Le fatiche di Ercole (1958)

Director:

Pietro Francisci

Writers:

Apollonios Rhodios (poem)
Pietro Francisci (adaptation)

Release Date:

22 July 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

See the seductive Amazons lure men to voluptuous revels and violent deaths! SEE the heroic Hercules rip down the Age of Orgy's lavish palace of lustful pleasure! SEE the Mightiest of Men fight the Mightiest of Beasts, the killer Cretan Bull! SEE Hercules fight off the savage love-starved Amazon women! SEE the seductive Amazons lure men to voluptuous revels and violent deaths! SEE the powerful Hercules crush the savage ape-men who guard the shrine of the Golden Fleece!

Plot:

The muscular Hercules performs his Labors, sails with the Argonauts, and romances the fair Iole.

Plot Keywords:

Hercules | Argonaut | Beautiful Woman | Mythology | B Movie

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 4

6:00 AM

AMC

Cast

Steve Reeves	...	Ercole (Hercules)
Sylva Koscina	...	Iole, Daugher of Pelias
Fabrizio Mioni	...	Jason
Ivo Garrani	...	Pelias, King of Iolcus
Gianna Maria Canale	...	Antea, Queen of the Amazons
Arturo Dominici	...	Eurysteus
Mimmo Palmara	...	Iphitus, Son of Pelias
Lidia Alfonsi	...	The Sybil
Gabriele Antonini	...	Ulysses
Aldo Fiorelli	...	Argos
Andrea Fantasia	...	Laertes
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Iole's Maid (as Luciana Paoluzzi)
Afro Poli	...	Chironi
Gian Paolo Rosmino	...	Aesculapius, father of Jason (as G.P. Rosmino)
Willi Colombini	...	Pollux

Also Known As:

Hércules (Spain)
Hercules (USA)
Labors of Hercules (International: English title) (literal title)
Los viajes de Heracles (Spain)

Runtime:

104 min | USA:107 min | West Germany:90 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | UK:U (original rating) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-12 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Titanus Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To take maximum advantage of the extensive (and expensive) television and radio campaign launched to promote the film in the USA, Joseph E. Levine pioneered the technique of "saturation booking" by using over 600 prints of this film. This was an unheard-number of prints for a U.S. release in the days of full-size movie theatres (not the small multiplexes we know today).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After killing the lion and dropping it to the ground, the dead lion blinks.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Saga of 'The Beastmaster' (2005) (V)

Steve Reeves - The Great One

This is actually two stories in one: the first is about Hercules trying to find his niche in the world as a rugged adventurer and champion of the oppressed, the 2nd is about Jason and the Argonauts and Herc looking for the Golden Fleece.

Longer and slower than some of the successors and with quite possibly less fight scenes, these are still the best due to the respect and attention given to the characters. Reeves, looking like a pumped up Jonathan Frakes, is probably still the best of the lot, though we only got to see him fight lions, tigers, bulls, monkey people and Primo Carnera as opposed to monsters, but maybe it was better this way. Made things more serious and real world like.

So in other words, don't count this one out!