By 1964 and 1965, the popularity of the Italian peplum film was definitely waning. The cycle had started in the late '50s, when powerhouse Steve Reeves had inspired countless imitators to produce their own muscleman movies. Seven, eight years later, tastes were changing and the then-new spaghetti western – popularised by the appearance of Clint Eastwood on the block – was set to become the new craze in Italian cinema. So, in the dying days of the peplum, a team of American producers – headed by Joseph Levine, who produced HERCULES, the Steve Reeves film that kick-started the craze – and decided to travel to Italy and shoot this, the pilot episode of a planned peplum television series. Needless to say, no TV channel bought the rights to the pilot episode and the idea was quickly forgotten. The only evidence remaining of the idea is this, a 47-minute peplum movie that looks exactly the same as Italian flicks from the period – except without the bad dubbing and with more US actors than usual.
HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY is a rip-roaring adventure and one I loved every minute of. I admit, I adored this film. Because it's less than fifty minutes long the pacing is super-fast and there's a ton of action and adventure packed into the running time. Hercules battles against evil pirates, corrupt soldiers, and is imprisoned in a hole in the ground. He undertakes strongman tasks – pushing a broken mast upright, knocking down a pillar of rock in an underground cave, and climbing up the interior of the hole he's trapped inside. On top of that, he has time for a little romance with a princess (Diana Hyland, who isn't as beautiful as one would have hoped) and is able to train the Trojan Olympic team. The producers went hell for leather with their plot ingredients, throwing in some spiked, poisoned boxing gloves and a pair of immortal horses (like Pegasus, without the wings). They don't have much to do with the story, but they sure are fun.
Things culminate in a beach battle with the hideous sea creature, which seems to have been heavily influenced by the look of the caterpillar beast in that '50s monster flick, THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD. Special effects guru Carlos Rambaldi (E.T.) was the guy who brought this puppet animation to live, and it's a real kicker! I was convinced that the odd, floating monster wouldn't ever emerge from the water, but I was mistaken. It slithers onto the beach and rears up to battle our hero Hercules, who mercilessly stabs its gut and head with his sword. It's a tremendously engaging fight scene, everything one could have hoped for, and the monster is one of the most impressive I've seen.
The cast is headed by ex-Tarzan Gordon Scott, in the last of his many peplum roles. Scott is a mild-mannered tough guy; he's friendly and kind, yet whups backside when need be. Scott could perform these roles in his sleep, and he has a natural charisma that other strongmen of the period lacked. Hercules is accompanied by two other characters from Greek legend, Diogenes and Ulysses, but these are played by US TV actors Paul Stevens and Mart Hulswit, and they don't hold much interest. Better are two Italian actors who starred in loads of these movies: first up is George Ardisson, perhaps best known for his roles in many Italian spy rip-offs and his appearance as Cameron Mitchell's brother in THE LAST OF THE VIKINGS. Second we have Roger Browne, who starred as the cult superhero Argoman in a couple of Italian flicks in the late '60s. Also appearing briefly is another peplum star, Gordon Mitchell (ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS). The brawny Mitchell plays a hulking pirate captain and his muscular face-off with Scott is another of the film's engaging moments. It's a shame that Mitchell didn't have a bigger part as I would have loved to have seen more of the two Gordons battling it out for supremacy.
Truth be told, HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY is as cheap, cheesy and cheerful as the rest of the peplum movies from this era, but the super-fast pacing and the multitude of plot ingredients – only missing the exotic dancers – make it a really fun, action-packed movie. I loved it!
HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY is a rip-roaring adventure and one I loved every minute of. I admit, I adored this film. Because it's less than fifty minutes long the pacing is super-fast and there's a ton of action and adventure packed into the running time. Hercules battles against evil pirates, corrupt soldiers, and is imprisoned in a hole in the ground. He undertakes strongman tasks – pushing a broken mast upright, knocking down a pillar of rock in an underground cave, and climbing up the interior of the hole he's trapped inside. On top of that, he has time for a little romance with a princess (Diana Hyland, who isn't as beautiful as one would have hoped) and is able to train the Trojan Olympic team. The producers went hell for leather with their plot ingredients, throwing in some spiked, poisoned boxing gloves and a pair of immortal horses (like Pegasus, without the wings). They don't have much to do with the story, but they sure are fun.
Things culminate in a beach battle with the hideous sea creature, which seems to have been heavily influenced by the look of the caterpillar beast in that '50s monster flick, THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD. Special effects guru Carlos Rambaldi (E.T.) was the guy who brought this puppet animation to live, and it's a real kicker! I was convinced that the odd, floating monster wouldn't ever emerge from the water, but I was mistaken. It slithers onto the beach and rears up to battle our hero Hercules, who mercilessly stabs its gut and head with his sword. It's a tremendously engaging fight scene, everything one could have hoped for, and the monster is one of the most impressive I've seen.
The cast is headed by ex-Tarzan Gordon Scott, in the last of his many peplum roles. Scott is a mild-mannered tough guy; he's friendly and kind, yet whups backside when need be. Scott could perform these roles in his sleep, and he has a natural charisma that other strongmen of the period lacked. Hercules is accompanied by two other characters from Greek legend, Diogenes and Ulysses, but these are played by US TV actors Paul Stevens and Mart Hulswit, and they don't hold much interest. Better are two Italian actors who starred in loads of these movies: first up is George Ardisson, perhaps best known for his roles in many Italian spy rip-offs and his appearance as Cameron Mitchell's brother in THE LAST OF THE VIKINGS. Second we have Roger Browne, who starred as the cult superhero Argoman in a couple of Italian flicks in the late '60s. Also appearing briefly is another peplum star, Gordon Mitchell (ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS). The brawny Mitchell plays a hulking pirate captain and his muscular face-off with Scott is another of the film's engaging moments. It's a shame that Mitchell didn't have a bigger part as I would have loved to have seen more of the two Gordons battling it out for supremacy.
Truth be told, HERCULES AND THE PRINCESS OF TROY is as cheap, cheesy and cheerful as the rest of the peplum movies from this era, but the super-fast pacing and the multitude of plot ingredients – only missing the exotic dancers – make it a really fun, action-packed movie. I loved it!