IMDb > Giant of Marathon (1959)
La battaglia di Maratona
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Giant of Marathon (1959) More at IMDbPro »La battaglia di Maratona (original title)

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Overview

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4.8/10   439 votes »
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Release Date:
25 May 1960 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
Spectacle! Grandeur! Glory! See more »
Plot:
A Greek soldier leads the fight against an invading Persian army. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
User Reviews:
battle must have looked great on the big screen, once.... See more (16 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Steve Reeves ... Phillipides

Mylène Demongeot ... Andromeda, Creuso's daughter

Sergio Fantoni ... Teocrito
Daniela Rocca ... Karis
Philippe Hersent ... Callimaco
Alberto Lupo ... Milziade
Daniele Vargas ... Dario, King of Persia
Miranda Campa ... Andromeda's handmaid
Gianni Loti ... Teucro
Anita Todesco ... Andromeda's friend
Ivo Garrani ... Creuso
Sergio Ciani ... Euros
Franco Fantasia
Carlo Lombardi
Ignazio Balsamo
Gian Paolo Rosmino
Walter Grant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gérard Herter ... Hippia (uncredited)
Rinaldo Zamperla ... Gladiator (uncredited)
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Directed by
Jacques Tourneur 
Mario Bava (uncredited) (completed film)
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Alberto Barsanti  story
Ennio De Concini  writer
Augusto Frassinetti  writer
Raffaello Pacini  story
Bruno Vailati  writer

Produced by
Bruno Vailati .... producer
 
Original Music by
Roberto Nicolosi 
 
Cinematography by
Mario Bava 
 
Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei 
 
Production Design by
Aleksandar Milovic (uncredited)
 
Art Direction by
Marcello de Prato 
 
Set Decoration by
Massimo Tavazzi 
 
Costume Design by
Pier Luigi Pizzi 
 
Makeup Department
Otello Fava .... makeup artist
Mara Rocchetti .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Renato Angiolini .... production manager
Ferruccio De Martino .... production manager
Massimo De Rita .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Odoardo Fiory .... assistant director
Ottavio Oppo .... assistant director
Mario Bava .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Gianni D'Aloisio .... assistant set designer
 
Sound Department
Louis Kieffer .... sound engineer
Giulio Tagliacozzo .... sound engineer
 
Special Effects by
Mario Bava .... special photographic effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Ubaldo Terzano .... camera operator
Masino Manunza .... cinematographer: underwater scenes (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marisa Crimi .... costume supervisor
Armando Govoni .... wardrobe
 
Music Department
Luigi Urbini .... conductor (as Pierluigi Urbini)
 
Other crew
Barbara Fusch .... direction secretary
Paolo Mercuri .... production secretary
Enzo Musumeci Greco .... fencing master
Ditta Pompei .... footwear
Rancati .... weapons
Ditta Rochetti .... wigs by
Tani .... weapons
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"La battaglia di Maratona" - Italy (original title)
"The Giant Marathon" - Philippines (English title)
See more »
Runtime:
90 min | Italy:92 min (director's cut)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Did You Know?

Trivia:
This became yet another film in which director of photography Mario Bava had to step in as director (uncredited). Galatea Film decided to finally reward Bava by giving him a chance to develop his own project which he would direct. This led to the production of Black Sunday (1960), which began Bava's career as a solo director.See more »
Movie Connections:
Edited into Alexander the Great (1968) (TV)See more »

FAQ

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful.
battle must have looked great on the big screen, once...., 2 January 2009
Author: (winner55) from United States

Most of the other reviews are on target, I will limit myself to a couple of points needing consideration.

This was not intended as a muscleman-'sword & sandal' show, but a straight-ahead epic and a war movie. The reason this is easy to miss is because of the choice of Reeves for the lead. He actually tries hard to act in this film - but he has no capacity for it whatsoever.

In order to give him a chance to demonstrate this, the film gives Reeves an annoying romance that takes up half the film.

As an epic, the film is only half here, the second half, the battle itself. The battle sequences aren't bad at all, they are all technically correct, well mounted and nicely shot.

In fact, the visuals of the film are very striking, especially in the meetings with city elders trying to decide strategy. The print used for the DVD is an old TV copy, washed out and grainy; but remembering its original colors, and that it was made in wide-screen, a lot of this must have looked pretty awesome in theaters on first release.

However, visuals work best when the acting isn't important; besides the Reeves' problem, in fact only the central villain is performed with any gusto or skill. Everyone else walks around like cardboard on string. For the better actors involved, that may be partly because, with the exception of the romance, there's very little character-based drama involved here.

I suggest watching it for the battle sequences, and to forgive the damage done to it by the fortunes of poor preservation.

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