUB DER SABINNEREN. (Germany) Coming from www.e-m-s.de.
Mike Eustace reports: "DER RAUB DER SABINERINNEN/IL RATTO DELLE SABINE/RAPE OF THE SABINES from
German Company E.M.S is a new DVD in their Internationale Filmklassiker
series which I purchased from Amazon.de. The original movie was 2.35:1, but
this version has had the ends trimmed off to give something around a 1.85:1
letterbox format, which is mildly disappointing. The picture is sharp with
good colours from a fairly clean print, but carries a German Language track
only without subtitles.
"The curiosity value of this movie is that it's the one where Roger Moore met
and had an affair with the starlet who was to become his second wife - Luisa
Mattioli (she's the one wearing the blue bikini in the raft sequence). It was
a scandal at the time, since Roger was still married to English singer
Dorothy Squires.
"It's a light romantic romp, but since it boasts a female cast including
Mylene Demongeot, Rosanna Schiaffino, Scilla Gabel, Giorgia Moll, Dada
Gallotti, Mariangela Giordano, Dina de Santis, as well as the aforementioned
Miss Mattioli, it is not without some visual delights."
THE RETURN OF THE STRONGEST GLADIATORS IN THE WORLD/IL RITORNO DEL
GLADIATORE PIU FORTE DEL MONDO/DIE RÜCKKEHR DER STÄRKSTEN GLADIATOREN
DER WELT. (Germany) From Marketing Film. German language only.
Letterboxed 2.35:1. Extras: Chapter selection, slideshow. Running time
81m27s, not 94 as stated on the sleeve.
Mike Eustace reports, "DIE RUCKKEHR DER STARKSTEN GLADIATOREN DER WELT is RETURN OF THE
STRONGEST GLADIATOR IN THE WORLD, and not a Joe Robinson TAUR movie as www.amazon.de
from whom I purchased it will have you believe. The DVD is of good picture
quality from a well-preserved print in 2.35:1 Letterbox, German language
only, and represents excellent value at £8.24. Of particular note is the huge
amount of material in the film taken from CONSTANTINE AND THE CROSS, which
means that new scenes featuring 'John Barracuda' (Massimo Serato) sit fairly
comfortably with ten year old scenes he filmed for CONSTANTINE. The only
jarring note is that his recent beard and moustache are fairly rough and
straggly compared to the trimly cut youthful set he wore for the original. In
the early scenes, you may also wonder why Alberto Farnese sports such a
terrible wig, but it's only when he dies, and the epic funeral scene unfolds
from CONSTANTINE, that you realise his wig has to match the body of the dead
emperor from that film. It comes as no surprise that in the long shots, Brad
Harris's character is played by Cornel Wilde.
"Of particular interest is the appearance of a belly dancer with incredibly
mobile wobbly bits."
THE REVENGE OF HERCULES/DIE RACHE DES HERKULES (German)
Mike Eustace wrote,
"This is a bit of a stitch-up. It's the original LA VENDETTA DI ERCOLE without the Dragon
that made it GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON, but although the box says 16/9 anamorphic, it's
actually non-anamorphic and cropped to 1.85:1.
"The colour is better than the 'with-Dragon' Something Weird DVD, which
sometimes has purple-leaved trees, but the sharpness and cropping make the German
DVD a less-deserving purchase. There is a choice of German or Italian
Language tracks.
"The one bonus that might make this an interesting purchase for some is that
it contains a 45 minute German documentary called KINO KOLOSSAL which
features interviews with Mimmo Palmara, Giovanni Cianfriglia, Brad Harris, and stunt
co-ordinator Nazzareno Zamperla, so you get to see what they look like these
days. You also see Moira Orfei as she is now, but you'll wish you hadn't.
"There's also an old filmed interview with Vittorio Cottafavi, and even Bud
Spencer turns up by virtue of some tenuous link to his slapstick comedy fights -
EVEN ANGELS EAT BEANS appears to be the favoured source for clips.
