Sword and sandal

Sword and sandal films, or pepla (singular peplum) are a class of Italian-made adventure or fantasy films that have subjects set in Biblical or classical antiquity, often with contrived plots based very loosely on mythology or Greco-Roman history, or the surrounding cultures of the same era (Egyptians, Assyrians, Etruscans, Minoans), etc. The peplum is a sub-category of the genre of Hollywood Period films or Historical epics, much the same way that "spaghetti westerns" are a sub-category of the Hollywood Western.

Some people feel the peplum category should encompass such diverse Period films as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Titus, Gladiator, King Arthur or The Ten Commandments. The period film was one of the oldest movie genres; the original Ben Hur was made by Sidney Olcott in 1907.

More specifically, however, the sword and sandal film genre (or peplum) generally refers to a low-budget Italian movie on a gladiatorial, Biblical or mythological subject, often with a professional bodybuilder in the principal role, in much the same way as the term "spaghetti Western" refers only to Italian westerns filmed in Europe and which were later dubbed in English. The 1914 Italian silent film Cabiria was important in the development of the art of cinematography, and was one of the first sword-and-sandal films to make use of a massively muscled character (Maciste), played by actor Bartolomeo Pagano who served as the hero's strong but sullen sidekick and later appeared in at least 26 unrelated movies from 1915 through 1926, in all of which he played a protagonist named Maciste but each film was set in a different time frame.

The peplum genre occupied much of the popular segment of Italy's movie industry from 1957–1964, having been revitalized by the successful world-wide release of Hercules (1957), and ending with the birth of the spaghetti Western. Several famous Italian directors such as Mario Bava, Umberto Lenzi, Antonio Margheriti and Sergio Leone got their starts in the genre as well.

The term was coined by a French critic in the 1960s from the name of a piece of clothing frequently used in such films, peplos (from Greek "πεπλον" -peplo- and Latin peplum).^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Typical subjects 2 History 2.1 Hercules series (1957–1965) 2.1.1 Derivatives 2.2 Maciste series (1960–1965) 2.3 Ursus series (1961–1964) 2.4 Samson series (1961–1964) 2.5 Goliath series (1960–1964) 2.6 The Sons of Hercules (TV syndication package) 2.7 Italian Gladiator movies (1948-1965) 2.8 Steve Reeves pepla (in chronological order of production) 2.9 Other Italian sword-and-sandal films (1960s) 2.10 Later sword-and-sandal films from the 1980s 2.11 The Modern Hollywood era 3 Academic bibliography 4 Additional references

Typical subjects

Gladiators were perennial favorite subjects, as were the adventures of Hercules, Goliath (not the Biblical figure), Samson, Ursus, Jason and the Argonauts, or Italy's legendary strongman Maciste. The fad began with the 1958 release of Hercules, starring American bodybuilder Steve Reeves. This spawned the 1959 sequel Hercules Unchained, and literally dozens of low-budget imitations starring other bodybuilder stars such as Reg Park, Gordon Scott, Mark Forest, Brad Harris, Dan Vadis, and Alan Steel. European audiences tended to prefer an Anglo-American in the lead, and Italian bodybuilders would adopt English pseudonyms for the screen (Sergio Ciani became Alan Steel, for example).

In the formulaic plots common to many of the films, two women vied for the affection of the hero: the good love interest, a damsel in distress needing rescue, and an evil queen or other ruler who served as a femme fatale (much in the same way as Flash Gordon was coveted by both Dale Arden and Princess Aura). Most films also contain a standard scene involving belly dancing or some similar ballet, meant to depict an orgy and underline the pagan decadence of the villains. The contrived plots, poorly overdubbed dialogue, novice acting skills of the bodybuilder leads, and primitive special effects that were often inadequate to depict the legendary creatures on screen all conspire to give these films a certain camp appeal now.

To be sure, however, many of the films enjoyed widespread popularity among very general audiences, and had production values that were typical for popular films of the day. Several have been subjects of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment. Although many of the bigger budget pepla were released theatrically in the USA, fourteen of them were released directly to American International Pictures television in a syndicated TV package called The Sons of Hercules. The movies were turned into a film series by receiving the same opening and ending title songs and newly-designed prologue narrations that desperately attempted to link whoever the hero of the film was to the Hercules mythos, as many American viewers had no familiarity with Italian film heroes such as Maciste or Ursus, etc. These films ran on Saturday afternoons in the 1960s and early 1970s.

History

Hercules series (1957–1965)

A series of 19 Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 50's/ early 60's. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay, Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris, Reg Park, Peter Lupus (billed as "Rock Stevens") and Michael Lane. The films are listed below (in chronological order of production) by their original Italian titles (with English translation), and the titles in parentheses are their American release titles. The date shown for each film is the actual date that the film was released in Italy, not the date it was distributed in the USA or other foreign countries.

