Ercole sfida Sansone

TCM often shows films not available on video, and this, such a film, is most interesting.

As the sword and sandal craze dwindled this was unloaded onto the matinée market by MGM in 1965. Strongman Kirk Morris plays the lead Hercules, assisted by crafty Ulysses and equally powerful Samson against the evil ruler of Gaza.

This is actually a weirdly absorbing movie, as I found myself wanting to see it to the conclusion. The plot is rather complex, with double-crosses, duels to the death and some attractive scenery. As is to be expected, dubbing makes all of the action somewhat hard to follow. The larger-than-life characters are acted with gusto. I hope we see a DVD of this someday...

Two mythological heroes collide when Hercules and Samson team up, with an assist from Ulysses, to tackle the diabolical king of the Philistines and his minions. Along the way, Herc does battle with a hideous sea monster (aka: a big seal), a rather confused buffalo, and a languid lion. Meanwhile Sam dazzles the Philistine army with his astonishing spear-throwing prowess.

When these two titans finally meet, it's an all out, boulder-tossing, pillar-demolishing showdown! Then, they're off to crush the Philistines and their odious ruler in the ultimate battle royal!

If you're a fan of these muscleman epics, then you should love this. The Styrofoam boulders fly like... well, Styrofoam, and there's enough body oil used to fill an Olympic swimming pool!

Watch for the astonishing Delilah (Liana Orfei) and her magnificent dance routine!

SIDE NOTE: Check out the helmets on the Philistine soldiers. They're repurposed German helmets from some World War II movie! They take you out of the movie so completely, it's like watching something from Mel Brooks! Absolute brilliance!...

There is some real nostalgic support for this movie, but I think it's misplaced. On the positive side, from time to time you come across some very nice looking sets. The palace exterior and interiors are truly impressive. It's too bad they weren't used in a movie that makes any sense. It's pretty clear that even in the original language, the actors chewed the scenery without mercy.

But I didn't see it in the original language. The dubs are hideously bad. It doesn't help that the dialogue is as wretched as it gets. Real Junior High School level writing, if that good.

Okay, so we have bad acting, bad dubbing, bad dialogue, what else? The story itself is just stupid, despite Samson's mad spear-throwing skills, where the same two soldiers on horses fall down with every double spear throw. LOL.

In the 1960's in the U.S.A. the director of this last sword and sandal film called " Hercules, Samson and Ulysses " was the first to adapt the early Greek myths to the silver screen. The movie went on to be copied again and again. By this final installment Steve Reeves was replaced by a look-a-like Kirk Morris for the Strong Man, Hercules. As for his Judean rival the director choose Richard Lloyd to play the biblical hero. Enzo Cerusico plays the young Ulysses as they set out to confront a gigantic monster in Greece. However, a storm lands them in the Lavant and the land of legendary strong man who battle the Philistines. The movie is expected to follow the earlier films like Hercules and Hercules' Unchained. Instead the director who also wrote the story consigns himself to pairing the two strongmen and their young protégé against the The Philistines and his ally Dalila (Liana Orfei). Delighful as the movie is, audiences keep expecting ,much, much more than is offered, only to be disappointed. Still, the movie is interesting fare for a lazy summer's day. Despite all, it's still enjoyable but relegated to the shelves as a 1960's Classic. ****

This must have been towards the end of the Italian musclemen "epics". As the title shows, the list of characters includes just about everyone. The Hercules and Samson are the blockheads you would expect, but Ulysses, true to his origin in Homer, is a wily and engaging character, who makes fun of the others while solving their problems. I remember this example of the "sword & sandal" school with affection because the script and the acting do show a really entertaining sense of humour.