The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review
Peplum, more commonly referred to in English-language as Sword and Sandal films, was a body of works that emerged in Italian Cinema in the 1960s featuring mythological muscle-builder heroes in a series of adventures.
The genre was created by Hercules (1958) starring body-builder Steve Reeves in the title role. Thanks to a promotional campaign created by the US distributor, this proved to be an international success. The Italians leapt upon this and created a whole body of other Hercules films, along with works devoted to other mythic heroes such as Samson, Ulysses, Goliath and the original Italian silent film character of Maciste.
Though these films nominally take from Greek Myth, mythological aspects were usually dropped in favour of mundane adventures in a fictionalised historic setting where the title body-builder would prove a larger-than-life heroic figure vanquishing tyrants, saving the innocent etc. That said, while many of these are mundane adventures, there are a number of these films that feature fantastic elements.
The hugely successful film that started the Italian peplum cycle featuring muscle-builder heroes in togas. This is rather stolid and strips much of the fantasy out of the Greek legends, nevertheless has its own pulp spectacle
An incredibly bad Hercules film from Cannon Films made in Italy by Luigi Cozzi. This was the immediate aftermath of Star Wars so we get a bizarre attempt to rework Greek mythology as science-fiction
One of the numerous Italian peplum films of the 1960s featuring assorted body builders as Hercules. This pits Hercules against invaders from the Moon
A not terribly funny parody of the Italian-made Hercules films of the 1960s. This is mostly known for featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger (billed as Arnold Strong) in his first acting role
Known under a host of different titles, this is one of the better Italian Hercules films of the 1960s. The great Mario Bava adds vivid atmosphere. With Christopher Lee as the villain
Excrutiatingly unfunny Australian film that has taken an old Italian 1960s Italian Hercules film and redubbed it with a comedy rifftrack
Sequel to the Steve Reeves-starring Hercules where Hercules is wooed by an evil queen after drinking the Waters of Forgetfulness. Spectacular but stolid
Fascinating artifact from the silent era. One of the original Italian muscleman films in which the titular strongman is whisked down to Hell where efforts are made to seduce him into staying
Cannon Films produced remake of The Seven Samurai as an Italian gladiator film starring Lou Ferrigno
The Three Stooges travel through time to take on the Italian muscleman film in a never particularly funny comedy
Lavishly made Greek myth adventure, an adaptation of The Odyssey with Kirk Douglas as Ulysses/Odysseus