Peplum Paradise Part 2: Italian Historical and Fantasy films from 1970 onwards.
This is a list of historical (set pre-1800) or historical-fantasy films produced or co-produced by Italy from 1970 until the present day - taking in the peplum porn cycle of the 70's and the 80's sword and sorcery revival.
The list is alphabetical using the most common English titles (where applicable), so the IMDb titles may appear to be all over the place alphabetically.
Hopefully this list is as complete as possible, but I would welcome any suggestions of titles I may have omitted.
I have included a few additional titles at the end of the main list which bear some relevance to the subject.
I will be updating the list regularly with new and expanded reviews and any new titles that I may discover.
Latest Updates:
Review: Scipio The African (1971)
Review: Lucrezia Giovane (1974)
Review: Salome (1972)
Expanded Review: The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983)
Review: Helen, Yes..., Helen Of Troy (1973)
If you want to be the first to know when my lists are updated then join my "Peplum Paradise" group on Facebook.
This list is a companion piece to
Peplum Paradise Part 1: Italian Historical and Fantasy films 1949-1969 (http://www.imdb.com/list/9zpI-Wdt6pU/)
Peplum Paradise Part 5: Animated Historical and Fantasy films 1949 onwards (http://www.imdb.com/list/XHCOctNtVqg/)
The list is alphabetical using the most common English titles (where applicable), so the IMDb titles may appear to be all over the place alphabetically.
Hopefully this list is as complete as possible, but I would welcome any suggestions of titles I may have omitted.
I have included a few additional titles at the end of the main list which bear some relevance to the subject.
I will be updating the list regularly with new and expanded reviews and any new titles that I may discover.
Latest Updates:
Review: Scipio The African (1971)
Review: Lucrezia Giovane (1974)
Review: Salome (1972)
Expanded Review: The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983)
Review: Helen, Yes..., Helen Of Troy (1973)
If you want to be the first to know when my lists are updated then join my "Peplum Paradise" group on Facebook.
This list is a companion piece to
Peplum Paradise Part 1: Italian Historical and Fantasy films 1949-1969 (http://www.imdb.com/list/9zpI-Wdt6pU/)
Peplum Paradise Part 5: Animated Historical and Fantasy films 1949 onwards (http://www.imdb.com/list/XHCOctNtVqg/)
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- DirectorRoger Gnoan M'BalaStarsRasmané OuédraogoAlbertine N'GuessanZiable Honoré Goore BiIn West Africa during the late 17th century, King Adanggaman leads a war against his neighboring tribes, ordering his soldiers to torch enemy villages, kill the elderly and capture the healthy tribesmen to sell to the European slave traders. When his village falls prey to one of Adanggaman's attacks, Ossei manages to escape, but his family is murdered except for his captured mother. Chasing after the soldiers in an effort to free her, Ossei is befriended by a fierce warrior named Naka.To be reviewed
- DirectorLuigi CozziStarsLou FerrignoMilly CarlucciSonia VivianiHercules searches for the Seven Thunderbolts of Zeus, which have been stolen by renegade gods.THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES
Daft as a brush sequel to Hercules (1983), with an opening sequence stolen from the ‘monsters from the id’ scene in Forbidden Planet. Lou Ferrigno, ridiculously pumped up, does battle with a man in a monkey suit and slime people in the best peplum tradition. Much more fun than it’s predecessor, largely due to a total lack of all vestiges of sense in the script and a non-existent budget. - DirectorAlfonso BresciaStarsAldo CantiMarc HannibalHua YuehThree men with supernatural powers interfere in a tribal warfare to prevent evil Amazons destroying the inhabitants of a village.AMAZONS VS. SUPERMEN
Would-be wacky, campy spoof which largely misses the mark, and the dreadful dubbed dialogue does nothing to improve matters, neither does a music score more suitable for a Benny Hill TV episode. Attempting to appeal to as many seventies markets as possible we have three heroes, one white and vaguely muscular, one black and more defined, and one oriental and scrawny, pitting their (lack of) combined strength and wisdom against a tribe of Amazons. Badly-coiffured leading man Aldo Canti had been one of the unheralded original ‘Ten Gladiators’ in the Sixties. Watch for men in drag standing in for female warriors in the medium-shot fight sequences, a standard practice in seventies Amazon films, but here even more glaringly obvious than usual. The friend I watched this with, who is not a peplum aficionado, found this one hilarious, so it’s possibly worth giving it the benefit of the doubt. - DirectorAngelo AntonucciStarsAnna AmmiratiSergio AssisiCristina CasaleThe film is based upon the true and tragic events, which took place in Naples in July 1647. The historical background are the misgovernment and fiscal oppression having aroused much discontent throughout the two Sicilies, at that time viceroyalty of the Spanish Kingdom. The population of Naples, exploited by the greedy viceroy, the Duke D'Arcos, lives in deepest misery and without any hope of altering their destiny until the appearance of Masaniello, an Amalfi fisherman, young, handsome and courageous. With the help of his friends and allies, known in jail he becomes the leader of the Neapolitan citizens during a violent riot beginning in the 7th of July at the city gates between the fruit-vendors of the environs and the customs officers. But the glimpse of radical change will not last for long. Through intrigues, corruption, blackmail and personal sorrow for his beloved Bernardina Masaniello will become rapidly insane. He is murdered 10 days after the outbreak of the riot while haranguing a mob on the market-place on the 16th of July 1647.
