Colossus of the Stone Age (1962)

Wandering strongman Maxxus comes upon two warring tribes, the Sun worshipers and the Moon worshipers. He saves the leader of the Sun tribe from a sea monster, then later on when the Moon ... See full summary »

Director:

Guido Malatesta

Writers:

Arpad DeRiso (story and screenplay), Guido Malatesta (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Reg Lewis, Margaret Lee, Luciano Marin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Reg Lewis	...	Maciste / Maxus / Germanicus
Margaret Lee	...	Moah
Luciano Marin	...	Aydar of the Sun People
Andrea Aureli	...	Rhia
Birgit Bergen	...	Agmir - Nude Blonde
Nello Pazzafini	...	Chief of the Cave People
Maria Kent	...	Agmin - Nab's Girlfriend
Fulvia Gasser	...	Girl of the Sun People
Rocco Spataro	...	Dorak
Domenico Maggio	...	Man of the Sun People (as Mimmo Maggio)
Nando Angelini	...	Man of the Cave People
Nino Milano	...	Man of the Sun People
Ivan Pengow	...	Agur
Tanja Snidersic	...	Girl of the Sun People
Demeter Bitenc	...	Dorak, Father of Aydar (as Dander Bitenc)

Storyline

Wandering strongman Maxxus comes upon two warring tribes, the Sun worshipers and the Moon worshipers. He saves the leader of the Sun tribe from a sea monster, then later on when the Moon tribe attacks and kidnaps the Sun tribe's women, they call upon Maxxus for help.

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Plot Keywords:

tribe | man versus monster | strangulation | impalement | torture | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy Yugoslavia

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

25 April 1962 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Euro International Film (EIA), Caserbib

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 76 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa #37356 issued April 17, 1962.

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Quotes

Fuwan: [speaking of Maciste] May his death be slow and painful.

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Alternate Versions

Embassy Pictures included this among a group of sword and sandal/mythological muscleman epics they put into a U.S. television syndication package called "The Sons of Hercules." The title was changed to "Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules." The beginning and ending scores were replaced with a theme song titled "The Sons of Hercules" which was used on all of the films in this syndication package. Some lines of the English dubbed dialog was replaced (using another actor) so that Maxus refers to himself as being a "son of Hercules." After the opening credits, a shot of clouds was inserted and a narrator would explain that the main character in each of the films was a "son of Hercules."

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Connections

Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (1974)

User Reviews

Silly But Enjoyable

Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (1962)

** (out of 4)

Maciste (Reg Lewis), the son of Hercules, is wondering around when he runs into two members of a tribe that worships the Sun. They are being attacked by large fire breathing monster so Maciste kills it. Flash forward and the Moon worshipers are starting to kidnap the women from the Sun tribe so they go to Maciste for help.

FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES, the American title of this Italian movie, isn't a film that is meant to be taken serious. Outside of the Mario Bava film HERCULES IN A HAUNTED WORLD, this is the first in the series that I've seen and from the start I couldn't help but think of the Toho Godzilla series with the poor dubbing and rather silly special effects. Of course, I'm sure many people would say the only way to fully enjoy this or even judge it is by watching the original Italian cut but I don't have that available.

As far as this American edit goes, I thought it was actually entertaining as long as you don't expect too much from it. The performances are pretty much what they are and it's certainly hard to judge them with the atrocious accents and dubbing. Poor Maciste appears to be dubbed by someone simply holding their breathe. The film does contain quite a bit of action, which helps keep it move at a nice pace and it's certainly never boring.

As for the title monster, it's a real doozy and appears to have been made from supplied bought at a dollar store. Yes, it looks incredibly cheap and silly but it somewhat adds to the charm.