Maciste
Encyclopedia
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He cuts a heroic figure throughout the history of the cinema of Italy
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
from the 1910s to the 1970s, even if most of the movies that featured him are considered to be of poor artistic quality. He is usually depicted as a Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
-like figure, utilizing his massive strength to achieve heroic feats that ordinary men cannot.
Name
The name of Maciste ultimately comes from a sentence in StraboStrabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
's Geography (Book 8, Chapter 3, Section 21), in which he writes: — "And in the middle is the temple of the Macistian Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, and the river Acidon." The epithet Μακιστίος (Makistios, Latinized as Macistius) is generally understood to be an adjective referring to a town called Μάκιστος (Makistos) in the province of Triphylia
Triphylia
Triphylia was an area of the ancient Peloponnese. Strabo and Pausanias both describe Triphylia as part of Elis, and it fell at times under the domination of the city of Elis, but Pausanias claims they reckoned themselves Arcadian, not Elean. They fell under the rule of Elis in the 8th century BC,...
in Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
. However, in the first volume of the Dizionario universale archeologico-artistico-technologico (1858) Macistius is given as one among several epithets of Hercules (Ercole) http://books.google.com/books?id=xcceAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA607. In the second volume of the same dictionary (1864) this name appears Italianized as Maciste, defined as uno dei soprannomi d'Ercole ("one of the nicknames of Hercules") http://books.google.com/books?id=oMgeAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA914.
In the original draft outline of the 1914 film Cabiria
Cabiria
Cabiria is a silent movie from the early years of Italy's movie industry, directed by Giovanni Pastrone . The movie is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War . It follows a melodramatic main plot about an abducted little girl, Cabiria, and features...
by director Giovanni Pastrone
Giovanni Pastrone
Giovanni Pastrone, also known by his artistic name Piero Fosco , was an Italian film pioneer, director, screenwriter, actor and technician.Pastrone was born in Montechiaro d'Asti...
, the muscular hero's name had been Ercole. In the revised script, writer Gabriele d'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
gave the character the name Maciste, which he understood (based on the above or similar sources) to be an erudite synonym for Hercules. By later writers using the character the original etymology was generally forgotten, and a folk etymology was constructed based on the name's superficial similarity to the Italian word macigno "large stone"; in the first of the 1960s films, Maciste tells another character in the film that his name means "of the rock".
Cabiria
Maciste made his debut in the 1914 ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
silent movie
Silent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
classic Cabiria
Cabiria
Cabiria is a silent movie from the early years of Italy's movie industry, directed by Giovanni Pastrone . The movie is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War . It follows a melodramatic main plot about an abducted little girl, Cabiria, and features...
. Including this first one, there have been at least 52 movies featuring Maciste, 27 of them being silent films starring Bartolomeo Pagano, who played Maciste in Cabiria
Cabiria
Cabiria is a silent movie from the early years of Italy's movie industry, directed by Giovanni Pastrone . The movie is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War . It follows a melodramatic main plot about an abducted little girl, Cabiria, and features...
, and the other 25 being sound films produced in the 1960s. Cabiria was a story about a slave who was involved in the rescue of a Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
princess from an evil Carthaginian
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
who plotted to sacrifice her to the cruel god Moloch
Moloch
Moloch — also rendered as Molech, Molekh, Molok, Molek, Molock, or Moloc — is the name of an ancient Semitic god...
. The film was based very loosely on Salammbo
Salammbô
Salammbô may refer to:*Salammbô , the original novel by Gustave Flaubert*Salammbô , an unfinished opera, based on Flaubert's novel, on which Modest Mussorgsky worked between 1863 and 1866...
, a historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
, and had a plot and screenplay by Gabriele d'Annunzio.
Maciste's debut set the tone for his later adventures. Typical plots involve tyrannical rulers who practice vile magical
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
rituals or worship evil god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
s. Typically, the young lady who is the love interest runs afoul of the evil ruler. Maciste is a super-strong guy who must rescue her. There is often a rightful king out there somewhere who wants to overthrow the evil usurper. There is an obligatory belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
scene. There is often an evil queen who has carnal designs on the hero. These films, then, could be set in settings from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. His life story, or his origin in ancient Carthage, did not prevent him from appearing in later films in any setting from classical antiquity or modern times.
Bartolomeo Pagano's Maciste films
As a character, Maciste had two distinct moments in the spotlight. The first was in the Italian silent movie period, in which the original Maciste from Cabiria, the muscular actor Bartolomeo PaganoBartolomeo Pagano
Bartolomeo Pagano was an Italian motion picture actor.Before his cinema career, Pagano was a stevedore who worked at the port of Genoa. There, he was discovered and selected to play the role of Maciste, a muscular slave, in the silent movie classic Cabiria in 1914...