"Naturally the most interesting part is seeing a lot of Peplum clips, and whilst some
of the movies are in pretty bad shape, it's nice to know that there is an
excellent print of GLI AMORI DI ERCOLE waiting in the wings, along with the best
version of MACISTE IN HELL that we're ever likely to see.
"The only drawback is that whilst everybody speaks in Italian, the film-makers
have overlayed it with a German translation. I mean, one language you only
half understand is bad enough, but two, now that's a bitch!"
REVOLT OF THE GLADIATORS/DIE REVOLTE DER GLADIATOREN (Germany). 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and German language.
SAMSON/SAMSON CONTRE HERCULE. (France) From Sony Music Video France. Mike Eustace
reports, "It's always disappointing when the picture quality of the main
feature is of lesser quality than the accompanying trailers for forthcoming
releases. This is a rather soft-looking DVD from an old variable-quality
print, presented in about 2.2:1 Letterbox, with the sides slightly cropped,
French language only. The box says 1.33/4:3, but in Europe this appears to be
an indication of the TV system that the DVD is suitable for, i.e not 16:9
anamorphic, rather than what rectangular shape the movie is presented in.
It appears to be a from a TV master tape, since there are some intrusive
fades-to-black not present in the original, one of which occurs mid-scene.
There is also a ridiculous trim at the end of the scene in which Brigitte
Corey is threatened with torture by red-hot irons, but saved when the
torturer is skewered by an arrow from who-knows-where. At least in the
original you get a dolly-back beyond the prison bars to reveal the group of
bow-carrying rebels who have infiltrated the dungeons and temporarily saved
her.
"The trailers, or to be exact, the short scene extracts from other movies in
the collection show an improvement in picture quality, with JULES CESAR
CONQUERANT DE LA GAULE coming off best in 2.35:1 anamorphic. LA TERREUR DES
BARBARES is also 2.35:1 anamorphic, but from a rather low-contrast print.
Still, it's a nice change to see Chelo Alonso performing her sword-dance to
the original Carlo Innocenzi score, rather than Les Baxter's re-write. LA
COLERE D'ACHILLE and LE BRIGAND DE LA STEPPE are reasonable-looking Letterbox
versions, but the sharpest and brightest extract is from a letterboxed
MACISTE ET LA VALLEE DES FEMMES (VALLEY OF THE RESOUNDING ECHO). The fact
that the SAMSON extract is no better than the movie itself, suggests that
these clips are probably indicative of the quality of the up-coming DVDs."
SAMSON/HERKULES IM NETZ DER CLEOPATRA (Germany). Mike Eustace wrote, "This appears to be 4:3 Full screen only - a shame, because the French version isn't all that great." German language only.
79 A.D./DIE LETZIEN STUNDEN VON POMPEIJI/ANNO 79 (Germany). 2.35:1 Anamophic widescreen and German language.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH (Germany). Mike Eustace wrote,
"It is presented in the correct 1.85:1 ratio, but is non-anamorphic - unlike the
description at Amazon.de which claimed 2.35:1 and 16:9 anamorphic, so you've got to
watch these guys.
"It has an English Language track and runs for 143 minutes. The picture
quality is excellent for most of the movie - those parts that formed the shorter
120 minute version that toured Europe, but worsens to a sort of smeared VHS
level for those scenes restored from the original cut which was shown in the UK.
This is not a bad thing, because it does instantly alert you to which scenes
were trimmed for Europe, and the choices are fascinating. Almost completely
removed was any mention of Jehovah. In the original version, Lot was prone to
voice over prayers, seeking guidance, and these were all removed, as indeed were
many scenes of Hebrew religious activity. In the opening scenes set in Sodom,
the documentary-like montage of slaves working treadmills played under the
tirade by Alabias (Feodor Chaliapin) were savagely excised, and many of the
romantic or lustful sequences were gone: In particular a scene between Pier Angeli
and Anouk Aimee which suggested that their relationship was a little out of the
ordinary, and some scenes between Rossana Podesta and Stanley Baker, which
suggested that La Podesta actually enjoyed Baker's lust. Some of the really bad
model and special effects shots of the flood which ended the main battle were
probably a sensible cut, as indeed were a whole section of the fight between
Stewart Granger and Stanley Baker which seemed to be played out by obvious
stunt doubles - although I do prefer seeing the whole of the fight, because it is
well choreographed."