• Le Fatiche di Ercole/ The Labors of Hercules (Hercules, 1957) starring Steve Reeves

• Ercole e la regina di Lidia/ Hercules and the Queen of Lydia (Hercules Unchained, 1959) starring Steve Reeves

• La Vendetta di Ercole/ The Revenge of Hercules (Goliath and the Dragon, 1960) starring Mark Forest

• Gli Amori di Ercole/ The Loves of Hercules (Hercules Vs. the Hydra, 1960) starring Mickey Hargitay

• Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide/Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis (Hercules and the Captive Woman, 1961) starring Reg Park (alternate U.S. title: Hercules and the Haunted Women) U.K title: Hercules Conquers Atlantis.

• Ercole al centro della terra/Hercules at the Center of the Earth (Hercules in the Haunted World, 1961) starring Reg Park, directed by Mario Bava

• Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/Maciste Vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Hercules in the Vale of Woe, 1961) starring Kirk Morris as Hercules

• Ulisse contro Ercole/Ulysses Vs. Hercules (Ulysses Vs. the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Michael Lane as Hercules

• La Furia di Ercole/The Fury of Hercules (The Fury of Hercules, 1962) starring Brad Harris (alternate U.S. title: The Fury of Samson)

• Ercole sfida Sansone/Hercules Challenges Samson (Hercules, Samson and Ulysses, 1963) starring Kirk Morris as Hercules

• Ercole contro Molock/Hercules Vs. Moloch (Hercules Vs. the Moloch, 1963) starring Gordon Scott (alternate U.S. title: The Conquest of Mycene)

• Ercole l'invincibile/Hercules, the Invincible (Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness, 1964) starring Dan Vadis

• il Trionfo di Ercole/The Triumph of Hercules (Hercules Vs. the Giant Warriors, 1964) starring Dan Vadis (alternate U.S. titles: Hercules and the Ten Avengers and The Triumph of Hercules)

• Ercole contro Roma/Hercules Against Rome (Hercules Against Rome, 1964) starring Alan Steel

• Ercole contro i figli del sole/ Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (Hercules against the Sons of the Sun, 1964) starring Mark Forest

• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: the Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, 1964) starring Alan Steel as Hercules

• Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia/Hercules Against the Tyrants of Babylon (Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon, 1964) starring Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens)

• Hercules and the Princess of Troy (No Italian title, 1965) starring Gordon Scott (alternate U.S. title: Hercules vs. the Sea Monster) (This 48-minute Italian/ U.S. co-production was made as a pilot for a Charles Band-produced TV series that never materialized.)

• Sfida dei giganti/Challenge of the Giants (Hercules, the Avenger, 1965) starring Reg Park (This film was mostly compiled from stock footage from the two earlier Reg Park Hercules films, apparently made to be released directly to U.S. television.)

Derivatives

• The Three Stooges made an American comedy in 1962 called The Three Stooges Meet Hercules with Canadian muscleman Samson Burke playing Hercules. This is mentioned here only because the film was done as a parody of the Italian peplum, and because Burke had actually played the lead in one Italian muscleman film, The Revenge of Ursus.

• A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their US titles were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators.
  • Hercules, Prisoner of Evil was actually a retitled Ursus film.
  • Hercules and the Black Pirate and Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both retitled Samson movies.
  • Hercules and the Masked Rider was actually a retitled Goliath movie.
  • Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongols and Hercules of the Desert were all actually retitled Maciste films.

None of these films in their original Italian versions involved Hercules in any way. Likewise, most of the Sons of Hercules movies shown on American TV in the 1960s were not about Hercules in their original Italian incarnations.

Maciste series (1960–1965)

There were a total of 25 Maciste films from the 1960s sword-and-sandal revival (not taking into account the two dozen silent Maciste films made in Italy pre-1930). The first title listed for each film is the film's original Italian title along with its English translation, while the U.S. release title follows in parentheses. (Note how many times Maciste's name in the Italian title is altered to an entirely different name in the American title, but this did not always hold true in the English dubbing):

• Maciste nella valle dei re/ Maciste in the Valley of the Kings (Son of Samson, 1960) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi/ Maciste in the Land of the Cyclops (Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops, 1961) starring Gordon Mitchell

• Maciste contro il vampiro/ Maciste Vs. the Vampire (Goliath and the Vampires aka The Vampires, 1961) starring Gordon Scott

• Il trionfo di Maciste/ The Triumph of Maciste (Triumph of the Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Kirk Morris

• Maciste alla corte del gran khan/ Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan (Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World, 1961) starring Gordon Scott

• Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo/ Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World (Mole Men Vs The Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/ Maciste Against Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Hercules in the Vale of Woe, 1961) a silly comedy/ satire which starred Kirk Morris as Maciste and Frank Gordon as Hercules