, starred in a series of at least 26 sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s over the period from 1915 through 1926. Then decades later, (following on the heels of the success of the two 1950s Steve Reeves "Hercules" films) Maciste was revived for a series of 25 sound films (all made between 1960–1965).
The Bartolomeo Pagano silent Maciste films established the character as someone who could appear at any place and at any time. Some of the earlier ones, made during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, had the distinct flavour of propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
, and cast the hero in the role of a soldier. Later films in the series return to fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, but the fantasy was not always mythological. Maciste appears as an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
athlete, in contemporary settings, or in the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
. His character and his plots remained consistent in whatever setting; he was a populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
Hercules, using his physical prowess to overcome the evil ruses of effete aristocrats
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
and authority figures.
Revival of the 1960s
The character was revived in the 1960s. In 1958, Steve ReevesSteve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
' Hercules
Hercules (1958 film)
Hercules is a 1958 Italian epic fantasy feature film based upon the Hercules myths and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The film stars Steve Reeves as the titular hero and Sylva Koscina as his love interest Princess Iole. Hercules was directed by Pietro Francisci and produced by Federico Teti...
, an Italian production, created a minor boom in Italian dramas featuring American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bodybuilders in vaguely mythological
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
or classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
subjects. Maciste was the hero in 25 of these films. Other films starred such heroes as Ursus, Samson, Hercules and Goliath. Maciste was never given an origin, and the source of his mighty powers was never revealed. Nor was he confined to one specific time period/setting since the films' settings moved freely from Biblical times to ancient Rome to the 18th century. This sword and sandal
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
fad continued for about six years, until the new fad for spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s took over the attention of the Italian cinema industry. The name Maciste was not in the title of the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
versions of most of these films: when these films were imported into the USA and dubbed in English, the hero's name was often changed to Hercules, Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
, Goliath, Atlas
Atlas (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Atlas was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens. Although associated with various places, he became commonly identified with the Atlas Mountains in north-west Africa...
, or Colossus, because the name Maciste was not widely recognised in the USA.
Some Italian sword and sandal films were not theatrically released in the USA; they premiered on American television in a syndication package called The Sons of Hercules
The Sons of Hercules
The Sons of Hercules was a syndicated Embassy Pictures television show that aired in the United States of America in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 Italian sword-and-sandal films by giving them a standardized theme song for the opening and closing titles, as well as a standard introductory...
, usually broadcast on Saturday afternoons. Best remembered for its stirring title song, films originally featuring Maciste were dubbed into a variety of different "Sons of Hercules" pictures, with stock narration at the opening attempting to tie the film's lead character in to Hercules any way they could. A number of Italian musclemen played Maciste in the 1960s films, but Mark Forest was the actor who played Maciste the most (7 times). Other actors included Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films of the Tarzan film series from 1955 to 1960.-Early life, education and military service:He was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland,...
, Reg Park
Reg Park
Roy "Reg" Park from Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, was a bodybuilder, businessman and film actor.-Biography:...
, Gordon Mitchell
Gordon Mitchell
Gordon Mitchell was an American actor and bodybuilder.-Biography:Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in his Denver neighbourhood to deal with his tough companions. During World War II he served in the U.S...
, Reg Lewis, Kirk Morris
Kirk Morris
Kirk Morris born Adriano Bellini. born 26 August 1942 in Venice is an actor and Italian bodybuilder. Unlike many of the actors who played strongman leads in the peplum and sword and sandal genre in the 1960s he was an actual Italian. He was discovered whilst working as a gondolier in his native...
, Samson Burke
Samson Burke
-Biography:Burke attended Baron Byng High School and McGill University where he earned a degree in physical education. He wrestled and swam for Canada in the 1948 Summer Olympics....
, Alan Steel, Richard Lloyd, Renato Rossini and Frank Gordon
Frank Gordon
Sir Frank Gordon was the Assistant Secretary to the Treasury and later the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury on the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister...
.
Influence
- Some authorities have made Maciste out to be a somewhat darker figure. The character is the enslavedSlaverySlavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
embodiment of physical strength and vitality; as he travels to exotic locations, particularly in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, he does battle against OrientalOrientalismOrientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
decadenceDecadenceDecadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society . Used to describe a person's lifestyle. Concise Oxford Dictionary: "a luxurious self-indulgence"...
and barbarismBarbarianBarbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
, as particularly embodied in the cult of Moloch that figured in the plot of Cabiria. It is certainly true that Cabiria tapped into Italy's celebration of its colonial adventure in LibyaHistory of LibyaThe History of Libya includes the history of its rich mix of ethnic groups added to the indigenous Berber tribes. Berbers, the bulk of Libya's population, have been present throughout the entire history of the country. For most of its history, Libya has been subjected to varying degrees of foreign...