SPARTACUS AND THE TEN GLADIATORS/SPARTACUS & DIE ZEHN GLADIATOREN (Germany). Full Screen 4:3 and German language only.
THE SPARTAN GLADIATORS/LA RIVOLTA DEI SETTE (Italy). From Minerva Video. In Italian only and letterboxed at 2.35:1.
TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT/IM TEMPEL DES WEISSEN ELEFANTEN (Germany). Mike Eustace writes, "A sharp, bright coloured 2.00:1 transfer in German Language of Umberto Lenzi's wild Jungle romp based on an Emilio Salgari novel. Sean Flynn is rather wooden as the hero, but you get genre-regulars Alessandra Panaro, Marie Versini, Giacomo Rossi Stuart and Mimmo Palmara, plus Giovanni Cianfriglia constantly giving you the impression that you're watching Steve Reeves."
TERROR OF THE STEPPES/LE BRIGAND DE LA STEPPE/I PREDONI DELLA STEPPA/THE MIGHTY KHAN.
(France). Mike Eustace reports that this "is
probably the weakest of the unofficial Kirk Morris/Amerigo Anton collection
released by Sony Music Video France. Kirk keeps his shirt on most of the
time, which is what apparently spelt death-at-the-box-office for Steve
Reeves, and since he's not a mythical hero, he doesn't get any opportunity to
bend iron girders or hold back teams of wild horses. There's very little
action until a last-minute lacklustre siege, followed by a weird
duel-to-the-death between Kirk and chief villain Daniele Vargas, where they
fight with giant stakes strapped across their shoulders. It's obviously a
contest steeped in tradition and favoured by these wild men of the Steppe for
settling disagreements, but since the stakes are neatly pointed at one end,
you can't help noticing how much they resemble giant pencils. I must look up
'Pencil Fighting on the Steppe' in my Encyclopaedia.
"The 2.35:1 Letterbox image is clean and sharp with rich colours, but has a
slight tendency to pixellate during fast camera moves, and it's French
language only."
THOR THE CONQUEROR (U.K.) This release from 23rd Century looks to have been mastered from a used VHS and only the credits are letterboxed.
TRIUMPH OF HERCULES/HERKULES DER STARKSTE MAN DER WELT (Germany). 2.35:1
Widescreen and German language.
TRIUMPH OF THE TEN GLADIATORS (Germany).
Mike Eustace wrote,
"Just watched TRIUMPH OF THE TEN GLADIATORS from the German EPOS box-set of Sword & Sandal DVDs which includes a terribly short and grainy COLOSSUS OF RHODES and an excellent and much longer version of THE OLD TESTAMENT. It's also available separately as DIE SIEGREICHEN ZEHN, but costs more than the box-set!
"The picture quality is astonishingly beautiful in full 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and
since this is a fun action film, it's not to hard to follow with only a German Soundtrack.
"There's a great opening where Dan Vadis races to the camera and starts swordfighting right
at the audience, followed by all nine of the other Gladiators jump-cutting in place and doing
the same. The comic character played by Sal Borghese appears with his back to the camera,
looking a bit puzzled, before an off-camera voice yells 'Hey Nino', causing him to spin
round, see the camera, and then begin attacking it.
"The humour is very broad and there are lots of knockabout brawls with plenty of ju-jitsu and
acrobatics, accompanied by a stirring march; although I found it a bit disturbing when Halina
Zalewska gets captured and the Ten Gladiators don't bother to go rescuing her straight away,
leaving her to endure some cruel torture with whips and branding irons, whilst they
concentrate on indulging in even more funny brawls.
"There are lots of stolen clips from other Peplum, including COLOSSUS OF RHODES, GOLIATH
AGAINST THE GIANTS, LAST DAYS OF POMPEII and SALAMMBO, plus a Romans versus Egyptians battle shot around the plains of Zaragoza that I don't recognise. Helga Line looks fabulous as the tyrannical Queen who secretly dons a Gold mask, and masquerades as a man, in order to lead the rebels against her own empire. Strangely enough when she wears the mask her conical breasts completely vanish, only to re-appear when she removes it.
