Maciste e la regina di Samar (1964)

User Rating:

2.1/10   

Director:

Giacomo Gentilomo

Writers:

Arpad DeRiso (screenplay)
Arpad DeRiso (story)

Release Date:

May 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Planets On Collision Course!

Plot:

Hercules is summoned to oppose the evil Queen Samara, who has allied herself with aliens and is sacrificing her own people in a bid to awaken a moon goddess.

Plot Keywords:

Moon | Hercules | Queen | Evil Queen | Sacrifice

Cast

Sergio Ciani	...	Maciste (Hercules) (as Alan Steel)
Jany Clair	...	Queen Samara
Anna Maria Polani	...	Agar
Nando Tamberlani	...	Claudis
Jean-Pierre Honoré	...	Derax
Delia D'Alberti	...	Billis (as Delia d'Alberti)
Goffredo Unger	...	Tarin
Franco Morici	...	Timor
Attilio Dottesio	...	Remar
Roberto Ceccacci	...	Redolphis
Stefano Carletti	...	Mogol
Paola Pitti	...	Taris (as Paola Piretti)
Giuliano Raffaelli	...	Tavernkeeper
Anna Maria Dionisi	...	Tavernkeeper's Wife

Also Known As:

Hercules Against the Moon Men (USA)
Hercules and the Queen of Samar (International: English title) (informal literal title)
Hercules vs. the Moon Men (International: English title)
Maciste contre les hommes de pierre (France)
Maciste contro gli uomini della Luna (Italy)
Maciste et la reine de Samar (France)
Maciste vs. the Moon Men (International: English title)
Maciste vs. the Stone Men (International: English title)

Runtime:

90 min | USA:88 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Comptoir Français du Film Production (CFFP)

Trivia:

This would be the final film project for director Giacomo Gentilomo. He left the film industry to pursue a career as a full-time painter.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the Queen tries to drug Hercules, she pours powder into a cup. She then grabs the cup behind it and hands Hercules the undrugged cup while she drinks from the drugged one.

Quotes:

Maciste: [to Claudis] Your daughter is as courageous as she is beautiful.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hercules Against the Moon Men (#5.10)" (1992)

Under the Evil Influence of Uranus

While this film made a very funny episode of MST3K, I am reviewing the film itself, not the MST3k version.

Giacomo Gentilomo and other Italian directors of the 1950s and 1960s made Hercules the James Bond of classical times. Smart, impossible to defeat and always pure of heart, Herc always got the goods and the girl. Sergio Ciani (AKA Alan Steel) plays Hercules this time. A former stunt double for Steve Reeves, Ciani does as well with this role as any of his predecessors. It has been noted that Ciani was shorter than the other Hercs in the series. While this is apparent in the film, it's worth noting that he was a mere two inches shorter than the larger-than life Reeves.

I found this film to be much more entertaining and polished than it had a right to be. The directing, editing and cinematography were fine, and the only pacing disaster was the seemingly endless sand storm. the film's art design was superior to the rest of the series. It is not surprising that Director Gentilomo became a full-time professional fine artist shortly after making this film.

In Moon Men, Hercules must face the evil power of the moon and the supernatural creatures who came to earth on a meteorite and use human sacrifice to wield mysterious power. In addition, he has to face a powerful and power-hungry queen allied to these creatures and the evil influence of Uranus. As ridiculous as this plot is, it is, at least, creative, and offers some innovative opportunities for very different fight scenes, sets, and subplots. The script is about as straightforward as it gets, and the English dubbing is actually pretty good.

Silly, but harmless. An extra star for the costumes and creative use of effects.