The Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete (1960)

King Minos sacrifices the 'required' virgins to the Minotaur. As his wife lies dieing, she confesses that her daughter has a twin she has secreted to avoid giving one of the girls to the ... See full summary »

Director:

Silvio Amadio

Writers:

Gian Paolo Callegari, Sandro Continenza

Stars:

Bob Mathias, Rosanna Schiaffino, Alberto Lupo

Cast

Credited cast:
Bob Mathias	...	Prince Teseo
Rosanna Schiaffino	...	Princess Fedra / Arianna
Alberto Lupo	...	Chirone
Rik Battaglia	...	Demetrio (as Rick Battaglia)
Carlo Tamberlani	...	Minosse, Re di Creta
Nico Pepe	...	Gerione
Susanne Loret	...	Anfitrite
Nerio Bernardi	...	Re di Atene
Paul Muller	...	Medico di Corte
Tiziana Casetti	...	Illia, figlia di Xanto
Alberto Plebani	...	Xanto
Tina Lattanzi	...	Queen Pasiphae
Milo Malagoli	...	Il Minotauro
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alberto Barberito
Emma Baron	...	Madre addottiva di Arianna

Storyline

King Minos sacrifices the 'required' virgins to the Minotaur. As his wife lies dieing, she confesses that her daughter has a twin she has secreted to avoid giving one of the girls to the Minotaur. The daughter raised by Minos tries to have her twin killed, but failing in her first attempt, continues to try to have her given to the Minotaur. Theseus, the Greek hero, tries to prevent it.

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Plot Keywords:

bandit | minotaur | monster | hyena | red hair | 

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Taglines:

Monster of the Ages!

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

April 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gino Mordini, Giorgio Agliani Cinematografica, Illiria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Sunis, il gran Sacerdote: The menace of death's dreadful helm now displayed to our dear Queen Pasiphae. Receive, oh Minotaur, the sacrifice of our virgin youth in tribute to thy vast glory. For this, grant but this wish; Lord of Evil take not from us our queen's life.

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Connections

Remade as Minotaur (2006)

User Reviews

Nothing amazing about this maze

The legend of Theseus finding his way through the Cretan maze in order to battle the Minotaur and rescue Ariadne is one of the great tales in Greek mythology. Alas, this version takes the tale and dilutes it into the standard "sword and sandal" plot. You know how it goes. The coldly-beautiful but evil queen lusts after the handsome, muscular hero. He already has a girlfriend and is a foe of tyranny and so spurns the queen. She's outraged, has the girlfriend imprisoned, and subjects the hero to a torturous trial. He triumphs, frees the girlfriend, and overthrows the tyrant. Grateful citizens cheer the happy couple. The End.

Steve Reeves might have been able to lift this mixture to a higher level but in his place we have ex-Olympics champion, Bob Mathias. Mathias is an affable sort and he's given an opportunity to show off his athletic prowess by engaging in a display of javelin throwing, pole vaulting, and discus throwing. He also looks pretty good with his shirt off, though not quite as good as you'd hope and he seems a bit self-conscious about baring his chest. On a more troubling note, however, his personality is bland, his acting ability no more than passable, and he lacks the swaggering sexuality needed to give his character that necessary edge.

Rosanna Schiaffino gets to play the evil queen as well as her virtuous twin sister. She's good at being bad but bad at being good. As for the Minotaur, traditionally represented with the head of a bull, it's poorly depicted here as a stunt-man dressed in sort of a King Kong suit, and the climatic battle between Theseus and the Minotaur doesn't deliver the expected thrills. Also, little is made of the strand of yarn which leads Theseus out of the maze, and the Minoan culture is only vaguely hinted at in the sets and costumes.

And once again, the movie bungles the torture scene. Theseus winds up in the queen's torture chamber, chained to a wall, but he's modestly allowed to keep on the top of his tunic! So when the torturer approaches with the red-hot iron, he must reach out and make a discreet rip in the hero's shirt in order to expose a bit of bare flesh next to the hero's left nipple. Hey, this is a "sword and sandal" movie featuring a muscular actor as its star. Why not rip that shirt all the way off and put the hero's sweaty torso on proper display?