- DirectorLuigi Latini de MarchiStarsLuis La TorreKrista NellPierre MiratAli Baba's powerful uncle (Qadi) hates how his nephew visits many beds of the caliphate, and fetches a professor (Bahar) to set Ali Baba on the straight-and-narrow, but Ali humiliates the professor. Thinking Ali Baba is gay, Qadi's wife sets up a wedding, enlisting the help of a sorceress's magic potion to make Ali Baba fall for the selected woman (Ibidissan), but the bride-to-be falls for Ali Baba instead.THE AMOROUS NIGHTS OF ALI BABA
Wanted! - DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsNinetto DavoliFranco CittiFranco MerliIn ancient Arabia, a beautiful slave girl chooses a youth to be her new master, then she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories: love, travel and the whims of destiny.Maria Montez must have been turning in her grave when this was released! Pier Paolo Pasolini indulges his desire to shock by waving more erect penises at the audience than I’ve ever seen in a non-pornographic film, along with odd scenes of decapitation and animal cruelty thrown in for good measure. Visually the production looks more professional than most of the director’s works, and his cast of game-for-anything non-professional actors put on a good show and are a little more attractive than usual in a youthful, pretty way, which helps. The storyline doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, being little more than a series of patched together scenes (with no apparent relevance to the familiar tale one usually associates with the title), which every now and then go back to a semi-coherent back story, and it’s historical (and peplum) credentials are a little dubious, but it is nonetheless one of Pasolini’s most accessible films.
- DirectorJulio CollStarsElsa MartinelliVenantino VenantiniVíctor BarreraA dramatization of Alonso de Ercilla's 16th-century epic poem about the Spanish conquest of Chile.To be reviewed
- DirectorSteve CarverStarsMargaret MarkovPam GrierLucretia LoveWhen the Romans force a group of sex slaves to become gladiatrices, two such fighters - a Nubian dancer and a Gaulish priestess - form an alliance to lead the others in rebellion.Never one to miss a chance to cash in on an current cinematic trend, executive producer Roger Corman here combines the Amazon women gladiator genre with the women in prison pic, plus he throws in a naked Pam Grier to cater to the blaxploitation market. It’s all done in a knowingly tongue-in-cheek style which manages to combine a well-told story with the necessary gratuitous thrills expected by seventies audiences. Several Sixties peplum stars make appearances under strange pseudonyms, Rosalba Neri chewing the scenery as ruthless Cornelia whose effeminate husband Prisium (Silvio Laurenzi) buys the women for her as slaves, Daniele Vargas hamming it up hysterically as Timorrchus, a dithering voyeuristic host of gladiatorial games, Pietro Ceccarelli giving a surprisingly moving performance as the gladiator trainer with a heart, plus Paul Muller and Mimmo Palmara, who are wasted in little more than cameos. The catfight-cum-food fight is definitely a classic. Not one for the P.C. brigade, but most other sword and sandal and exploitation fans should find plenty to enjoy.