• Totò contro Maciste (Totò vs Maciste, 1962) starring Samson Burke; this was a comedy/satire (part of the Italian "Totò" film series) and was never distributed in the USA; available only in Italian

• Maciste all'inferno/ Maciste in Hell (The Witch's Curse, 1962) starring Kirk Morris

• Maciste contro el sheik/ Maciste Vs. the Sheik (Samson Against the Sheik, 1962) starring Ed Fury

• Maciste, il gladiatore piu forte del mondo/ Maciste, the World's Strongest Gladiator (Colossus of the Arena, 1962) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste contro i mostri/ Maciste vs. the Monsters (Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Reg Lewis

• Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste/ Maciste Vs. the Headhunters (Colossus and the Headhunters, 1962) starring Kirk Morris

• Maciste, l'eroe piu grande del mondo/ Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero (Goliath and the Sins of Babylon, 1963) starring Mark Forest

• Zorro contro Maciste/ Zorro Vs. Maciste (Samson and the Slave Queen, 1963) starring Alan Steel

• Maciste contro i mongoli/ Maciste Vs. the Mongols (Hercules Against the Mongols, 1963) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste nell'inferno di gengis khan/ Maciste in Genghis Khan's Hell (Hercules Against the Barbarians, 1964) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste alla corte dello zar/ Maciste at the Court of the Czar (Samson vs the Giant King, aka Atlas Against the Czar, 1964) starring Kirk Morris

• Maciste, gladiatore di sparta/ Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules, 1964) starring Mark Forest

• Maciste nelle miniere de re salomone/ Maciste in King Solomon's Mines (Samson in King Solomon's Mines, 1964) starring Reg Park

• Maciste e la regina de Samar/ Maciste and the Queen of Samar (Hercules Against the Moon Men, 1964) starring Alan Steel

• La valle dell'eco tonante/ Valley of the Thundering Echo (Hercules of the Desert, 1964) (aka in France as Maciste and the Women of the Valley) starring Kirk Morris

• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, aka Combate dei Gigantes, aka Le Grand Defi, 1964) starring Renato Rossini as Maciste; This was more of a satire poking fun at the peplum genre

• Gli invicibili fratelli Maciste/ The Invincible Brothers Maciste (1964) starring Richard Lloyd as Maciste

• Maciste il vendicatore dei mayas/ Maciste, Avenger of the Mayans (no American title, 1965. This Maciste film was made up almost entirely of re-edited stock footage from two older Maciste films, Maciste contro i mostri and Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste. This movie is very scarce since it was never distributed in the USA and is not available in English.)

In 1973, the bizarre Spanish cult film director Jesús Franco knocked off two low-budget Maciste films which were an odd mix of fantasy, adventure, and eroticism. The films were called The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis and Maciste vs. The Amazon Queen (both starring Val Davis as Maciste). The films had almost identical casts, and appear to have been shot and edited simultaneously. These two (apparently lost) films were not connected in any way with the 1960s Italian Maciste series.

Ursus series (1961–1964)

Ursus was originally featured in Quo Vadis (1951), where he was the slave who famously killed a raging bull by snapping his neck barehanded while holding it by the horns; later his name was generically used to indicate a super-humanly strong imperial Roman hero who featured in a series of Italian adventure films made in the 1960s.
Ursus was referred to as a "Son of Hercules" in several of the films when they were dubbed in English (in an attempt to cash in on the then-popular Italian Hercules film series), although in the original Italian films, Ursus had no connection to Hercules whatsoever. In the English-dubbed version of one film (Hercules, Prisoner of Evil), Ursus was actually referred to throughout the entire film as "Hercules".

There were a total of 9 Italian films that featured Ursus as the main character, listed below as follows: Italian title/ English translation (USA title);

• Ursus/ Ursus (Mighty Ursus, 1960) starring Ed Fury (aka Ursus, Son of Hercules)
• La Vendetta di Ursus/ The Revenge of Ursus (The Revenge of Ursus, 1961) starring Samson Burke
• Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara/ Ursus and the Tartar Girl (Ursus and the Tartar Princess, 1961) starring Joe Robinson (aka The Tartar Invasion)
• Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni/ Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (Valley of the Lions, 1962) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus il Gladiatore Rebelle/ Ursus the Rebel Gladiator (Rebel Gladiators, 1962) starring Dan Vadis
• Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco/ Ursus in the Land of Fire (Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire, 1963) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus il Terrore dei Kirghisi/ Ursus, the Terror of the Kirghiz (Hercules, Prisoner of Evil, 1964) starring Reg Park
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: Gli Invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, 1964) starring Yan Larvor as Ursus (aka Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Defi)
• Gli Invincibili Tre/ The Invincible Three (Three Avengers, 1964) starring Alan Steel as Ursus

Samson series (1961–1964)

