Le Géant à la cour de Kublai Khan

Not bad as far as peplum goes, with former Tarzan Gordon Scott plying his trade as Maciste (or Samson in the English dub), go-to man of steel helping a Chinese princess (Tani) return to her people after she's captured by the evil Garak (Severini) who then wages war upon the poor villagers and Monks to retrieve her and his pride.

Scott is capable and ably supported by French-Japanese actress Yoko Tani, while French beauty Helene Chanel belies her youth in a physically demanding role of the imperial turncoat who helps Maciste smuggle the Princess out of the fortified compound in which she's held.

Stuntwork is creditable and there's a chariot-execution scene in which big Gordo flexes his frame to save the heads of a few petty thieves, but otherwise, it's very much more of the same. As usual, the sets and costumes are lavish and if you're partial to peplum movies, then this Maciste instalment should be mildly entertaining.

Maciste or Samson in the court of the Great Khan is an amusing and entertaining muscle-men movie . This time our hero , the mightiest of them all , known as Maciste renamed Samson for Americans is in the 13th century battling a nasty emperor and Mongol warlords . The emperor of China besieged by the Tartars asks for help the chief of Mongols , but this one rules over the empire . The Mongol (Dante DiPaolo) supported by a wicked woman (Helene Chanel) and a hoodlum (Franco Ressel) kill the emperor and take care the sons . One time grown , the Mongol orders to close the daughter (Yoko Tani) in a convent and kill the son but he's saved by Samson (Gordon Scott) from a tiger . He very Earth itself shakes when our hero goes into battle . Meanwhile , Sanson or Maciste or Hercules helped by a rebel (Gabrielle Antonini) and the high priest (Valery Inkjinoff) must rescue a beautiful Chinese princess from a marauding horde of warriors .

¨Samson and the 7 miracles of the world¨ also titled ¨Goliath and the golden country¨ is an enjoyable sword and sandals movie with historical backstage , action , thrills , love , battles and spectacular scenarios. Being one of the best vehicles of its kind Italy ever produced . However , it contains a silly final in which Samson absurdly eliminates enemies by means a shaking . With the massive exterior sets, lavish interior sets and a multitude of Asian extras left over from ¨Marco Polo¨ by Piero Pirotti and Hugo Fregoneses , was realized this ¨ Maciste alla Corte del Gran Khan¨ , a good fashion sword-and-sandal/mythological Muscleman epic , placing hero Maciste in a Chinese setting . Genre specialist Riccardo Freda was brought in to direct, Gordon Scott was cast as Maciste (renamed "Samson" for the U.S. version) and Yoko Tani was kept on as the female lead . It became regarded as one of the better films of that genre . Gordon Scott is top-notch, as the historic hero who finds many dangerous situations while attempting save China and confronting several risks against the Great Khan . Strong and robust Gordon Scott was a magnificent muscle-man . He was one along with Ed Fury, Brad Harris, Kirk Morris, Reg Park, Mark Forest, among others, whom to seek fortune acting absurdly muscle mythological figures, but anybody topped Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott in popularity . He played other epic characters : ¨Coroliano hero without country¨ , ¨Gladiator of Rome¨ , ¨Hero of Rome¨ , ¨Hercules and Princess of Troy¨ , ¨Conquest of Micene¨ , though also made some Spaghetti as ¨The tramplers¨ and ¨Buffalo Bill ¨, Spy-genre as ¨Secretissimo¨and ¨Death ray¨ and of course his famous Tarzan movies as ¨Tarzan and the trappers ¨ .