- DirectorWalerian BorowczykStarsMarina PierroMichele PlacidoMassimo GirottiYoung student Claudine has a dream in which the Roman student Cornelius, fascinated by the beautiful wife of the commander, attends lectures on the art of love of great Ovid. Ancient tragedy happens again in a few centuriesTHE ART OF LOVE
To be reviewed - DirectorAgnès MerletStarsValentina CerviMichel SerraultPredrag 'Miki' ManojlovicArtemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) was one of the first well-known female painters. The movie tells the story of her youth, when she was guided and protected by her father, the painter Orazio Gentileschi. Her professional curiosity about the male anatomy, forbidden for her eyes, led her to the knowledge of sexual pleasure. But she was also well known because in 1612 she had to appear in a courtroom because her teacher, Agostino Tassi, was suspected of raping her. She tried to protect him, but was put in the thumb screws...To be reviewed
- DirectorSergio SpinaStarsSamy PavelBarbara BouchetMarisa FabbriIn ancient Mauretania, the young Roman Lucius Apuleius and his friend Aristomene run into a series of misadventures.
- DirectorLaurent TirardStarsGérard DepardieuDany BoonEdouard BaerAsterix and Obelix travel to Britain to help Anticlimax, Asterix's Breton cousin, defeat Julius Caesar and the invading Romans.This fourth in the sporadic Asterix series has a weak plot and any semblance of historic accuracy is thrown out of the window with the inclusion of electric guitars, horse drawn red London buses and jeans, but despite these faults I found myself enjoying it. The comedy, and particularly the performances of Edouard Bear (a series newcomer) and Gerard Depardieu in the title roles, is a lot more controlled than in previous films in the series, and this works to the films advantage. Catherine Deneuve is an unlikely choice for British Queen, playing it more Elizabeth II than Boadicia, but not really having a lot to do. Unfortunately the complete mix of cultures from Roman times to the present is a silliness too far and a detriment to the film. If the series stretches to a fifth instalment here’s hoping it contains these performances with a less idiotic script.
- DirectorAlain ChabatStarsGérard DepardieuChristian ClavierJamel DebbouzeCleopatra, queen of Egypt, believes she can build a temple in record time and makes a bet with Julius Caesar. Her architect, however, needs the help of Asterix and Obelix to fight Romans who try to stop the construction.The second in the series, with a new director (Alain Chabat, who also plays Caesar), is a definite big improvement, with a lot more emphasis on verbal humour over physical (I think it also helped that a subtitled version was available to review). Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu return as the title characters, but give a lot more controlled performances this time around, while the opening up to different locations (Morocco doubling very impressively for Egypt) and the addition of new characters work in the films favour. The story concerns the Gauls going to Egypt to help Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci) build a palace for Caesar (Caesar’s Palace, geddit?) with the help of their magic potion. Still no masterpiece, the jokes have about a 50% hit rate, but that’s 50% better than it’s predecessor.
- DirectorClaude ZidiStarsChristian ClavierGérard DepardieuRoberto BenigniIn all of Roman territory, the village where Asterix and Obelix live is the only enclave that has not yet been dominated by the empire, thanks to the magic potion of the druid Panoramix. But Commander Detritus has a plan to change that.Live-action adaptations of beloved animated characters (Popeye, The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Garfield, etc.) tend to be, almost without exception, disastrous, but even in that pool of cess this dramatisation of the internationally known French comic dealing with the Gauls in the time of the Roman invasions lies near the bottom. Admittedly I did have to watch the English dubbed version (there being no subtitled version on the market), and there was not a single laugh to be had in the film’s entire length, but from the mugging hysteric performances I can’t imagine that the French original would be much different. The entire cast play it to the slapstick max, and while they all appear to have had a hell of a time filming it, unfortunately for the audience it’s more like a slow torture. Someone somewhere must have liked it however, since, to date, it has spawned three-rather sporadic-sequels.
