Le géant de Thessalie

Elaborate sets, imaginative monsters, bloody battles, and the usual quota of oiled hard-bodies fighting over sultry beauties, "Giants of Thessaly" is a coherent and well-produced entry in the 'peplum', or sword and sandal genre. Here, the evil Adrasto (Farnese wearing a great beard sans moustache) is plotting to overtake Thessaly and forcibly acquire the yummy-mummy Creusa (brief international starlet Rodann) as his wife, but must first persuade the kingdom that his cousin and rightful ruler King Jason (Carey) is not returning from his treacherous journey to recover the coveted golden fleece.

Jason and his argonauts battle a giant cyclops, a mysterious island of witches masquerading as beauties, and encounter talking sheep as they bumble their way to glory and return to Thessaly to find Adrasto on the brink of taking Creusa as his wife. It's formulaic but satisfying nonetheless. Carey isn't quite as ripped as his contemporaries Reg Park or Brad Harris, but he still seems to charm the ladies.

Some bloody battles (check out the guy with the arrow through his ears), a ubiquitous dancing scene and even a sermon on the virtues of first true love, there's surely something for everyone if you're prepared to ensconce yourself in this unique brand of Italian film-making.

This is an earlier version of the same events narrated in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), arguably the screen's finest mythological epic and Ray Harryhausen's magnum opus, and it's a reasonably intelligent and enjoyable retelling in which, surprisingly, even the comic relief works. Still, Roland Carey makes for a colorless Jason - but Massimo Girotti is a suitably morose Orpheus, though his contribution is minimal and was probably only featured for marquee value!

Though a subsequent effort - MACISTE ALL' INFERNO (1962) - proved a disappointment, Riccardo Freda's involvement here ensures that this is one of the better peplums, even if the result is rather static and hokey overall (particularly the cheap-looking Cyclops). Besides, Carlo Rustichelli's score - which may have been borrowed from some other film or was perhaps re-used, as it sounded oddly familiar to me! - is pretty good...

The tale of Jason and the Argonauts has understandably attracted a number of filmmakers over the years. I haven't seen every adaptation, but I am pretty sure that this particular one would be considered the dullest. The biggest sin the movie makes is that it's simply boring for much of the running time. There isn't a terrible amount of action, and the little action there is is at its best just routine. To be fair to director Riccardo Freda, the script didn't just give him little opportunity to try and add some excitement. The story plays like a Cliff's Notes look at Jason and company. The story starts in the middle of the quest, and the various adventures and encounters that we do get to see often feel rushed and/or missing key footage. Although this particular telling can be found cheaply (since it's in the public domain), you'd be better off spending a few extra bucks to view the much superior 1963 British movie "Jason and the Argonauts" instead.

Rare Peplum pearl featuring Roland Carey and Massimo Girotti

After his stint as a stuntman for Burt Lancaster in "Trapez" and a foray into German local films ("The Country Doctor"), the attractive Swiss actor Roland Carey (1933-2019) was ready for leading roles in the sandal films of the Roman film industry. Unfortunately, this film from 1960, which was only released in West German cinemas on March 6, 1964, didn't really hit the mark. Director Riccardo Freda (1909-1999) later distanced himself from his own work for unspecified reasons. Elements from the Jason and Odysseus epics were mixed too unfavorably.

Jason (Roland Carey), the King of Thessaly, sets off with his mentor (Massimo Girotti, 1918-2003) and his Argonauts to Colchis to search for the Golden Fleece. His wife Creusa (Ziva Rodann, born in Haifa in 1933) is left alone and has to fend off the intrusive advances of Adrastus (Alberto Farnese). The Argonauts (including Raf Baldassarre and the physically very impressive Greek bodybuilder Takis Kavouras) experience a number of adventures fighting monsters and beautiful women. On the island of the beautiful Queen Gaia (Nadia Sanders) the men experience their blue miracle. The lovesick young man Euristeus (Luciano Marin) particularly stands out. Ultimately, Jason manages to steal the Golden Fleece from the red giant. The men happily return to their native Thessaly, where they still have to defend themselves against Adrastus and his men. Victims are inevitable...

There is action in this film, but it lacks the necessary cohesion. The story is too thin, and apart from the great Massimo Girotti ("Ossessione" (1943), "The Last Tango of Paris" (1972)), the actors can't make up for it. Roland Carey also remains all too pale and can only score points with his outstanding looks. He didn't have a really big career in Rome, but he did make a few films.

Nevertheless: A thoroughly enjoyable pastime, and not just for genre fans!

The version I watched was very low quality (audio and video). Some of the scenes were too drawn out, but that is common in fantasy movies of the time. There were jumps in scenes which seemed hurried. Overall the movie felt too stretched out at times.

However the visual effects were the worst part of the film. I was expecting a lot more, but there are many movies which offer a much grander and spectacular look. The poor use of special effects made this an average movie.

The acting, dramatic and romantic was as good as could be expected. The costumes were pretty good too. Overall, an average movie