Evocative and glimmer cinematography bu Pallotini . Stirring and imaginative musical score by Carlo Inocennci and in US version composed by Lex Baxter . The motion picture finely written by an usual Spaghetti Western , Duccio Tessari , is well directed by Riccardo Freda who used a number of aliases during his career, including Robert Hampton or George Lincoln and as screenwriter Riccardo Freda . Freda along with Vittorio Cottafavi continued to realize films in the historical-spectacular style , at which he developed a considerable skill and mastery . From the mid-50s Freda's liking make for atmospheric and colorful scenes of shock began to itself apparent , especially in such musclemen epics as ¨Teodora¨ , ¨Spartacus¨ , ¨Giants of Thessaly¨ , ¨The seventh sword¨ , ¨Maciste all's inferno ¨, the latter a gripping/horror Peplum and of course ¨Maciste in the court of the Great Khan¨, one of his best films . In the early 60s , he was a pioneer in Italy of horror-fantasy films frightening audiences the world over , especially with ¨I Vampiri¨ and ¨L'Orrible Segreto del Dottor Hitchcock¨ as he combined with that wide-staring of actress , the British-born Barbara Steele . He also made adventures as ¨Black Eagle¨ , ¨The son of Black Eagle¨ , ¨White devil¨ , ¨Son of D'Artagnan¨ , and uncredited ¨Daughter of D'Artagnan¨ ¨. From there he went to melodrama and spy films as ¨¨Mexican Slayride¨and ¨Coplan FX18¨ and even made some western as ¨No killing without dollars¨ with Mark Damon and signed under pseudonym as George Lincoln . Strong on visual style, Freda's movies had popular appeal , and were usually commercial hits . Several were French/Spanish/Italian or other European co-productions . He has been called a filmmaker "who brings some style to exploitation pictures", and has something of a cult following . Rating : 6 , acceptable and passable sword and sandals movie .

Gordon Scott as Maciste at the Chinese Emperor's court

Maciste was actually an invention of the Italian author Gabriele D'Annunzio. The hero from the history of Carthage, blessed with Herculean powers, first appeared on the screen in the Italian monumental silent film "Cabiria" (1914). Bartolomeo Pagano (1878-1947) became a silent film star with this role. When the Peplum craze began in Italy at the end of the 1950s after Steve Reeves' hit Hercules films, Maciste was virtually recycled as a hero. This time he was not only used in ancient Carthage, but wherever and whenever a muscle-bound hero was needed.

So it happens that in this film the American bodybuilder Gordon Scott (1927-2007) has to intervene in a dispute between the Mongolian Great Khan and the Chinese emperor. Since a size smaller is not possible, Maciste has to use his bearish strength to trigger an (all too ridiculous) earthquake. Yoko Tani, Gabriele Antonini and Helene Chanel can be seen in other roles. During those years, the Franco-Japanese actress Yoko Tani (1928-1999) was married to Roland Lesaffre, Marcel Carne's favorite actor.

Definitely not the best Italian-made sandal film, even if director Riccardo Fredda has cult status among fan circles.

SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD stars Gordon Scott as Maciste / Samson, the bipedal piledriver of the title. Set in China, those Mongols are up to mischief again.

Enter Samson, knocking over a tree, and tossing bad guys like dolls, before teaching a sedated -stuffed?- tiger a lesson. This allows him to save an abducted prince. Samson sets out to right the wrongs of Asia, finding ample opportunity to stand around shiny and shirtless in his red mini-skirt.

It's not long before Sam rescues a princess (Yoko Tani) as well! Needless to say, this involves swinging large objects, and tossing men around like packing pellets. Garak (Leonardo Severini), the Mongol leader, is not amused, and causes big trouble for Big S.

A thrilling adventure involving a hermit, death, and a dramatic resurrection unfolds, leading to the dynamite denouement, when Samson sends Mongols flying like dandelion seeds!

Entertaining throughout its running time, this movie rivals the Hercules epics!...

Its not high art but it is highly entertaining. One of the many retitled Maciste films about a muscle man who wanders the world and helps out people in need. This time he's in China and helps a country find freedom by literally ringing the bell of freedom. It has a couple of good fights, the hero saving men buried up to their heads from having chariots with bladed wheels from running over them and of course the classic causing an earthquake as he frees himself from his burial place in a mountain. It has exotic locals and takes itself just seriously enough that you can buy whats going on. If you get the chance try it.