Il colosso di Rodi (1961)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Luciano Chitarrini (writer)
Ennio De Concini (writer)

Release Date:

November 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Tagline:

A Monster Statue Of Bronze And Stone Twenty Stories Tall Guarded Their Secret!

Plot:

While on holiday in Rhodes, Athenian war hero Darios becomes involved in two different plots to overthrow the tyrannical king, one from Rhodian patriots and the other from sinister Phoenician agents.

Plot Keywords:

Colossus | Earthquake | Phoenicia | Statue | Spectacles

Cast

Rory Calhoun	...	Darios
Lea Massari	...	Diala
Georges Marchal	...	Peliocles
Conrado San Martín	...	Thar (as Conrado Sanmartin)
Ángel Aranda	...	Koros
Mabel Karr	...	Mirte
Mimmo Palmara	...	Ares
Roberto Camardiel	...	Serse
George Rigaud	...	Lissipu (as Jorge Rigaud)
Alf Randal		(as Alf Randall)

Also Known As:

El coloso de Rodas (Spain)
Le colosse de Rhodes (France)
The Colossus of Rhodes (USA)

Runtime:

127 min | Italy:139 min | Spain:123 min (Spanish version)

Country:

Spain | Italy | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:T | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1962) | Sweden:15 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Laredo, Santander, Cantabria, Spain

Company:

CTI (Cinema Television International)

Trivia:

The widescreen process used is TotalScope, an Italian version of Cinemascope.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The picture dates itself to 280 BCE. The island of Rhodes is shown as an independent state, which is true enough for the time; however, it's alleged to have a king although Rhodes was a republic at the time. The king bears an uncharacteristic non-Greek name: Serse, an Italian corruption of Xerxes, a Greek corruption of an Iranian name that it scarcely resembles. The king receives an ambassador from Phoenicia -- at the time an integral part of the Seleukid Empire (Syria). Greece is referred to as if a united country, which at the time was untrue -- divided as it was between Attika, Lakaidemon, the Akhaian League, the Aitolian League, Epiros, Makedon, and other states.

Quotes:

Diala: [pinned under fallen beam] There's no pain at all. Funny, I... I... I wanted so much, but I die without getting anything.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Caligula et Messaline (1981)

Joey, do you like Gladiator movies?

In "Airplane," when Captain Oveur asks young Joey, "Do you like gladiator movies?" he is slyly and salaciously referring to films like "The Colossus of Rhodes." While technically not a gladiator movie, Sergio Leone's directorial debut is rife with scantily clad men whose rippling muscles and impeccable abs are fully exposed while they wrestle with each other or undergo whippings, torture, and bondage. The national pastime of Rhodes must have been doing crunches and lifting weights, because even the mature men have flat tight stomachs and bulging biceps. Meanwhile, the women, while lovely of face, remain chastely clothed and relegated to the sidelines. The homo-erotic visuals of this tale of ancient Rhodes call into question the film's intended audience. Were there enough closeted gays in the early 1960's to make a success of mediocre movies such as this?

Despite some good action sequences that hint at Leone's directorial talents, the film's dialog is stilted, the special effects dated, and the performances generally wooden. In desperate need of judicious editing, the film drags on far too long, and the plot sags in the middle. American actor, Rory Calhoun, a fading western hero who was obviously hired only for his name, wanders through the proceedings like a stranger in a strange land in more ways than one. Portraying the Greek Darios as an American on holiday, Calhoun remains nonplussed in the face of death, torture, and the lures of beautiful women. Decidedly less buff than his Italian counterparts, Calhoun nevertheless overwhelms men whose physical strength obviously exceeds that of his own lean build. Perhaps his attire gave him self-confidence. The stylish mini-togas with colorful scarves thrown over one shoulder and white, laced boots to the mid-calf make Calhoun resemble Captain Marvel more than an ancient warrior.

When viewers tire of Calhoun's costume changes and the sight of bare male flesh, they can amuse themselves watching the actors' mouths move without once matching the words that they supposedly utter. In the scenes between Calhoun and Lea Massari as Diala, there is little doubt that neither performer knows what the other is saying. Calhoun recites his lines in English while Massari recites hers in Italian, which was later ineptly dubbed. However, even Italian sandal epics can be entertaining, and "Colossus" is no exception. If expectations are kept low or the viewer is an undying fan of Rory Calhoun, then "Colossus" provides some camp moments and decent action in addition to its legions of male Italian bodies.