Os Filhos do Trovão

The screenwriters do not seem to take this story seriously;neither does Giuliano Gemma ,who dyed his hair in blond (?),and whose dynamism and good humor save the movie from absolute tedium.The writers cash in on all sides,from Oedipus's curse to the Cyclop;we even catch a glimpse of Prometheus (ouch!my liver!) and the gorgon in a cock and bull story.The rest of the cast includes Italian Beauty Antonella Lualdi ,with a hideous hairdo and Jacqueline Sassard,who disappears from the screens after Chabrol's "les Biches " -she remains one of the French cinema biggest mysteries:what happened?some even said ,without any evidence,that she was dead;see for that matter the site "Etoiles Filantes"-and who is very good-looking (and good natured in the film,for she falls for the hero,in spite of his macho words about marriage).Serge Nubret ,who plays the dumb gladiator, was a famous body builder and he passed away recently.

If you do not want to think too hard.....

Giuliano Gemma, another of the innumerable sons of Jove, wind sup wooing Antonella Lualdi, defeating the evil king Pedro Armendariz, and generally having a good time in this light-hearted peplum movie.

Anyone who went to see the American version expecting an outright comedy was bound to be disappointed; Mel Brooks directed the trailer for the movie, and it's a lot sillier than the actual movie. But then, swords-and-sandal flicks are rarely known for their depth. People went to see them for the combination of pretty girls in short chitons, and body builders dressed likewise. Even so, this movie never takes itself seriously, with Gemma being less musclebound and more clever than your average hero.

Delightful sword and sandals comedy!

First and foremost, this is a comedy masquerading as and action fantasy. So, don't take it too seriously. Giuliano Gemma owns the screen as our hero, Krios. He is charming and incredibly likeable. Serge Nubret is his sidekick, and he is so ripped his muscles have muscles. Jacqueline Sassard is the breathtakingly beautiful love interest that needs to be rescued not once but twice.

The plot is really just a series of excuses to setup funny adventure scenarios. There are many references to ancient Greek and/or Roman gods and legends. There's a gorgon and a cyclops and some ancient depictions of hell. It's a good time!

"Arrivano i Titani" is an Italian-made sword & sandal epic filmed by Duccio Tessari that would also be responsible for some westerns and even giallos.

It's a very entertaining film that tells a story extracted from the Greek mythology: King Cadmo (Pedro Armendariz), by his crimes and presumption, has provoked the wrath of the gods. They warned him through a messenger that the first time his daughter fell in love he would die, and it would be no use killing her, because in the minute her heart stopped beating, he would be no more. So Cadmo brings up his daughter Antiope (Jacqueline Sassard) in reclusion - she is destined to be a priestess in a temple. She has never met a man in her life.

Meanwhile one of the Titans (chained to the rocks in a cave of a mountain because of their rebellion against Jupiter) is released. He is Krios (Giuliano Gemma). His mission is to punish King Cadmo. Krios is divested of his divine powers - he's now a simple mortal and can only rely on his wits to succeed. If he's successful, he and his brother Titans will be forgiven......

"Arrivano i Titani" manages to mix action, fantasy, humor and even a naive sensuality and romanticism. Unlike the American epic films in which pretty women represent either sin or innocence, "Arrivano i Titani" (like other Italian epics) celebrates the joy of the senses - beautiful women and landscapes, ribald humor, action scenes that sometimes resemble circus acts and a joyous soundtrack that looks like a parody of "The Bridge on the River Kwai".

"Arrivano i Titani" was made on a low budget (if you compare it with the American epics), but it's certainly more creative and free than its American counterparts.

To begin with, this was another early TV recollection though I recently saw snippets from it on the "Stracult" Italian TV program. The film cemented handsome and likable Giuliano Gemma's leading-man status, but also marked his first of a long-running and felicitous collaboration with the director that spanned 9 films (not counting the recently-viewed MESSALINA, IMPERIAL VENUS {1960} which Tessari only co-scripted and where the star had a small part). After looking high and low for a copy of the film (a recent Cable TV screening was obviously in Italian and widescreen but reportedly proved problematic), I landed a pan-and-scan edition of the English-dubbed version; still, being in a peplum frame-of-mind, I thought better of revisiting it in this manner rather than wait for a more congenial edition and which may never even happen!; incidentally, the English title is quite lame (the original translates to HERE COME THE TITANS). Anyway, while I had anticipated a low-brow and comedy-oriented offering, it emerged a superior and reasonably stylish genre effort.

The narrative involves the titular band, banished by the Gods who were jealous of their superhuman strength but now called upon to cut ruthless King (and self-proclaimed deity) Pedro Armedariz – making for a dry-run to his similar invulnerable character in the above-average and effects-filled fantasy-adventure CAPTAIN SINDBAD (1963) – down to size! He has killed wife Jacqueline Sassard in order to marry Antonella Lualdi (interestingly cast as a villainess but then served a dismally underwritten part!); the King is nonetheless bound by a prophecy which dictates that he is doomed to die when the child (also played, delightfully, as a grown-up by the waif-ish yet gorgeous Sassard) falls in love – so, when he tries to kill her, the Gods add another clause, as it were, that he will himself perish instantly if the girl does!; therefore, he tries to work his way around this by locking her up…only, when she reaches the age of 18, Sassard is to be presented as a Vestal Virgin to the Gods. It is in the temple that she happens to come face to face with Gemma – sent to pave the way for the Titans' 'atonement' in view of his cleverness and agility – since, at the time of the ceremony, he is a prisoner in the dungeons below (having deliberately insulted the King so as to be taken before him and lead his soldiers on an acrobatic roof-chase!) and decides to take a look!

To cut a long story short, he becomes a sort of gladiator (though the bouts take place indoors and only consist of wrestling matches) where he triumphs over his opponent by rubbing himself in oil and slipping his grip at every turn(!) and eventually wins favor with Armendariz (which naturally allows him to get close to his love); still, the latter turn-of-events obviously does not please the King and Gemma finds himself at the receiving end of his ire. Rallying support from some of his old prison/arena colleagues and later joined by the liberated and spoiling-for-a-fight Titans themselves, we get to the climax which sees Armendariz being literally whisked all the way down to Hades when the earth opens up beneath his feet…and Sassard is now left to govern the people of Crete with Gemma at her side. The highly-entertaining film (running for a hefty but fast-paced 111 minutes) looks very nice despite the misframing and is further blessed with a bouncy score by the ubiquitous Carlo Rustichelli (he has scored the lion's share of the peplums I watched throughout the month!).