La battaglia di Maratona

Most of the other reviews are on target, I will limit myself to a couple of points needing consideration.

This was not intended as a muscleman-'sword & sandal' show, but a straight-ahead epic and a war movie. The reason this is easy to miss is because of the choice of Reeves for the lead. He actually tries hard to act in this film - but he has no capacity for it whatsoever.

In order to give him a chance to demonstrate this, the film gives Reeves an annoying romance that takes up half the film.

As an epic, the film is only half here, the second half, the battle itself. The battle sequences aren't bad at all, they are all technically correct, well mounted and nicely shot.

In fact, the visuals of the film are very striking, especially in the meetings with city elders trying to decide strategy. The print used for the DVD is an old TV copy, washed out and grainy; but remembering its original colors, and that it was made in wide-screen, a lot of this must have looked pretty awesome in theaters on first release.

However, visuals work best when the acting isn't important; besides the Reeves' problem, in fact only the central villain is performed with any gusto or skill. Everyone else walks around like cardboard on string. For the better actors involved, that may be partly because, with the exception of the romance, there's very little character-based drama involved here.

I suggest watching it for the battle sequences, and to forgive the damage done to it by the fortunes of poor preservation.

A momentous collaboration between two (past and future) masters of the horror genre which should perhaps have been made in that particular field, especially since the overall effect (as with most Italian low-grade epics) is somewhat juvenile - unlike either's best work - but also because there are no monsters involved (unlike, say, THE GIANTS OF THESSALY [1960])!

Steve Reeves and Sergio Fantoni make for an above-average hero and villain; Daniela Rocca fares a lot better here than she would do in COLOSSUS AND THE AMAZON QUEEN (1960); and Mylene Demongeot is one of the loveliest heroines in all peplums, evoking memories of the early Brigitte Bardot - who had herself appeared in a supporting role in HELEN OF TROY (1955), one of many film versions centering around another legendary Greek battle (among them THE Trojan HORSE [1961], starring Reeves himself and which I watched later on in my peplum marathon!).

The slow-starting film (which, thankfully, features no intrusive comic relief) eventually picks up with the impressive battle sequence, which occupies about half its length! Bava's camera-work is exemplary and his special effects are apparent in the over-the-top violence, particularly towards the end.

The story is set in 490 BC, during Medic Wars between Greeks and Persians .The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to begin at Marathon. Since the following two hundred years saw the rise of the Classical Greek civilization, which has been enduringly influential in western society, the Battle of Marathon is often seen as a pivotal moment in European history .The defeat at Marathon barely touched the vast resources of the Persian empire, yet for the Greeks it was an enormously significant victory. It was the first time the Greeks had beaten the Persians, and showed them that the Persians were not invincible, and that resistance, rather than subjugation, was possible. The battle was a defining moment for the young Athenian democracy, showing what might be achieved through unity and self-belief; indeed, the battle effectively marks the start of a 'golden age' for Athens. The film is inspired on facts but most events developed are fictitious . Having brought home to Athens the Olympic victor's laurel crown, Philippides (Steve Reeves) is proclaimed leader of the Athenian Sacred Guard , which is expected to defend the city-state of Athens, a year after the chasing of the tyrant Hippias. Athenian followers of Hippias ( uncredited Gerard Herter ) led by Theocrites ( Sergio Fantoni ) conspire and scheme a coup d'etat and a fiendish treason . Meantime , Philippides' heart is already taken by a young girl named Andromeda (a gorgeous Mylene Demongeot ), daughter of Creuso (Ivo Garrani) , one of the various conspirators. Everything personal is likely to be put on hold when the break news that the Persian King of kings Darius's ( Daniele Vargas) vast army is marching on Greece, hoping its internal division will make its conquest a walk-over. Hearless Theocrites reproaches Miltiades to hold back the sacred guard to defend the Pallas Atenea temple after a likely defeat, and proposes instead to negotiate terms with Darius, but is told an alliance with Sparta could save the Hellenic nation. At the same time, Athens's greatest runner, Pheidippides (or Philippides in some accounts by historian Herodotus) had been sent to Sparta to request that the Spartan army ( on of them results to be Sergio Ciani , or Alan Steel , another hunk man like Reeves) march to the aid of Athens. Philippides makes the trail and survives an ambush on his journey ; he goes back with Sparta's engagement during the Persian attack in far greater numbers on Militiades valiant troops. Charis (Daniela Rocca as the matronly sacrificial love interest) , left for dead after overhearing Darius's orders, reaches the camp to tell that the Persian fleet, now led by traitor Theocrites, is heading for Piraeus to take Athens. Miltiades (Albert Lupo) sends Philippides ahead to hold out with the sacred guard until his hopefully victorious Greek troops arrive . Under the guidance of Miltiades, the Athenian general with the greatest experience of fighting the Persians, the Athenian army marched quickly to block the two exits from the plain of Marathon, and prevent the Persians moving inland. Of course , the hero Philippides defeats Darius the Persian at the Battle of Marathon .

