Le fatiche di Ercole (1958)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Pietro Francisci

Writers:

Apollonios Rhodios (poem)
Pietro Francisci (adaptation)

Release Date:

22 July 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy

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

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:

98 min | USA:107 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:

There were two English-dubbed versions of the movie. The first version (later released by Image Entertainment on laserdisc) was done in Rome with Hercules voiced by Richard McNamara, an American GI who stayed in Italy after the war and dubbed hundreds of Italian films into English. The second version (available on VidAmerica video) was done at the Titra Sound Studio in New York City and featured the prolific New York-based voice actor Norman Rose. The UK release used the Rome version, but the print shown on BBC Television was a curious hybrid of both dubbings, with Steve Reeves' voice changing to that of a different actor in the middle of the movie!

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)

A triumph of exploitation cinema and a fondly-remembered genre groundbreaker.

Joseph E. Levine's timing when he decided to capitalize on this low-budget Italian epic was so right that it has become a legendary example of film promotion. That aside, it's amazing still how the dynamic image of Steve Reeves and a multimillion dollar saturation campaign was able to make this one of the most profitable films of it's time. That bad word of mouth didn't kill this picture's boxoffice only goes to show you that kitsch can be appreciated when it delivers, and HERCULES is colossal kitsch that delivers sensational, fetishistic, sexist spectacle in it's cheapest, most primitive form. Tastelessly tasteful.