Ercole e la regina di Lidia (1959)

Director:

Pietro Francisci

Writers:

Aeschylus (play)
Ennio De Concini (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 July 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

SEE the War of the Chariots! SEE Lydia, the Temptress! SEE the Contest of Giants! SEE the Combat of Kings! SEE the Arena of Tigers! SEE the Court of Lovers!

Plot:

While negotiating peace between two brothers contesting the throne of Thebes, an amnesiac Hercules is seduced by the evil Queen Omphale.

Plot Keywords:

Thebes | Tiger | Greek Mythology | Chariot | Ship

Cast

Steve Reeves	...	Ercole (Hercules)
Sylva Koscina	...	Iole, bride of Ercole
Sylvia Lopez	...	Queen Onfale, of Lidia
Gabriele Antonini	...	Ulisse, son of Laertes
Primo Carnera	...	Anteo, the giant
Patrizia Della Rovere	...	Penelope
Sergio Fantoni	...	Eteocle
Fulvia Franco	...	Anticlea
Carlo D'Angelo	...	Creonte, High Priest of Thebes
Marisa Valenti	...	Blond Slave Girl
Mimmo Palmara	...	Polinice
Elda Tattoli
Daniele Varga	...	Anfiarao
Andrea Fantasia	...	King Laerte
Gino Mattera	...	Orfeo

Also Known As:

Hércules encadenado (Spain)
Hércules y la reina de Lidia (Spain)
Heracles y la reina de Lidea (Spain) (literal title)
Hercule et la reine de Lydie (France)
Hercules Unchained (USA)
Hercules and the Queen of Lydia (International: English title) (literal title)
Hercules and the Queen of Sheba

Runtime:

Germany:94 min | UK:101 min | USA:105 min | 97 min (2005 DVD release) | Italy:98 min

Country:

Italy | France | Spain

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Finland:K-12 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG

Company:

Galatea Film

Trivia:

The score for this contains themes from its predecessor, Le fatiche di Ercole (1958). They became the most famous compositions, internationally, for composer Enzo Masetti. Masetti retired after completing the score for this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Watch closely the second time Hercules takes up Ulysses' challenge to bend the iron torch stand in an attempt to remember who he is. He successfully does so, and then unbends it just as easily, leaving a slight curve in the stem. However when he returns the stand to its original location, the stand is perfectly straight.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Evening Star

Lots of fun

I grew up watching this stuff as a Saturday afternoon matinee 30 years ago & now, it's still as much fun to watch.

Hercules, now married to Ioli, is returning to Thebes to help sort out a dispute over who has the rights to the throne of Thebes. Along the way, Hercules loses his memory & is seduced by the evil Amphale who goes through husbands like Elizabeth Taylor, however, Amphale is something of a black widow & uses a few Egyptians to preserve her ex-husbands in the family crypt.

However, one look at the rugged carved from granite Steve Reeves & all her black widow tendencies fly out the window, but she still wants him for good.

Of course it all ends up in a good ruckus with sword fights, chariot duels, Hercules throwing tables & coffins at rushing troops, 2 insane brothers with a hatred for each other (& their father) & inevitably the faithful sidekick who chimes in with a few vital day-saving moments.

Clint Eastwood may have been the king of the Spaghetti Western, but Steve Reeves was the king of the Spaghetti Swords & Sandals. So if that's your cup of tea, I recommend this movie as an excellent addition to your collection.