The Samson character was featured in a series of 5 sword-and-sandal adventure films made in Italy in the 1960s, as follows: (The Italian title & its translation is followed by the U.S. release title in parentheses)

• Sansone/ Samson (Samson, 1961) starring Brad Harris
• Sansone contro i pirati/ Samson Vs. The Pirates (Samson and the Sea Beast, 1963) starring Kirk Morris
• Ercole sfida Sansone/ Hercules Challenges Samson (Hercules, Samson and Ulysses, 1963) starring Richard Lloyd as Samson
• Sansone contro il corsaro nero/ Samson Vs. the Black Pirate (Hercules and the Black Pirate, 1963) starring Alan Steel
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus gli invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: the Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, 1964) starring Nadir Baltimore as Samson (aka "Combate dei Gigantes")

The name Samson was later inserted into the titles of 6 other Italian sword-and-sandal movies when they were dubbed in English for distribution in the USA, although these films actually featured the adventures of the famed Italian folk hero Maciste. Samson Against the Sheik (1962), Son of Samson (1960), Samson and the Slave Queen (1963), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1961), Samson Vs. The Giant King (1964), and Samson in King Solomon's Mines (1964) were all retitled Maciste movies, because the American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste was marketable to U.S. filmgoers.

Samson and the Treasure of the Incas (a.k.a. Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas) (1965) is listed in some reference books as a peplum, but the film was apparently set in South America during the time period of the Wild West, and the film doesn't appear to be a peplum.

Goliath series (1960–1964)

The Italians used Goliath as an action superhero in a series of Biblical adventure films in the early 1960s. He was possessed of amazing strength, and the films were similar in theme to their Hercules and Maciste movies. After the classic Hercules (1958) became a blockbuster sensation in the film industry, a 1959 Steve Reeves film Terrore dei Barbari (Terror of the Barbarians) was retitled Goliath and the Barbarians in the USA; the film was so successful at the box office, it inspired Italian filmmakers to do a series of 4 more films featuring a beefcake hero named Goliath, although the films were not really related to each other. (The 1960 Italian film David and Goliath starring Orson Welles was not one of these, since that movie was a straightforward adaptation of the Biblical story).

The titles in the Italian Goliath series were as follows, rendered original Italian/English trnslation (U.S. release):

• Terror dei Barbari/ Terror of the Barbarians (Goliath and the Barbarians, 1959) starring Steve Reeves
• Golia contro i giganti/ Goliath Against the Giants (Goliath Against the Giants, 1960) starring Brad Harris
• Golia e la schiava ribelle/ Goliath and the Rebel Slave (The Tyrant of Lydia vs. The Son of Hercules, 1963) starring Gordon Scott
• Golia e il cavaliere mascherato/ Goliath and the Masked Rider (Hercules and the Masked Rider, 1963) starring Alan Steel
• Golia alla conquista di Bagdad/ Goliath at the Conquest of Baghdad (Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus, 1964) starring Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens)

The name Goliath was later inserted into the film titles of 3 other Italian muscleman movies that were retitled for distribution in the USA in an attempt to cash in on the Goliath craze, but these films were not originally made as Goliath movies in Italy. Both Goliath and the Vampires (1961) and Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (1963) actually featured the famed superhero Maciste in the original Italian versions, but American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste had any meaning to American audiences. Goliath and the Dragon (1960) was originally an Italian Hercules movie called The Revenge of Hercules, and it is thought that the U.S. distributors didn't market the film there under that title, since they probably assumed that producer Joseph E. Levine had a claim of some sort to the "Hercules" brand name, since he had just recently spent so much money promoting the 2 Steve Reeves Hercules movies in the USA.

The Sons of Hercules (TV syndication package)

The Sons of Hercules was a syndicated repackaging of several pepla for American television, originally released in the 1960s. It contained 14 randomly-chosen Italian sword-and-sandal films, unifying them with memorable title and end title theme songs and a standard voice-over intro relating the main hero in each film to Hercules any way they could. The films are not listed in chronological order, since they were not really related to each other in any way. The first title listed below for each film was its American broadcast television title, followed by the English translation of the original Italian theatrical title in parentheses:

• Mole Men vs the Son of Hercules (Maciste, The Strongest Man in the World) starring Mark Forest
• The Terror of Rome vs the Son of Hercules (Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta) starring Mark Forest
• Fire Monsters Against The Son Of Hercules (Maciste Vs. The Monsters) starring Reg Lewis
• Triumph Of The Son Of Hercules (The Triumph Of Maciste) starring Kirk Morris
• Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Darkness (Hercules The Invincible) starring Dan Vadis
• Ulysses vs The Son Of Hercules (Ulysses Against Hercules) starring Mike Lane
• Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Fire (Ursus In The Land Of Fire) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus, Son Of Hercules (Ursus) starring Ed Fury (this film was a.k.a. Mighty Ursus)
• The Tyrant Of Lydia vs The Son Of Hercules (Goliath and the Rebel Slave) starring Gordon Scott
• Messalina Against the Son Of Hercules (The Last Gladiator) starring Richard Harrison
• The Devil Of The Desert vs The Son Of Hercules (Anthar The Invincible) starring Kirk Morris
• Medusa vs The Son Of Hercules (Perseus The Invincible) starring Richard Harrison
• The Beast Of Babylon vs The Son Of Hercules (The Hero Of Babylon) starring Gordon Scott
• Venus Against The Son Of Hercules (Mars, God Of War) starring Roger Browne

