Le géant de Thessalie

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

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.

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.

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...

Not the greatest movie of its kind, but far from the worst. Certain things are low points. Like continuity. Its so so. When a terrible storm hits the Argos you'd expect the deck to pitch and not be stable. As the movie moves from one part of the story line to the next certain things seem to be left out. But for the most part these things are nonessential and their lack does not make the thing hard to follow, so the loss is minimal. But the upside ... The sets and costumes are well done. The movie, despite the lack of continuity in spots, flows well and is easy to follow. The dubbing, this flick being Italian, is OK. Dubbing, I think, can never be better than just OK. When a person speaks in one language and then the thing gets dubbed in another, well, the mouths and words are never going to match up all that well. But the folks who did the dubbed voices did their job very well. They carry the emotions that go with the plot and characters very well. In fact thats probably the best aspect, technically speaking, of the whole film. The choreography is pretty good. Fights actually look, more or less, like fights. The one eyed monster is campy style cool. The plot is fair for a movie about Jason and his friends. Its not hard to watch. If you like this genre I think you'll enjoy this movie.