Os Argonautas

THE GIANTS OF THESSALY is one of the better PEPLUM films made during the PEPLUM/Musclemen/Sword & Sandal explosion of the the late 50s/early 60s. The assured hand of Riccardo Freda keeps it going even if there are some weak spots in it, the weak aspects being the acting (there's a scene with an actress tied to a rock and her acting is pitiful) and some cheesy sets and effects. But the bad aspect of this film do not diminish the entire overall effect and it's pretty cool. British actor Roland Carey makes a nice change over the usual Steve Reeves or Mark Forest or Gordon Scott. Physically, Roland is imposing. He looks tall and built but not too built like a body builder. His physique is believable. Roland plays Jason and the story is basically the quest for the Golden Fleece (part of this story was already incorporated in HERCULES(1958) ).

He leads a boat filled a beefy crew and they got through a bunch of great and not so great adventures, culminating with the finding of the Golden Fleece. The scene when Roland Carey gets the fleece is one of the greatest moments ever made in a PEPLUM. From the boat, to climbing up a cliff that leads to the statue where Jason as to climb all the way to the top of the statue to retrieve the fleece is simply amazing. Combined with the rousing score (one of the best and most familiar scores in any Sword & Sandal) and you have a brilliant scene. It makes the movie and Riccardo Freda's direction really shines here.

The DVD available in the US is of terrible quality. I've seen a clear fully widescreen HD version and it's amazing. The US DVD doesn't do it justice.

And to those who think this is nothing more than a weak rip-off of the Ray Harryhausen version of Jason & the Argonauts, well THE GIANTS OF THESSALY was made 3 years before the Harryhausen flick.

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.

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

Pretty average spectacle of the crank 'em out kind that showed up every weekend when I was about six or seven.

Mickey Hargitay musta been busy greasin' up his biceps or frolicking around with Jayne and Reeves wanted good money so they opted for Roland Carey who despite a decent chest is very colorless and blah.

The plot is as thin as pizza but serves well for the usual blend of fight,flounder and flex.

TO it's credit there is some good fantasy music,a hilarious one eyed gorilla,a wacky witch and the requisite harem dance.

If you got some pals that are good with the MST3K style of back talk you'll have plenty of fodder here.Fans of SOuth Park will hardly resist a remark or two about Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride.

If your a fan ,check it out otherwise forget it unless you want something to clear the kids out of the room.

Rare Peplum pearl featuring Roland Carey and Massimo Girotti

After his stint as a stuntman for Burt Lancaster in "Trapez" and a foray into German local films ("The Country Doctor"), the attractive Swiss actor Roland Carey (1933-2019) was ready for leading roles in the sandal films of the Roman film industry. Unfortunately, this film from 1960, which was only released in West German cinemas on March 6, 1964, didn't really hit the mark. Director Riccardo Freda (1909-1999) later distanced himself from his own work for unspecified reasons. Elements from the Jason and Odysseus epics were mixed too unfavorably.

Jason (Roland Carey), the King of Thessaly, sets off with his mentor (Massimo Girotti, 1918-2003) and his Argonauts to Colchis to search for the Golden Fleece. His wife Creusa (Ziva Rodann, born in Haifa in 1933) is left alone and has to fend off the intrusive advances of Adrastus (Alberto Farnese). The Argonauts (including Raf Baldassarre and the physically very impressive Greek bodybuilder Takis Kavouras) experience a number of adventures fighting monsters and beautiful women. On the island of the beautiful Queen Gaia (Nadia Sanders) the men experience their blue miracle. The lovesick young man Euristeus (Luciano Marin) particularly stands out. Ultimately, Jason manages to steal the Golden Fleece from the red giant. The men happily return to their native Thessaly, where they still have to defend themselves against Adrastus and his men. Victims are inevitable...

There is action in this film, but it lacks the necessary cohesion. The story is too thin, and apart from the great Massimo Girotti ("Ossessione" (1943), "The Last Tango of Paris" (1972)), the actors can't make up for it. Roland Carey also remains all too pale and can only score points with his outstanding looks. He didn't have a really big career in Rome, but he did make a few films.

Nevertheless: A thoroughly enjoyable pastime, and not just for genre fans!