Italian Gladiator movies (1948-1965)

There were a number of Italian pepla that heavily emphasized the gladiatorial arena in their plots, with it becoming almost a peplum sub-genre in itself; One group of supermen known as "The Ten Gladiators" appeared in a trilogy, all three films starring Dan Vadis in the lead role. Many gladiator films followed the immensely successful American film Spartacus and starred actors such as Richard Harrison who were not quite muscular enough to be convincing as a Hercules, Samson or Goliath.

• Fabiola (1948) aka The Fighting Gladiator
• Sins of Rome (1952) directed by Riccardo Freda (this film was called "Spartacus" in Italy, not to be confused with the American film of the same title)
• The Invincible Gladiator (1961) Richard Harrison
• Gladiators Seven (1962) aka The Seven Gladiators, starring Richard Harrison
• Gladiator of Rome (1962) aka Battle of the Gladiators, starring Gordon Scott
• The Last Gladiator (1963) aka Messalina Against the Son of Hercules
• The Ten Gladiators (1963) starring Dan Vadis
• Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator (1963) aka Rebel Gladiators
• Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators (1964) aka Ten Invincible Gladiators, starring Dan Vadis
• Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (1964) aka Terror of Rome vs. the Son of Hercules
• The Magnificent Gladiator (1964) Mark Forest, directed by Alfonso Brescia
• Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (1965) starring Dan Vadis
• Challenge of the Gladiator (1965) starring Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens)
• The Revenge of Spartacus (1965) starring Roger Browne
• Seven Slaves Against the World (1965) aka Revenge of the Gladiators, aka The Strongest Slaves in the World, starring Gordon Mitchell & Roger Browne

Steve Reeves pepla (in chronological order of production)

Steve Reeves appeared in 14 pepla made in Italy from 1957 to 1964, and most of his films are highly regarded examples of the sword and sandal genre. The films are listed by their American release titles, followed by the translation of the original Italian title in parentheses:

• Hercules (1957) (The Labors of Hercules)
• Hercules Unchained (1959) (Hercules and the Queen of Lydia)
• Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) (Terror of the Barbarians)
• The Giant of Marathon (1959) (The Battle of Marathon)
• The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) (The Last Days of Pompeii)
• The White Warrior (1959) (Hadji Murad, The White Devil) directed by Riccardo Freda
• Morgan, the Pirate (1960) (Morgan, the Pirate)
• The Thief of Baghdad (1961) (The Thief of Baghdad)
• The Trojan Horse (1961) (The Trojan War)
• Duel of the Titans (1961) (Romulus And Remus)
• The Avenger (1962) (The Legend Of Aeneas) *Note - this film was also known as The Last Glory of Troy
• The Slave (1962) (Son of Spartacus)
• Sandokan the Great (1964) (Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem) directed by Umberto Lenzi
• The Pirates of Malaysia (1964) (The Pirates of Malaysia) directed by Umberto Lenzi (*Note - this film was also known as Pirates of the Seven Seas and was a sequel to the previous title, with Reeves again playing Sandokan)

Other Italian sword-and-sandal films (1960s)

There were many 1960's Italian sword-and-sandal films that did not feature a major superhero (such as Hercules, Maciste or Samson), and as such fall into a sort of miscellaneous category. (They do however feature well-known characters such as Ali Baba, Julius Caesar, Ulysses, Cleopatra, The Three Musketeers, Theseus, Perseus, Achilles, Robin Hood, Sandokan, El Cid, etc.) Ulysses (1954) is the film most peplum fans consider started the peplum trend, but it was "Hercules" (1957) that fueled the genre's instantaneous growth.

