Ercole l'invincibile (1964)

User Rating:

3.1/10   

Directors:

Alvaro Mancori
Lewis Mann

Writers:

Pat Kein (writer)
Alvaro Mancori (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 March 1964 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Hercules battles to save the population from a giant dragon.

Plot Keywords:

King | Queen | Dragon | Lava | Elephant

Cast

Dan Vadis	...	Ercole (Argolese)
Spela Rozin	...	Telca
Carla Calò	...	Ella, Queen of the Demulus (as Carrol Brown)
Ken Clark	...	Kabol, Melissia's Father
John Simons	...	Babar
Jannette Barton	...	Etel
Ugo Sasso	...	King Tedaeo, Telca's Father (as Hugo Arden)
Howard Ross	...	Telca's Brother (as Red Ross)
Olga Solbelli	...	The Oracle (as Sand Beauty)
Alberto Cevenini	...	Capt. of the Guard (as Kirk Bert)
Rosemarie Lindt	...	Slave Girl
Kriss Moss	...	Guard
Jannette Le Roy	...	Slave Girl
Sara Laurier	...	Slave Girl
Christine Mathius	...	Slave Girl

Also Known As:

Hercules Against the Elephants' Empire (USA) (poster title)
Hercules the Invincible (USA)
Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

85 min | USA:81 min (DVD)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Metheus Film

Trivia:

For the US version, distributed by Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures, the dragon footage at the beginning has been removed and replaced with the dragon footage taken from Pietro Francisci's Le fatiche di Ercole (1958), which Levine had also distributed in the U.S.

Quotes:

Ella, Queen of the Demulus: [to Ercole] Tomorrow, in the arena, you will be torn into pieces by my elephants.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Muchachada nui: (#1.5)" (2007)

Wonderful soundtrack, the movie is formulaic

The soundtrack truly has beauty this movie almost doesn't deserve. This flick has Ercole fighting against a lion (to save the princess) and a bear, who follows the buffo for the honey the bad guys have smeared on his face before they tried to sacrifice him. There's also a scene where Vadis has to withstand 4 (!) elephants who try to tear him apart. The dragon-fight is taken as footage from the movie "Le fatiche d'Ercole", and the dancing scenes are also obviously "stolen" from another Italian masterpiece. You see Vadis running around in the caves of the cruel subterranean people (who love to sacrifice kids in order to gain their youth and woman for their beauty) and beating up their soldiers, a cowardly buffo at his side who contrasts his unfailing braveness. The complete second half of the movie plays in the caves and becomes a little tiresome after a while. The opening sequence of the film is perfect though...in its own way.