- DirectorFrédéric ForestierThomas LangmannStarsGérard DepardieuClovis CornillacBenoît PoelvoordeThe Roman Brutus plans to marry Irina, the princess of Greece, but the Gaul Lovesix wants to prevent this from happening. To get her attention, his strategy is to win the Olympics, with the help of Asterix and Obelix.The third installment in the series arrived belatedly six years after the second with a rejuvenated Asterix in the form of Clovis Cornillac, two new directors, and lots of attractive CGI effects. The humour is on a par with the second film, meaning it’s watchable without being hilarious. A surprisingly effective addition to the cast is an aged and barely recognizable Alain Delon as a vain Caesar. The title just about tells you all you need to know about the storyline, and is certainly an obvious destination for the series if ever there was one. Fans of muscle should find plenty to keep them satisfied at the games.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsMiles O'KeeffeSabrina SianiRitza BrownThe son of Torren learns of his heritage, goes to avenge the deaths of his fellow villagers, and rescue his sister from the evil Dakkar and his spider cult.Highly enjoyable pile of old nonsense, where no matter how ridiculous things get, you must accept them because “it is written”. Veteran genre star Edmund Purdom, in one of the worst wigs ever (in this genre that’s really saying something), is Griba, guardian of the baby Ator. The baby grows up very rapidly to become Miles O’Keeffe, with full lacquered eighties hair and tatty fur shoulder pads. He is up against tarantula-loving Dakkar (played – surprise, surprise – by sixties peplum stalwart Dakar in silver eye shadow – notice the subtle spelling difference!), who is out to kill Ator at all costs because – well, “it is written”. Ator is aided and abetted by a baby bear (preferable at least to dwarfs and children), eighties peplum queen Sabrina Siani as an Amazon warrior called Roon, and Laura ‘Black Emmanuelle’ Gemser as a sorceress. This is so earnestly silly that I defy anyone not to like it, so good in fact that it spawned three sequels.
- DirectorJoe D'AmatoStarsMiles O'KeeffeLisa FosterDavid BrandonMuscle-bound Ator and his mute East Asian sidekick travel from the ends of the earth to save his aged mentor from the evil, mustachioed Zor.Following a hilarious caveman prologue and a lengthy budget-saving flashback sequence to what has happened in the previous film, Miles O’Keeffe is back in all his lacquered glory in the title role of this sequel to Ator The Fighting Eagle. What passes for a plot teams Ator with wizard’s daughter Mila (Lisa Foster) as they fight their way to save her father and free the people from classically camp evil villain Zor (David Brandon). Every bit as ludicrously enjoyable as is predecessor, though whoever was responsible for shooting most of the outdoor scenes with the sun behind the actors and no lighting hopefully never worked again.
- DirectorFranco CastellanoGiuseppe MocciaStarsDiego AbatantuonoRita RusicAngelo InfantiThe misadventures of Attila and his band of barbarians as they take up arms against the Roman Empire in their native Milano.This is a low-budget Italian slapstick comedy take on the life of Attila the Hun (Diego Abatantuono). Unfortunately (or maybe not) the only available prints are in Italian or German, so I watched the former. On a purely visual level the film is mildly amusing, with Attila and his band of half a dozen Huns, resembling a tribe of cavemen cum 80’s hair metal band, doing a lot of pratfalls and mugging wildly, with a habit of shouting loudly at each other for emphasis. This film apparently has developed a cult following in Italy where it seems to rate highly as a “so bad it’s good” classic, but I think you must need a good grasp of Italian to appreciate it since a lot of the humour reportedly centres on the characters accents, the subtleties of which are lost on a non-Italian speaker.
- DirectorMichele Massimo TarantiniStarsPietro TorrisiYvonne FraschettiMario NovelliA swordsman's wife is murdered by followers of the evil Goddess Rani. He vows vengeance upon the cult and journeys to the Ark of the Templars to get a magic crossbow that will help him accomplish his mission.BARBARIAN MASTER
Typical silly Conan-lite with plenty of breasts, buttocks and excessive gore. Pietro Torrisi is Sangraal, leader of a band of “peaceful people”, whom he leads into a fight and gets killed at the first opportunity, then teams up with Yvonne Fraschetti to go in search of the Golden Goddess (Sabrina Siani), in the hope that she can bring his massacred wife back to life. Erstwhile Maciste Brother Mario Novelli is barely recognisable from his sixties pretty boy heyday as Nanuk, the evil villain of the piece. The only original touch is giving the hero a wise oriental sidekick (Hal Yamanouchi), otherwise it’s just very average and very low budget all the way. - DirectorRuggero DeodatoStarsDavid PaulPeter PaulRichard LynchTwo twin barbarians seek revenge from the warlord who massacred their tribe and captured them when they were small children.THE BARBARIANS