Here is a list of the best-known titles:

• Adventurer of Tortuga, The (1965) starring Guy Madison
• Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown (1962) a.k.a. The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba, starring Richard Lloyd
• Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1963) a.k.a. Sinbad Vs. The Seven Saracens, starring Gordon Mitchell
• Attack of the Moors (1959) aka The Kings of France, starring Gerard Landry and Rik Battaglia
• Attack of the Normans (1962) a.k.a. The Normans, starring Cameron Mitchell
• Attila (1954) a.k.a. Attila The Hun, starring Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren, directed by Pietro Francisci
• Avenger of the Seven Seas (1961) starring Richard Harrison
• Barabbas (1961) starring Jack Palance
• The Barbarians (1953) a.k.a. The Sack of Rome, a.k.a. The Pagans
• The Black Archer (1959) starring Gerard Landry
• The Black Devil (1957), starring Gerard Landry
• The Black Duke (1963) starring Cameron Mitchell
• The Black Lancers (1962), starring Mel Ferrer
• Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1964) a.k.a. Battle of the Valiant, starring Gordon Mitchell
• The Burning of Rome (1963) a.k.a. The Magnificent Adventurer
• Caesar, the Conqueror (1963), starring Cameron Mitchell & Rik Battaglia
• Captain Falcon (1958), starring Lex Barker
• Carthage in Flames (1959), starring José Suárez
• Cavalier In the Devil’s Castle (1959)
• The Centurion (1962) a.k.a. The Conqueror of Corinth
• Cleopatra's Daughter (1960), starring Debra Paget
• The Colossus of Rhodes (1960), directed by Sergio Leone, starring Rory Calhoun
• Conqueror of Atlantis (1965), starring Kirk Morris
• Conqueror of the Orient (1961), starring Rik Battaglia
• Constantine and the Cross (1960) a.k.a. Constantine the Great, starring Cornel Wilde
• Coriolanus, Hero Without a Country (1963), starring Gordon Scott
• David and Goliath (1960), starring Orson Welles
• Defeat of the Barbarians (1962) aka King Manfred, starring Gerard Landry
• Desert Warrior (1957) a.k.a. The Desert Lovers, starring Ricardo Montalbán
• The Devil's Cavaliers (1959)
• Duel of the Champions (1961) a.k.a. Horatio and Curiazi, starring Alan Ladd
• Erik The Conqueror (1961) a.k.a. The Invaders, directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell
• Erik the Viking (1965) starring Gordon Mitchell
• Esther and the King (1961), starring Joan Collins &, Richard Egan
• The Executioner of Venice (1963), starring Lex Barker & Guy Madison
• Fabiola (1948) a.k.a. The Fighting Gladiator
• The Fighting Musketeers (1961)
• The Fury of Achilles (1962), starring Gordon Mitchell (UK title: Achilles).
• The Giant of Metropolis (1962), starring Gordon Mitchell (this unusual peplum had a science fiction theme instead of fantasy)
• Giant of the Evil Island (1965) a.k.a. Mystery of the Cursed Island, starring Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens)
• Giants of Rome (1963), directed by Antonio Margheriti, starring Richard Harrison
• The Giants of Thessaly (1960), directed by Riccardo Freda
• The Golden Arrow (1962) directed by Antonio Margheriti
• The Green Flag of Allah (1963) directed by Umberto Lenzi
• Hannibal (1959) starring Victor Mature
• The Head of a Tyrant (1959)
• Hero of Babylon (1963) a.k.a. The Beast of Babylon Vs. the Son of Hercules, starring Gordon Scott
• Hero of Rome (1964) a.k.a. The Colossus of Rome, starring Gordon Scott
• Herod, the Great (1958)
• Kerim, Son of the Sheik (1962) starring Gordon Scott
• Kindar, the Invulnerable (1965), starring Mark Forest
• Knight of a Hundred Faces (1960), starring Lex Barker
• Knight Without a Country (1958) starring Gerard Landry
• Knives of the Avenger (1967) a.k.a. Viking Massacre, directed by Mario Bava
• Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah, The (1962) starring Rik Battaglia (an Italian/ U.S. co-production)
• Last of the Vikings (Ultimo dei Vikinghi, L') (1961), starring Cameron Mitchell & Broderick Crawford
• The Lion of St. Mark (1964), starring Gordon Scott
• The Lion of Thebes (1964) a.k.a. Helen of Troy, starring Mark Forest
• The Loves of Salammbo (1959)
• The March on Rome (1962)
• Mars, God of War (1962) a.k.a. Venus Against the Son of Hercules
• The Masked Man Against the Pirates (1965)
• The Mighty Crusaders (1958) starring Rik Battaglia
