Hercules Unchained (1959)

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

Directors:

Pietro Francisci, Mario Bava (uncredited)

Writers:

Pietro Francisci (story), Sophocles (story based on: play "Oedipus at Colonus")

Stars:

Steve Reeves, Sylva Koscina, Gabriele Antonini

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Reeves	...	Hercules
Sylva Koscina	...	Iole
Gabriele Antonini	...	Ulysses - Son of Laertes
Patrizia Della Rovere	...	Penelope
Sergio Fantoni	...	Eteocles
Fulvia Franco	...	Anticlea - Mother of Ulysses
Carlo D'Angelo	...	Creonte - High Priest of Thebes
Marisa Valenti	...	Ulysses' Bride
Mimmo Palmara	...	Polinices
Elda Tattoli	...	Altmea - Mother of Ulisses' Girlfriend
Daniele Vargas	...	Anfiarao (as Daniele Varga)
Andrea Fantasia	...	Laertes - King of Ithaca
Gino Mattera	...	Orpheo
Aldo Fiorelli	...	Argos the Shipbuilder
Gianni Loti	...	Sandone - Captain of the Lidian Guard

Storyline

En route to Thebes for an important diplomatic mission, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and loses his memory. He spends most of the movie in the pleasure gardens of Queen Omphale of Lydia. While young Ulysses tries to help him regain his memory, political tensions escalate in Thebes, and Hercules' new wife Iole finds herself in mortal danger.

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Plot Keywords:

sword and sorcery | greek mythology | thebes | greece | ancient greece | 

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Taglines:

Now...For The First Time...Flooding The Nations Screens!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

Italy France Spain

Language:

Italian Spanish

Release Date:

13 July 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hercules Unchained

Filming Locations:

Titanus Appia Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,450,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galatea Film, Lux Film, Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min (DVD) 93 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Antaeus, who dwarfs even Steve Reeves, was the final character played by former world heavyweight boxing champion Primo Carnera.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Hercules: I'm so sleepy, I can't seem to keep awake!

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Crazy Credits

The Italian main title co-credits Iole's song to "Tito Manzese." This was not only a pseudonym, but an anagram of Enzo Masetti who wrote the score.

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Connections

Referenced in Splatter Beach (2007)

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Soundtracks

Con te per l'eternità
Written by Enzo Masetti (as Tito Manzese), Carlo Savina and Dario Bernazza
Sung by Sylva Koscina (dubbed by Marisa Del Frate in the Italian version)

User Reviews

Ridicoules and fake looking but still pretty decent early Hercules vehicle.

This movie definitely is not the best or most exciting one around. Strangely enough it doesn't decide on picking a more adventurous story and restrains itself mostly to the same locations.

You can say that these early Italian genre movies set the later standards for the swords & sandals genre. The first movie "Le fatiche di Ercole" began with this and this movie further expands it, without adding too much excitement or fun though. The movie has the looks and right characters involved but yet the movie only at times manages to become an interesting and good one to watch. Most of the time too little is happening, which is a shame and a waste.

The set and colors of it all might seem fake and silly looking by todays standards but this at the same time has become part of the charm of these early type of genre movies. Also for it's time this movie must have been pretty good and impressive looking at times. It's at least not as cheap looking as many other later Italian genre attempts. The earliest Hercules, or Ercole, movies are still definitely the better ones to watch.

Steve Reeves certainly was an impressive presence and for some reason he's far better than most other actors who ever portrayed the Ercole (Hercules) character in these type of movies, without having too impressive acting talents.

It's really too bad that the movie its middle part is so poor. The movie begins quite well and promising and also ends well, when the movie turns into a more spectacular one to watch.

5/10

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