This Sword and Sandals movie contains adventures , thrills , a love story and hokey historic events dealing with the time of the Medic Wars in which Persian armies sweep the Ancient world , being defeated in Marathon . The picture is well starred by the bouncing Steve Reeves as the famous war-time messenger of the Battle of Marathon named Pheidippides.In 1957, Reeves went to Italy and played the lead character in Pietro Francisci's Hercules, a very low-budget epic based loosely on the tales of Jason and the Argonauts, though inserting Hercules into the lead role .From 1959 through 1964, Reeves went on to appear in a string of sword and sandal movies shot on relatively small budgets, and although he is best known for his portrayal of the Greek hero Hercules, he played the character only twice: in the 1957 film and its 1959 sequel Hercules Unchained (released in the US in 1960). He played a number of other characters on screen, including Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Glaucus of Pompeii; Goliath ; Tatar hero Hadji Murad; Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome (opposite Gordon Scott as his twin brother Remus); pirate and self-proclaimed governor of Jamaica, Captain Henry Morgan; and Karim, the Thief of Baghdad. Twice he played Aeneas of Troy and twice he played Emilio Salgari's Malaysian hero, Sandokan.

Screen-written by Ennio De Concini who wrote lots of Peplum , Giallo and Spaghetti Western . This film is colorfully photographed by the great Mario Bava who little time after launched his career as as a cult terror filmmaker . Atmospheric and evocative musical score by Robert Nicolisi . The Giant of Marathon (Italian: La Battaglia di Maratona) was regularly directed by Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava (Bava had to step in to complete the film) and in Italy signed it Bruno Vailati who actually was the producer .

What immediately catches the eye about THE GIANT OF MARATHON is the fact that it stars the one and only Steve Reeves, and is co-directed by none other than Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava! Bava would go on to direct HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD, arguably, the best of the many Hercules movies.

Reeves is larger than life as Phillipides, who, after watching two oily wrestlers batter each other, must take one of them on. He makes quick work of the bloated behemoth. Lusted after by the beautiful Karis (Daniela Rocco), Phil is actually drawn to the lovely Andromeda (Mylene Demongeot), who is sworn to marry the treacherous Teocrito (Sergio Fantoni).

Meanwhile, Phil's Greeks are at war with Persia, putting a crimp in his love life. Can he get the Spartans to join forces with Athens to defeat the Persians? And, what about Phil and Andromeda? Will these two kids ever get together?

One of the more sophisticated films of its type, it contains far less cheeeze than most such productions. It also puts more energy toward the historically-based plot, characters, sets, etc., instead of focusing on one sweaty fight after another. The battles are actually huge in scope, unlike the constrained, horseback slugfests in other, lesser movies.

Don't worry, Phillipides does get a chance to start an avalanche, complete with tumbling, sofa-sized boulders! He also helps his comrades set an ingenious trap for the Persian fleet! The ensuing battle at sea is quite impressive.

Highly recommended for lovers of the genre...

Fairly decent Greek epic starring none other than the great Steve Reeves.

I've first read about Steve Reeves in Arnold Swartzenegger's book that he was the first modern body builder with perfect body symmetry. This is the first movie of his I've seen knowing that it's Reeves who's acting on the screen. I may have seen his other movies without knowing that it was him, because I've seen many Hercules movies as a child, and he might have been in it.

I could see that he was a ground breaking talent who was good looking enough to be an actor even if he wasn't the Adonis that he was.

Do I dare say that the Italians knew how to make male exploitation films done in good taste ? Reeves' masculine beauty is highlighted to its max in this movie. I'm sure this was not accidental.

It's a pretty feel good movie, that's not a pure clash of the muscle men type of production.

Steve Reeves was all that he was said to be. A great natural body builder who also had beautiful appearance.