This has a wonderful opening sequence, where a traveling circus of freaks and magicians is attacked on the road by some bandits (who look almost as peculiar as their victims), and after one of the strangest stand-offs you are ever likely to see, the survivors, including two twin boys, are taken into captivity. The boys are put into training as warriors, with the bizarre looking Dirtmaster (none other than Michael Berryman, from The Hills Have Eyes, who spends the entire movie laughing maniacally) as their trainer. The boys soon grow into muscle-bound barbarian warriors, Gore and Kadar (gloriously talentless Mongolic twin body builders The Paul Brothers in-sadly-their only peplum). This film is original, bizarre and completely bonkers, and surprisingly well made with obvious intentional, but not intrusive, humour. Director Ruggero Deodato, best known for Cannibal Holocaust, had started out his career as assistant director on numerous sixties peplums. - DirectorRenzo MartinelliStarsRutger HauerRaz DeganF. Murray AbrahamGerman Emperor Barbarossa will stop at nothing to conquer and build his empire. But a young man from Milan, along with his army of 900 men known as the Company of Death, is prepared to challenge the Emperor.Rather confusing tale of the German invasion of northern Italy, with so many flashbacks and flash-forwards that you never know where you are. Rutger Hauer, who if it wasn’t for the extremely obvious help of L’Oreal would be playing Barbabianca, plays ruthless German Emperor Barbarossa, while rent-a-baddie F. Murray Abraham leads the defense as an equally unpleasant Milanese lord. With nobody particularly nice to root for and the various Italian factions also fighting each other you soon give up caring who wins. Not content with being a mere historical mishmash, we also have nonsensical religious visions from an extremely annoying hysterical girl to contend with. That this was one of the few purely Italian historical pictures made in several decades is a truly sad reflection on a once great industry.
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsBernard-Pierre DonnadieuJulie DelpyNils TavernierIn Medieval France, a warrior returns home after four years of war and captivity. It is his delicate daughter who must deal now with his rage and frustration.BEATRICE
To be reviewed - DirectorAlfonso BresciaStarsLincoln TateLucretia LovePaola TedescoA tribe of vicious female warriors terrorizes the countryside, and especially the males, until one day the men and some local villagers decide to fight back.BEAUTY OF THE BARBARIAN
This looks like it was made by a bunch of amateurs on a budget of 10p with costumes from Oxfam, a score stolen from Goldilocks and a script written by monkeys. This mess is pretty shocking considering that Alfonso Brescia was director or assistant director for quite a few 60’s peplums. Every Amazon cliché in the book is thrown into the pot with no thought whatsoever of creating a cohesive storyline. As for being so bad it’s good, it does have it’s moments (obvious male stunt doubles for the female warriors), hence the second star, but there are far better bad/good movies out there, this one’s just completely inept without even much of the requisite nudity and gore of other seventies productions to sell it. - DirectorSergio SollimaStarsKabir BediCarole AndréMel FerrerEmilio Roccanera, Lord of Ventimiglia, becomes a corsair in the Spanish Main and is driven by revenge against Duke Van Guld, Governor of Maracaibo, who killed his brothers.THE BLACK PIRATE
For a few years in the late seventies, following the success of the Sandokan series (with which this one also shares the same director, editor and composer), Indian star Kabir Bedi was the go-to man if you wanted a likeable not-terribly-muscular star for your low budget peplum. The pretty straightforward plot has the Black Pirate (Bedi) swearing revenge on Duke Van Guld (Mel Ferrer), the man responsible for the death of his family. Along the way he picks up pirate-in-training Morgan (Angelo Infanti, in the role made famous by Steve Reeves) and unknowingly falls in love with Van Guld’s daughter, Honorata (wet blanket Carole Andre). On this showing Bedi is big on smouldering looks and handy with a sword, which is enough to see him through. Otherwise the storyline, production and badly-dubbed performances offer nothing out of the ordinary. - DirectorLorenzo Gicca PalliStarsTerence HillSilvia MontiJorge MartínCaptain Blackie conceives a plan to acquire a shipment of Spanish gold after he discovers about it when he stumbles upon Don Pedro. Three other pirate captains want the gold for themselves and try to foil Blackie's plan.BLACKIE THE PIRATE
The piratical genre should have been a natural for the buddy team of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, particularly since Hill cut his teeth in a multitude of 60’s peplums back when he was plain old Mario Girotti. This is an amiable atypical pirate romp, but rather slow moving and moody, with the duo somewhat subdued. Surprisingly it’s blonde haired, blue eyed Hill who plays the title role, with the main plot centring around him buying feisty Countess Isabel (Silvia Monti), so he can ransom her at a profit. Watchable enough, but could have been better.