Hércules Contra o Filho do Sol

So there's this mythical strongman, see, and he likes sailing the seven seas with his Greek buddies. One day a big storm comes along and WHAM: they're shipwrecked and get washed ashore in sunny South America! Everyone dies except Hercules who get's rescued by the natives who enlist his aid in overthrowing the local tyrant. There's some wacky homoerotic ritual sacrifices and lots of battle sequences, and to top it all off, the film ends with some spectacular travelogue footage of snowcapped Peruvian mountains and a llama! WOW!

Hercules, after sailing global waters is eventually shipwrecked in South America. After losing his Greek shipmates, Hercules is attacked by Atahulpa's men and saved by Prince Maytha (Giuliano Gemma) whose father, Huascar, has been deposed from the Inca throne by his tyrannical brother Atahualpa.

Gemma and a group of rebel Inca warriors stage an uprising, with the help of Hercules. Enlisted to overthrow a tyrannical king in the land of the Incas.

Featuring scenic views of the mountains of the Andes, Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun features Mark Forest as Hercules who does what he does best, flexes his muscle, coming to the aid of a princess who is about to be sacrificed - the difference is that he's transported to the Inca empire, and of course the timeline is off, but it's fairly decent peplum, if a little predictable and slow moving- the latter fits the dreamlike feel, and I have to say that there's a solemn attempt to evoke the Inca world- which hasn't been portrayed many times on celluloid. Plus some good action, especially in the finale featuring a war machine on wheels. The battle lasts around eighteen minutes. Good always prevail over bad at the end. Just turn off your historical accuracy radar and see it as a fantasy pic and you should find some heroic joy in it all.

HERCULES AGAINST THE SONS OF THE SUN stars Mark Forest as everyone's favorite slab of massiveness. Taken into an Inca village, Hercules finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between the rightful Inca prince and those who've usurped the throne.

Not surprisingly, there's a multitude of cruelly oppressed people that Herc must set free. There's also the obligatory "test of strength". There's a quest as well, when he must rescue the prince's sister from being sacrificed. This gives him more chances to move more boulders, while sporting the latest in Inca wear.

This all leads to the final battle, complete with Inca war machines! Big H leads the rebels against the ne'er-do-wells. Arrows fly while Hercules tosses men around like balls of lint!

Another enjoyable, heroic yarn...

This peplum, set in Inca country, is one of a handful which tried to give novelty to the tired formula by changing the locale (or the era) in which they were set: similarly freewheeling entries in the genre took place in China (including Riccardo Freda’s SAMSON AND THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD [1961]), another in full 17th Puritan atmosphere (THE WITCH’S CURSE [1962], coincidentally also by Freda), etc.

However, it’s not enough to alter the background if the plotting remains the same old juvenile nonsense! In this case, Hercules is shipwrecked and immediately clashes with the locals yet helped by their rivals (led by Giuliano Gemma, still a year away from attaining genuine stardom with the first Ringo Spaghetti Western). Apparently, for all their architectural know-how, the Incas are still a backward people when it comes to warfare (given the surprising number on display here, they’re seemingly more interested in raising llamas than anything else) – so that it takes Hercules to update their weaponry and organize the surprise attack on the usurper!

As always, the faded pan-and-scan print and English dubbing do the film no favors – but it’s hurt all the more by a threadbare narrative (which extends merely to a princess being rescued from the sacrificial altar, naturally falling for the strapping foreigner at first sight, and the obligatory battle at the climax) padded with a couple of idiotic dances (which are interminable, to boot), and lifeless handling. Incidentally, the Hercules in this one – Mark Forest (who had already played the role in Vittorio Cottafavi’s minor but delirious GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON [1960]) – is atypically clean-shaven: apparently, the film-makers thought his customary bearded look would jar with the generally exotic ambiance!

For the record, I was unfamiliar with director Civirani or, for that matter, leading lady Anna Maria Pace – the former’s work here doesn’t indicate anything more than a journeyman talent but the latter, at least, has the (agreeably darkened) looks to counter a rather stilted performance! Another ‘fault’ I regularly notice in this type of low-brow entertainment (but which, more often than not, translates into a fun booster for the viewer) is that the action sequences tend to come across as unintentionally comical – in the enthusiasm, or lack thereof, displayed by the extras or stunt people!

Hercules gets shipwrecked on the western coast of south America and meets the rightful ruler of the Inca Empire. Hercules teaches the Inca warriors how to build war machines such as a giant siege tower that they use to take back their kingdom. Giuliana Gemma plays the rebel prince. Gemma became a big star in the Spaghetti Westerns and the producers of this movie changed all of their posters to show Gemma as the star and not Mark Forest. The entire story is a bit far fetched but the over all action and battles are very enjoyable. I recommend you see this entry into the Hercules franchise.