, and that Maciste appears as the ideal slave, always longing to be re-united with his Roman master. - The Cabiria scene in which Maciste pushes a mill wheel for ten years seemingly inspired John MiliusJohn MiliusJohn Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures.-Early life:Milius was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elizabeth and William Styx Milius, who was a shoe manufacturer. Milius attempted to join the Marine Corps in the late 1960s, but was rejected...
, (interestingly, a self-admitted 'zen-fascist') who shot a similar one for his movie Conan the Barbarian (1982). - Federico FelliniFederico FelliniFederico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
credited the 1926 Maciste all'inferno as the movie that made him decide to become a directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. - The 1960s adventures have been enjoyed mostly by devotees of campCamp (style)Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
style. Two of the films, Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste (translated as Colossus and the Head Hunters) and Maciste e la regina di Samar (as Hercules against the Moon Men) appeared on the comedy television program Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
in the 1990s. In Colossus and the Head Hunters, the pronunciation of Maciste's name was frequently mocked as "my cheesesteak." - The legendary Belgian strongman John MassisJohn MassisJohn Massis was a Flemish bruiser and teeth-acrobat. His real name was Wilfried Morbee.Massis specialized in bending iron with his teeth. He also performed stunts where he lifted cars, pulled trains and stopped motorbikes and even helicopters and hot air balloons with his teeth. This resulted in...
based his pseudonym on Maciste.
The Silent Film Series (in chronological order)
- Cabiria (1914) introduced the Maciste character
- Maciste (1915) aka "Marvelous Maciste, the Giant of Cabiria"
- Maciste bersagliere ("Maciste the Ranger", 1916)
- Maciste alpino (1916) aka "Maciste The Warrior"
- Maciste atleta ("Maciste the Athlete", 1917)
- Maciste medium ("Maciste the Clairvoyant", 1917)
- Maciste poliziotto ("Maciste the Detective", 1917)
- Maciste turista ("Maciste the Tourist", 1917)
- Maciste sonnambulo ("Maciste the Sleepwalker", 1918)
- La Rivincita di Maciste ("Maciste's Revenge", 1919)
- Il Testamento di Maciste ("Maciste's Will", 1919)
- Il Viaggio di Maciste ("Maciste's Journey", 1919)
- Maciste I ("Maciste the First", 1919)
- Maciste contro la morte ("Maciste Vs Death", 1919)
- Maciste innamorato ("Maciste in Love", 1919)
- Maciste in vacanza ("Maciste on Vacation", 1920)
- Maciste salvato dalle acque ("Maciste, Rescued from the Waters", 1920)
- Maciste e la figlia del re della Plata ("Maciste and the Silver King's Daughter", 1922)
- Maciste und die Japanerin ("Maciste and the Japanese", 1922)
- Maciste contro Maciste ("Maciste Vs Maciste", 1923)
- Maciste und die chinesische truhe ("Maciste and the Chinese Trunk", 1923)
- Maciste e il nipote di America ("Maciste's American Nephew", 1924)
- Maciste imperatore ("Maciste the Emperor", 1924)
- Maciste contro lo sceicco ("Maciste Vs the Sheik", 1925)
- Maciste all'inferno ("Maciste in Hell", 1926)
- Maciste nella gabbia dei leoni ("Maciste in the Lions' Den", 1926)
- il Gigante delle Dolemite ("The Giant From the Dolomite", 1927)
The 1960s film series (in chronological order)
There were a total of 25 Maciste films from the 1960s sword-and-sandal revival (not taking into account the two dozen silent Maciste films made in Italy pre-1930). The first title listed for each film is the film's original Italian title along with its English translation, while the U.S. release title follows in parentheses. (Note how many times Maciste's name in the Italian title is altered to an entirely different name in the American title):- Maciste nella valle dei re/ Maciste in the Valley of the Kings (Son of Samson, 1960) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi/ Maciste in the Land of the Cyclops (Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops, 1961) starring Gordon MitchellGordon MitchellGordon Mitchell was an American actor and bodybuilder.-Biography:Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in his Denver neighbourhood to deal with his tough companions. During World War II he served in the U.S...
- Maciste contro il vampiro/ Maciste Vs. the Vampire (Goliath and the Vampires aka The Vampires, 1961) starring Gordon ScottGordon ScottGordon Scott was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films of the Tarzan film series from 1955 to 1960.-Early life, education and military service:He was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland,...
- Il trionfo di Maciste/ The Triumph of Maciste (Triumph of the Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Kirk MorrisKirk MorrisKirk Morris born Adriano Bellini. born 26 August 1942 in Venice is an actor and Italian bodybuilder. Unlike many of the actors who played strongman leads in the peplum and sword and sandal genre in the 1960s he was an actual Italian. He was discovered whilst working as a gondolier in his native...