"A classic."
URSUS IN THE VALLEY OF THE LIONS/URSUS IM TAL DER LOWEN (Germany).
Mike Eustace wrote,
"URSUS IM TAL DER LOWEN/URSUS IN THE VALLEY OF THE LIONS which I purchased
from Amazon.de, is an excellent DVD transfer in 2.35:1 Widescreen, with sharp
images and strong colours, enhanced for 16:9 anamorphic. There's a choice of
German or Italian soundtracks, and although the Italian track is recorded at
much lower level than the German one, I prefer it, because it the most
accurate representation of the original movie. For some reason, the German main
title music consists of a single orchestral chime taken from the Riz Ortolani
score, but repeated endlessly until you feel like screaming, whereas the Italian
track contains the full version. Surprisingly the Italian track has no
narration at all over the history-book opening - you're actually supposed to read
the text, but the German track has it narrated for you. Both tracks are far
preferable to the English dubbed version, where Mary Marlon was saddled with a
hoarse laryngitic whine that turned her into a very unappealing heroine.
The main title image is very flat, worn and yellowed, which leads you to
fear the worst about what is to come, but thankfully, once it is over, the rest
of the movie is of excellent quality.
"The opening, detailing the attack by villainous Alberto Lupo's army on the
placid kingdom of Ursus' parents played as a night scene in the English Cinema
version that I saw, and featured a very nasty hair in the gate, but this
version plays it in bright daylight, without the hair.
"Standout scene for me is Moira Orfei's vibrantly joyful belly dance, all
shaking tassles and wild hip-swings, executed with such brilliance you'd think
she'd been a dancer all her life, and performed with such a sense of fun that
suggests she was having a bloody good time doing it. Lucky recipient of the
dance is ageing tyrant, Alberto Lupo, but for some inexplicable reason, he
stops her in mid gyration, leaving her panting sulkily whilst he chases the
demure Mary Marlon.
"Ed Fury plays Ursus with a light touch, and comes across as a much warmer
character than some of the sullen Herculeans that we're used to. He's physically
less well-defined than Steve Reeves, but he's a big guy, and certainly looks
like he can pull off the heavy stuff. So it's rather surprising, when he
whacks Gerard Herter over the head with a piece of masonry attached to the end
of a chain, that Herter is only lightly concussed, and not smeared over the
floor like an extra-tomato pizza. For scenes with the lions, Fury is doubled by
Orlando Orfei, who just doesn't have his build, and is easily spotted
because he usually has his back to us. Orlando fools around with the lions, getting
them to do cute tricks like kissing him, or shaking his hand, which is
followed by close-ups of Fury sporting a playful smile, but it all looks a little
stagey, since it's obvious that Orlando is basically performing his circus
act for the camera. However, there is a sequence where Ursus is trapped by
viciously snarling Hyenas, and Orlando controls them by looping their necks with
a short rope, swinging them around in a circle and hurling them into their
cages, which looks all-too realistically dangerous for everyone concerned.
"In one of her earliest roles, sexy Mariangela Giordano sashays around in
revealing harem-scanties as Maria Angela Giordano, and Lucia Modugno is also
credited, but I'm having a little trouble spotting her at the moment.
"Extra bonus on the DVD is the German documentary KINO KOLOSSAL, which also
featured on the rather disappointing DIE RACHE DES HERKULES release, and which
supplies the generic title for this collection of DVDs. It's got lots of
Sword and Sandal clips, plus interviews and action with Mimmo Palmara, Giovanni
Cianfriglia and Benito Stefanelli. Moira Orfei also shows up as she is now,
but remember that her erotic dance in URSUS was over forty years ago, so try
and be a little understanding about how cruel the passage of time can be."
Thank you for information:
Mike Eustace, John Charles, Trevor Thomas, Olivier Tocanne, Al Tran, Carl Morano,
Gordon Harmer and Video Watchdog.