• The Minotaur (1961) a.k.a. Theseus Against the Minotaur, starring Bob Mathias
• The Mongols (1961), directed by Riccardo Freda, starring Jack Palance
• My Son, The Hero (1962) a.k.a. Arrivano I Titani, directed by Duccio Tessari
• The Mysterious Rider (1948), directed by Riccardo Freda
• The Mysterious Swordsman (1956) starring Gerard Landry
• The Odyssey (1968) a.k.a. The Adventures of Ulysses, made for Italian TV (Samson Burke played Polyphemus the Cyclops) co-directed by Mario Bava
• Perseus the Invincible (1962) a.k.a. Medusa Vs. the Son of Hercules, starring Richard Harrison
• The Pirate and the Slave Girl (1959), starring Lex Barker
• The Pirate of the Black Hawk (1958), starring Gerard Landry.
• Pirates of the Coast (1960), aka Pirates of the Barbary Coast, starring Lex Barker
• A Queen For Caesar (1962)
• The Queen of Sheba (1953), directed by Pietro Francisci (who later directed Hercules)
• Queen of the Amazons (1960) a.k.a. Colossus and the Amazon Queen, starring Ed Fury & Rod Taylor
• Queen of the Nile (1961) a.k.a. Nefertiti, starring Vincent Price
• Queen of the Tartars (1962) a.k.a. The Huns, starring Chelo Alonso
• Rampage of Evil (1962) a.k.a. Il Capitano di Ferro, aka Revenge of the Mercenaries, starring Barbara Steele
• The Rebel of Castelmonte (1964) a.k.a. Sword of Rebellion
• Return of the World's Strongest Gladiator (1971) a.k.a. Three Giants of the Roman Empire, starring Brad Harris
• The Revenge of Spartacus (1964) starring Gordon Mitchell
• Revenge of the Barbarians (1960) starring Daniella Rocca
• Revenge of the Black Eagle (1951), directed by Riccardo Freda
• Revenge of the Conquered (1961) a.k.a. Drakut the Avenger
• Revolt of the Barbarians (1964) directed by Guido Malatesta
• Revolt of the Praetorians 1964) starring Richard Harrison
• Rivak the Barbarian (1960) a.k.a. Revak the Rebel, a.k.a. The Barbarians, Jack Palance
• Robin Hood and the Pirates (1960), starring Lex Barker
• Roland, the Mighty (1956) directed by Pietro Francisci
• Rome Against Rome (1963) a.k.a. War of the Zombies
• Sandokan Fights Back (1964) a.k.a. Sandokan To the Rescue, starring Ray Danton & Guy Madison
• Sandokan Vs The Leopard of Sarawak (1964) a.k.a. Throne of Vengeance, starring Ray Danton & Guy Madison
• The Saracens (1963) a.k.a. The Devil's Pirate, starring Richard Harrison
• The Secret Mark of D'artagnan (1962)
• Secret of the Black Falcon (1961), starring Lex Barker
• The Secret Seven (1965) a.k.a. The Invincible Seven
• Seven From Thebes (1964)
• The Seven Revenges (1961), starring Ed Fury
• Seven Swords For The King (1962)
• 79 A.D., the Destruction of Herculaneum (1962), starring Brad Harris
• Siege of Syracuse, The (1960) directed by Pietro Francisci, starring Tina Louise
• Sins of Rome (1952) a.k.a. Spartacus, directed by Riccardo Freda
• Slave of Rome (1961) starring Guy Madison
• Son of Cleopatra (1964) starring Mark Damon
• Son of the Red Corsair (1959) a.k.a. Son of the Red Pirate, starring Lex Barker
• Suleiman the Conqueror (1961)
• The Sword of Damascus (1964) a.k.a. The Thief of Damascus
• The Sword of El Cid (1962) a.k.a. The Daughters of El Cid
• The Sword of Rebellion (1964) a.k.a. The Rebel of Castelmonte
• Sword of the Conqueror (1961) aka Rosamund and Alboino, starring Jack Palance & Guy Madison
• Sword Without a Country (1960) aka Sword Without a Flag, starring Gerard Landry
• Taur, the Mighty (1963) a.k.a. Tor the Warrior, starring Joe Robinson
• Temple of the White Elephant (1965) a.k.a. Sandok, the Maciste of the Jungle (not a Maciste film however, in spite of the title)
• Terror of the Red Mask (1960), starring Lex Barker
• Terror of the Steppes (1964) a.k.a. The Mighty Khan, starring Kirk Morris
• Tharus, Son of Attila (1962) a.k.a. Colossus and the Huns, starring Ricardo Montalban
• Thor and the Amazon Women (1963), starring Joe Robinson
• Tiger of the Seven Seas (1963)
• Tor, Mighty Warrior (1963) a.k.a. Tor, The King of Brute Force, starring Joe Robinson
• Triumph of Robin Hood (1962) co-starring Samson Burke, directed by Umberto Lenzi
• Ulysses (1954), starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn
• Vulcan, Son of Jupiter (1960), starring Rod Flash and Gordon Mitchell
• War Gods of Babylon (1962) a.k.a. The Seven Flames of Assur
• Warrior Empress (1960) a.k.a. Sapho, starring Kerwin Matthews
• Zorikan the Barbarian (1964), starring Dan Vadis

