The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)

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.

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Ennio De Concini (story), Sergio Leone (story)

Stars:

Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, Georges Marchal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rory Calhoun	...	Dario
Lea Massari	...	Diala
Georges Marchal	...	Peliocle (as George Marchal)
Conrado San Martín	...	Tireo / Thar (as Conrado Sanmartin)
Ángel Aranda	...	Koros
Mabel Karr	...	Mirte
Mimmo Palmara	...	Ares
Roberto Camardiel	...	Serse
Alfio Caltabiano	...	Creonte (as Alf Randal)
George Rigaud	...	Lisippo (as Jorge Rigaud)
Yann Larvor	...	Mahor
Carlo Tamberlani	...	Xenon
Félix Fernández	...	Carete
Ignazio Dolce
Antonio Casas	...	Phoenician Ambassador

Storyline

A Greek military hero named Darios visits his uncle in Rhodes in the year 280 BC. Rhodes has just finished constructing an enormous colossus of Apollo to guard its harbor and is planning an alliance with Phoenicia which would be hostile to Greece. Darios flirts with the beautiful Diala, daughter of the statue's mastermind, while becoming involved with a group of rebels headed by Peliocles. These rebels seek to overthrow the tyrannical King Serse as does Serse's evil second-in-command, Thar. The rebels' revolt seems to fail, with Peliocles and his men being captured and forced to provide amusement in the local arena, but an earthquake eventually upsets, not only the Colossus in the harbor, but the balance of power in Rhodes as well.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual subtext | man tied up | homoerotic | tied to a slab | chained to wall | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is said to have been approximately 32 meters high. The cinematic version stands 110 meters and its legs bestride the harbour. The actual location of the original colossus is still debated. The fortress at the entrance of the harbour is cited as one possible location with the Acropolis of Rhodes on a hill overlooking the harbour cited as another. Scholars generally agree, however, that anecdotal depictions of the Colossus straddling the harbour's entry point have no historic or scientific basis.

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Goofs

The film dates itself to 280 BC. In the scene where the two thugs try to kidnap Darios, in the background, a bust of Cicero, a Roman statesman can clearly be seen. Cicero was not born until 106 BC.

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Quotes

Darios: [after seeing a court servant die from drinking poison] Somehow I've lost my desire for wine.
[he pours his wine out onto the floor]

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Alternate Versions

There are several different versions, running from 126 minutes to 142 minutes. The French version is shortest but has some longer shots than English and German version. The Italian original is available in a restored 142 minute long version which contains all scenes. The main title sequence also differs between versions.

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Connections

Referenced in An Opera of Violence (2003)

User Reviews

"I wanted so much but I die without getting anything."

Leone served his apprenticeship in film by assisting various Italian directors as well as Walsh, Wyler and Melvyn Le Roy… By the late '50s he was writing scripts for gladiatorial epics, the genre in which he first gained directing experience, and took over "The Last Days of Pompeii" when the director Mario Bonnard fell ill before directing alone "The Colossus of Rhodes." Not until 1964, however, did he establish himself as a true original with his first film in what would come to be known as the Man With No Name trilogy…

"The Colossus of Rhodes" begins in the island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean Sea 280 B.C.

Rhodes is celebrating a proud day in her history… A magnificent statue will now dominate the seas… But the Colossus was erected in blood and the people in Rhodes do not want slavery… The chief of the rebels, Peliocles (Georges Marchal) needs a man like that visitor Dario (Rory Calhoun), who's a great warrior in Greece…

Thar (Conrado San Martín)—who is in love with Diala (Lia Massari)—is no longer content with the power Serse (Roberto Camardiel) stupidly bestowed upon him… He wants this beautiful island to sell to Phoenicia, than he'll be the reigning monarch… Of course the rebels don't have enough men to attack them openly…

There's only one plan, to enter the Colossus… But the Colossus is impregnable…How could they hope to get in? Rhodes' best soldiers are imprisoned underground… A heavy gate seals the only exit… This gate can only be opened by a control in the Colossus…

If you want to see how the Colossus is a huge trap don't miss this Sergio Leone's directorial debut

Details

Country:

Italy France Spain

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

11 August 1961 (France)

Also Known As:

The Colossus of Rhodes

Filming Locations:

Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine-Produzioni Associate, Procusa, Comptoir Français de Productions Cinématographiques (CFPC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 123 min (Spanish)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1