Hercules [Le fatiche di Ercole] *** (1958, Steve Reeves, Sylva Koscina, Fabrizio Mioni, Ivo Garrani, Gianna Maria Canale) – Classic Movie Review 922

Director-producer Pietro Francisci’s 1957 film Hercules [Le fatiche di Ercole], inspired by the Greek legend and the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius [Apollonius of Rhodes], is the first in an international hit series of Italian costume spectacles that recreates the adventures and (of course) labours of the famous demi-god Hercules (played by Steve Reeves). It is an exuberant and lavish production that made Reeves a world-famous box-office star, cast after Francisci had seen him in the 1954 MGM musical Athena.

Francisci is credited for the new story, which is basically a reworking of the legend of Jason (played by Fabrizio Mioni) and the Golden Fleece with a bit of added spice with the wicked queen Iole (Yugoslavian lovely Sylva Koscina). Hercules must perform a dozen feats of strength to free the peasants from the despot.

This entertaining and kitsch film is good-looking camp fun, though the special effects now look dreadful and the acting is wooden. Muscleman Reeves, the cast’s sole English speaker, is handicapped in the acting department by being unable to understand the other actors’ Italian dialogue, though he remains convincingly heroic looking and entirely likeable. Mario Bava’s widescreen Eastmancolor cinematography is an asset.

It became a huge international hit, thanks in part to American distributor Joseph E Levine paying more for promotion in the US than its Italian production budget.

It runs 104 minutes with the Retromedia DVD version at 98 minutes.

Also in the cast of thousands are Ivo Garrani as Pelias, King of Iolcus, Gianna Maria Canale as Antea, Queen of the Amazons, Gina Rovere as Amazon #1, Luciana Paluzzi as Iole’s maid, Arturo Dominici as Eurysteus, Gabriele Antonini as Ulysses, Aldo Fiorelli as Argos, Andrea Fantasia as Laertes, Fulvio Carrara as Castor, Willi Colombini as Pollux, Gino Mattera as Orpheus and Mimmo Palmara as Iphitus, Son of Pelias.

Hercules [Le fatiche di Ercole] is written by Pietro Francisci, Ennio De Concini and Gaio Frattini, in a screenplay loosely based on the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius [Apollonius of Rhodes], produced by Pietro Francisci and Joseph E Levine and scored by Enzo Masetti.

It was filmed at the Titanus Studios in Rome.

It is followed by the sequel, Hercules Unchained (1959), with Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina.

Reeves made 16 such pictures over the next decade, including The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) and The Giant of Marathon (1959). He died in May 2000, aged 74.

A series of 19 Hercules movies was made in Italy in the late Fifties and early Sixties, all sequels to the Steve Reeves Hercules, but each film was a stand-alone story unconnected with the others.

The Apollonius of Rhodes poem also inspired the 1960 The Giants of Thessaly [I giganti della Tessaglia (Gli Argonauti)].

Gianna Maria Canale (1927–2009) came second in the 1947 Miss Italia beauty contest, which was won by actress Lucia Bosé. In third place was film star Gina Lollobrogida. All three enjoyed substantial movie careers.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 922

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Yugoslavian lovely Sylva Koscina.