Later sword-and-sandal films from the 1980s

After the pepla gave way to the spaghetti western and Eurospy imitation James Bond films in 1965, the genre lay dormant for close to 20 years. Then in 1981, Ray Harryhausen's Clash of the Titans, telling the same story as Medusa Vs. the Son of Hercules/Perseus the Invincible, revived the concepts of pepla, but critical pans offset its modest box-office success and it was not imitated. A year later, the Robert E. Howard-based Conan the Barbarian, filmed in Spain and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, did spur a second renaissance of Italian pepla in the six years immediately following. Most notable among them were four Lou Ferrigno vehicles, more faithful to the genre than any other films from this period. The majority of these films were in fact Conan knock-offs, sword and sorcery stories set not in the ancient Greco-Roman era, but in a non-historical time of localized kingdoms, barbarian swordsmen and wizards. These pictures were generally of low quality due to painfully limited budgets, and in some instances the filmmakers tried to compensate for their shortcomings with the addition of some graphic gore and nudity. Many of these 1980s entries were helmed by noted Italian horror film directors. Here is a list of the 1980s pepla:

• Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1983) a.k.a. Ator the Invincible, starring Miles O'Keefe & Sabrina Siani, directed by Joe D'Amato
• Barbarian Master (1984) a.k.a. Sangraal, the Sword of Fire, starring Sabrina Siani (a.k.a. Sword of the Barbarians)
• The Barbarians and Company (1987) a.k.a. The Barbarians, semi-comedy starring Peter and David Paul, directed by Ruggero Deodato
• Blademaster (1985) a.k.a. Ator 2, starring Miles O’Keefe, directed by Joe D'Amato
• Conquest (1984) a.k.a. Conquest of the Lost Land, starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Lucio Fulci
• Hercules (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno, Sybil Danning, and Brad Harris (cameo) directed by Luigi Cozzi (aka Lewis Coates)
• Hercules 2 (1984) a.k.a. The Adventures of Hercules, starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi
• The Invincible Barbarian (1982) aka Gunan the Warrior, starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi
• Iron Warrior (1986) a.k.a. Ator 3, starring Miles O'Keefe, directed by Alfonso Brescia
• Ironmaster (1983) a.k.a. The War of Iron, co-starring William Berger & Luigi Montefiore, directed by Umberto Lenzi
• Quest for the Mighty Sword (1989) a.k.a. Ator 4, starring Eric Allan Kramer (as Son of Ator), Laura Gemser & Marisa Mell, directed by Joe D'Amato
• Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1985) starring Lou Ferrigno, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris and Sybil Danning
• She (1983) starring Sandahl Bergman and Gordon Mitchell
• Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1988) starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Enzo G. Castellari
• The Throne of Fire (1983) starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi

The Modern Hollywood era

The mainstream success of the 2000 film Gladiator is responsible for an increased interest in Roman and classical history in Hollywood. Although these lavish big-budget spectacles are hardly peplums per se, they are the current Hollywood equivalent of the genre.

• Braveheart (1995)
• Gladiator (2000)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Alexander (2004)
• King Arthur (2004)
• Troy (2004)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Apocalypto (2006)
• 300 (2007)
• Mongol (2007)

A different kind of modern revival was the Australian release of Hercules Returns in 1993, which featured Australian actors overvoicing Ercole sfida Sansone. This cinematic release formalised a theatrical act headed by Des Mangan and others entitled Doubletake which featured live actors supplying a new soundtrack for Ercole sfida Sansone, which depicted the classical world with an unexpcted Australian inflection in both accent and lifestyle. This presentation had been toured for some years across Australia during the 1980s and 1990s and was extremely successful.

Similarly, the 1997 Disney film Hercules owed some of its influences to the films of the genre, and the God of War video game series contains several references to sword-and-sandal films.

Academic bibliography

• Richard Dyer: "The White Man's Muscles" in R. Dyer: White: London: Routledge: 1997: ISBN 0-4150-9537-9

• David Chapman: Retro Studs: Muscle Movie Posters from Around the World: Portland: Collectors Press: 2002: ISBN 1-888054-69-7

• Maggie Gunsberg: "Heroic Bodies: The Culture of Masculinity in Peplums" in M. Gunsberg: Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre: Houndsmill: Palgrave Macmillan: 2005: ISBN 0-333-75115-9

• Irmbert Schenk: "The Cinematic Support to Nationalist(ic) Mythology: The Italian Peplum 1910-1930" in Natascha Gentz and Stefan Kramer (eds) Globalization, Cultural Identities and Media Representations: Albany: State University of New York Press: 2006: ISBN 0-7914-6684-1

• Stephen Flacassier: "Muscles, Myths and Movies": Rabbit's Garage: 1994 : ISBN 0-9641643-0-2

Additional references

• The Many Faces of Hercules at Brian's Drive-In Theatre
• PEPLVM - Images de l'Antiquité, par Michel Eloy
• http://www.santoandfriends.com (Mexican muscleman movies)
• Hercules Movies