Maciste, der Sohn des Herkules

If viewers can get by the crummy existing home video transfers currently available ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS, as this is know in it's English language form, is actually a superior example of the Italian Peplum sword & sandal genre. The problem with the existing versions isn't with the film, it's that a glorious widescreen (2:35:1 Techniscope) popcorn movie has been cropped and pan/scanned down to an abysmal, color rotted 16mm fullscreen reduction print meant for television distribution back in the 1960s. There should be a Crimes Against Humanity tribunal charged with tracking down those responsible for ruining this and countless other movies like it, perhaps forcing them to watch endlessly looped repeats of those old SnackMaster infomercials as punishment. The original elements are probably long lost and like a butchered scrap of an old Michelangelo painting, this is all we have left. It's a horrible loss.

But even in such a miserable state this is quite the little Hercules/Samson/Maciste style adventure, with big grinning Gordon Mitchell at his finest as another he-man wandering the ancient world and righting wrongs. This production actually had a decent budget for it's time as well, with a huge cast of extras and some genuinely clever effects sequences and strong man spectacle moments -- at one point Mitchell even rows an entire slave galley at ramming speed, by himself -- along with the requisite eye candy Veil Dance naval gazing for the dads, slave mistreatment scenes, lots of Pizza Pizza guards running around in plumed helmets, the ubiquitous moment where the hero gets to flirt with all the serving girls or share wine & grapes with the evil sexy queen who is responsible for the misdeeds that he must set to rights.

What makes this one stand out is that all of that happens before Atlas, as he is called here, even squares off against a genuinely frightful looking 18 foot tall Cyclops down in it's pit for a duel to the death to save both the pretty princess and the rightful infant heir to the throne. The Cyclops rulez and for once the muscle bound hero is presented with a monster that's quite worthy of his talents. Their battle is a doozie and actually somewhat graphic for it's time. You'd really have to be a cold heartless bastard not to get a kick out of it, and as usual the clever way it was filmed puts any CGI rendered special effects sequence depicting similar events to shame.

And as usual the big lummox of a hero rides off into the sunset at the end while the adoring crowds cheer his heroism & derring-do, something that quite frankly the world could use a bit more of these days. I'd encourage anyone with a love for fantasy adventure/action films to seek this baby out, and you can: It's available on one of those 50 Movie Packs called "The Warriors Collection" easily found on Amazon.com for a few dollars, featuring forty nine other movies more or less just like it, which would take you about two weeks of non-stop viewing to get through it. And people say getting snowed in sucks, I call it an opportunity for cheesy Euro man-beef fantasy indulgence with an exceptionally cool monster to boot. Ignore the crummy picture quality, pop a bucket of popcorn and enjoy!

8/10

"The people of Sadok are besieged by a terrible, man-eating, giant Cyclops that has ravaged the countryside and consumed many of its people. Atlas (aka 'Maciste') arrives at Sadok with the intent to defeat the monster and help the people, but is faced with another type of battle. The evil Queen Capys has set her sights upon Atlas and decides to try everything in her power to take him as her own. Now, Atlas must try to defeat two enemies as well as rescue the infant descendant of Ulysses from being eaten by the Cyclops," according to the DVD sleeve description.

Re-titled "Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops" for American consumption.

This Italian loincloth and sandals epic features the usual chesty performances. American-born Gordon Mitchell (as "Atlas" aka "Maciste") muscled in on the strong-man ("Hercules") bandwagon, and began his Italian movie career with this one. For the genre, the film isn't the worst; but, you'd be well-advised to begin by considering the average film of this type to be subpar. The most interesting appearance is that of "little Fabio" (as baby Agisander), who is reputed to be the same Fabio who found fame as a romance novel cover model and all-around 1990s celebrity.

*** Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi (3/29/61) Antonio Leonviola ~ Gordon Mitchell, Chelo Alonso, Vira Silenti, Fabio

Atlas Against The Cyclops finds Gordon Mitchell as Maciste battling the evil one eyed creature who together with the daughter of Circe is taking vengeance against the descendants of Ulysses. If you'll remember your classical Greek tales, Ulysses freed himself from Circe and blinded the Cyclops. Now their descendants are wreaking what they consider just desserts to the Ulysses family.

It might have gone all right for them except that Circe's evil granddaughter queen of Circe falls big time for Maciste and all those muscles. She forgets her mission with one look at the big guy.

There was a black body builder named Paul Wynter who was appearing in these peplums at the time and truth be told he was far better built than Gordon Mitchell. Why she was bothering with Maciste when she had Wynter's character Mumba in the palace is beyond me.

Still Maciste performs all the deeds required of him and even rides a horse into the sunset like a good cowboy hero would.

Nothing special here though.

Chelo Alonso is once again on hand in another cheesy muscleman movie. Sadly, she doesn't get to perform one of her seductive dance numbers in this one, an unforgiveable omission if there ever was one. As for the rest of the film, it's mostly Gordon Mitchell's show as he's asked to display his rugged physique in virtually every scene. Fun kitsch, even though Chelo was wasted.

This film was retitled to ATLAS AGAINST THE CYCLOPS when it was released in the United States, but our hero is still called "Maciste" in the film. In this one Maciste battles an assortment of bad guys and monsters including the cyclops of the title. Maciste rescues an infant from the cyclops before he dispatches with the one eyed menace.

As far these spear and sandal epics go, this one isn't too bad. It has enough action to hold one interest. It isn't as "talky" as many of the other bigger budgeted entries in the genre. Flashback scenes from this film turned in up in the later Maciste adventure, THE WITCHES CURSE which started Kirk Morris. I would like to see this film in colour, but for some reason all video versions that I have found are in B&W.