- Maciste alla corte del gran khan/ Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan (Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World, 1961) starring Gordon ScottGordon ScottGordon Scott was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films of the Tarzan film series from 1955 to 1960.-Early life, education and military service:He was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland,...
- Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo/ Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World (Mole Men Vs The Son of Hercules, 1961) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/ Maciste Against Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Hercules in the Vale of Woe, 1961) a silly comedy/ satire which starred Kirk Morris as Maciste and Frank Gordon as Hercules
- Totò contro Maciste (Totò vs Maciste, 1962) starring Samson Burke; this was a comedy/satire (part of the Italian "TotòTotòPrince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò and nicknamed il principe della risata was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter...
" film series) and was never distributed in the USA; available only in Italian
- Maciste all'inferno/ Maciste in Hell (The Witch's Curse, 1962) starring Kirk Morris
- Maciste contro el sheik/ Maciste Vs. the Sheik (Samson Against the Sheik, 1962) starring Ed Fury
- Maciste, il gladiatore piu forte del mondo/ Maciste, the World's Strongest Gladiator (Colossus of the Arena, 1962) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste contro i mostri/ Maciste vs. the Monsters (Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Reg LewisReg LewisReginald "Reg" Lewis was an English footballer.Born in Bilston, Staffordshire, Lewis spent his entire career at Arsenal. He joined the club as a schoolboy in 1935, and scored on his debut against Everton on January 1, 1938. He made only four appearances in 1937-38, however, and as a result missed...
- Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste/ Maciste Vs. the Headhunters (Colossus and the Headhunters, 1962) starring Kirk Morris
- Maciste, l'eroe piu grande del mondo/ Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero (Goliath and the Sins of Babylon, 1963) starring Mark Forest
- Zorro contro Maciste/ Zorro Vs. Maciste (Samson and the Slave Queen, 1963) starring Alan Steel
- Maciste contro i mongoli/ Maciste Vs. the Mongols (Hercules Against the Mongols, 1963) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste nell'inferno di gengis khan/ Maciste in Genghis Khan's Hell (Hercules Against the Barbarians, 1964) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste alla corte dello zar/ Maciste at the Court of the Czar (Samson vs the Giant King, aka Atlas Against the Czar, 1964) starring Kirk Morris
- Maciste, gladiatore di sparta/ Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules, 1964) starring Mark Forest
- Maciste nelle miniere de re salomone/ Maciste in King Solomon's Mines (Samson in King Solomon's Mines, 1964) starring Reg Park
- Maciste e la regina de Samar/ Maciste and the Queen of Samar (Hercules Against the Moon Men, 1964) starring Alan Steel
- La valle dell'eco tonante/ Valley of the Thundering Echo (Hercules of the Desert, 1964) (aka in France as Maciste and the Women of the Valley) starring Kirk Morris
- Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, aka Combate dei Gigantes, aka Le Grand Defi, 1964) starring Renato Rossini as Maciste; This was more of a satire poking fun at the peplum genre
- Gli invicibili fratelli Maciste/ The Invincible Brothers Maciste (1964) starring Richard Lloyd as Maciste
- Maciste il vendicatore dei mayas/ Maciste, Avenger of the Mayans (no American title, 1965. This Maciste film was made up almost entirely of re-edited stock footage from 2 older Maciste films, Maciste contro i mostri and Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste. This movie is very scarce since it was never distributed in the USA and is not available in English.)
Jesus Franco "Maciste" films
In 1973, the Spanish cult film director Jesus FrancoJesús Franco
Jesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
directed two low-budget "Maciste films" for French producers: Maciste contre la Reine des Amazones (Maciste vs the Queen of the Amazons) and Les exploits érotiques de Maciste dans l'Atlantide (The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis). The films had almost identical casts, both starring Val Davis as Maciste, and appear to have been shot back-to-back. The former was distributed in Italy as a "Karzan" movie (a cheap Tarzan imitation), while the latter film was released only in France with hardcore inserts as Les Gloutonnes ("The Gobblers"). These 2 films were totally unrelated to the 1960s Italian Maciste series.
See also
- Sword and SandalSword and sandalThe Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
- PeplumPeplumPeplum originates in the Greek word for 'tunic' and may refer to one of the following:*A genre of Italian films also known as 'Sword and Sandal'*Peplos, a kind of women's garment in ancient Greece*Veil...
- SamsonSamsonSamson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
- HerculesHerculesHercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
- Sons of Hercules
- Steve ReevesSteve ReevesStephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
External links
- The Many Faces of Hercules at Brian's Drive-In Theater
- http://www.santoandfriends.com (Mexico's Hercules)