TERROR OF ROME AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES (1964), SAMSON AGAINST THE SHEIK (1961)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *naturalistic*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *sociological*

As noted elsewhere, most of the films that were marketed as "Son of Hercules" flicks had nothing to do with the Hercules legend, though at least one, ULYSSES AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES, really seems to be a straightforward teamup of the Lord of Ithaca with the Son of Zeus. The Italian title of this film, MACISTE GLADIATOR OF SPARTA, would suggest that it was originally a Maciste story given the "Hercules" association. However, there's nothing about the main character that resembles any version of Maciste I've seen. The hero, Poseidon of Sparta (Mark Forest) and he never seems supernormal in any way, despite having a small quantity of strongman-feats to his name. His standout accomplishment, that of out-wrestling a gorilla, verges on the uncanny. And yet, I never felt that he was really anything but a really strong guy, who happened to be a gladiator for imperial Rome.

The plot could be fairly called "Quo Vadis Lite." Poseidon's apparently had a dalliance with courtesan Livia (Elisabetta Fani) who's also the main squeeze of the current Emperor, whose name, if given, I have forgotten. To keep the Emperor from catching on, Livia is mostly confined to sending smoldering glances at the gladiator. This leaves Poseidon up for conquest by another woman, the beautiful but more vacuous Olympia (Marilu Tolo), who just happens to be one of the Christians being persecuted by Emperor Whoever. Inevitably, Poseidon has to choose to defend the Christians from their tormentors, and to forswear the "bad woman" for the "good woman."

Aside from the fight with the ape and the two comely actresses, the most terrifying thing about ROME is its banality.

The dubbed English movie SAMSON AGAINST THE SHEIK calls its hero Maciste in both the Italian title and in the English dub, but this alleged Maciste (played by Ed Fury) also seems like nothing more than a man of his time in 16th-century Spain. Since the opening mentions the expulsion of Muslims from Spain within the last century, the writers may have been thinking of the fall of the Emirate of Granada in the 1400s-- though aside from that initial setup, the film tries to be as ahistorical as possible.

Despite the expulsion of Muslims from Spain, armed conflicts continue to break out between the two groups. In one battle, the forces of a Spanish Duke invade a North African city and topple a religious icon there, a Sacred Obelisk. This irritates the ruler of the city, the "sheik" of the title-- though "sultan" might've been a better term than "sheik," since the latter term connotes a leader of nomadic Arabs. The Muslim potentate seeks revenge by invading the Duke's city in Spain and abducting his daughter Isabella (Gisella Arden) for inclusion in the sheik's harem. The Spaniards decide to send a covert rescue mission into the sheik's city, consisting of Maciste and an aide, one Antonio.

As with Poseidon in TERROR, Maciste's feats are impressive-- breaking various chains, lifting the huge Obelisk back into place-- and yet somehow, this version of Maciste also doesn't seem to enter the domain of the marvelous. By the way he ends up married to Isabella, this hero doesn't even share the usual Maciste-motif of leaving the girl behind as he moves on to his next adventure.

Again there are two pivotal female characters, and the Muslim one is actually sympathetic, in that she's in love with the sheik and helps Maciste rescue Isabella, just to cut down her competition. But the ladies are not as much on display here as in many other peplum flicks, and only the so-so feats of this makeshift Maciste sustain any interest.