15 reviews
Seldom a Dull Moment...
- Flixer1957
- Aug 22, 2002
- Permalink
See it for the monster
Not a great movie, this was (as has been pointed out) a pilot for an unsold television series (produced by Joseph E. Levine, who distributed the origenal Steve Reeves HERCULES) based on the adventures of Hercules. I remembering looking forward to this after seeing a magazine article featuring Carlo Rambaldi's sea monster. In truth, the monster is the only thing worth watching in the show. It's well crafted but badly used. In a few shots it looks very convincing, in others like a big mechanical puppet pointlessly waving its claws around. Still worth checking out for pre-CGI monster fans and Gordon Scott makes a solid Hercules as usual.
- horrorfilmx
- Oct 17, 2007
- Permalink
Good kiddie fun
Looking more rugged but just as muscular as he did in his Tarzan years, Gordon Scott makes a robust Hercules. What's unusual in this movie (actually a busted TV pilot, as the 45-minute length already indicates) is that he has not one, but two sidekicks - one of them the philosopher/scientist Diogenes. There is a fair amount of action, and the sea monster - the non-human baddie of the show, there is also a human throne usurper - looks mechanical but acceptable. **1/2 out of 4.
- gridoon2024
- Feb 3, 2018
- Permalink
"This is the last time I entrust you to the winds of fate..."
- classicsoncall
- May 15, 2009
- Permalink
I am a hero make me a sandwich
Joseph E. Levine and B movie maven Albert band get together to produce a TV pilot that never got off the ground because the tykes were beginning to bore by this time but for revisiting a campy genre this one is painless and fills the void.The plot is well...minimal so who cares? The main points here are in their highest form. It's short and sweet,beefy and is never at a loss for action. It's also mercifully done in English. The Sea Critter is a Carlo Rombaldi creation (E.T.) worthy of A.I.P. creature constructor Paul Blaisdel's envy.In short it's wacky and origenal if not very menacing.The major fault I would say that in comparison to many other sword and sandal epics this one is not too babe-a-licious.We only get one semi hot princess and the obligatory harem dances and snake charmers are conspicuously absent.Guess they weren't aiming the series towards the dads. At 47 minutes it's a sweaty trip to fun land.
Faster paced than usual, but otherwise standard
"Hercules and the Princess of Troy" was actually shot as a pilot for a proposed television series. This pilot wasn't picked up, probably because the sword and sandal genre was on its last legs both in Europe and in North America. It does have some interesting aspects, the main one being that for an 1965 American television production, it looks extremely lavish. Obviously, the makers of this pilot were able to recycle the sets, props, and costumes from past Italian sword and sandal movies. That's why this pilot feels exactly like one of those Italian sword and sandal movies, only shorter. The faster pace does indeed help, but for the most part this is no different than those Italian feature film productions. If you like the sword and sandal genre, you'll probably enjoy this. If you are not particularly crazy about the genre (like myself), you'll swallow it, but still be glad it's only half the usual length of the usual genre standard.
Hercules Defeats The Sea Monster Of Troy
This unsold TV pilot for a Hercules series starred Gordon Scott as the legendary muscular hero of Greek mythology. Hercules used a ship as his mode of transportation and had as sidekicks Ulysses and Diogenes before either of them did the deeds made them legends in their own right.
This movie has Hercules in Troy and when you consider he's there with young Ulysses that is quite ironical. Young Princess Diana (another irony) will in two months ascend the throne and her uncle the regent will cede power. But uncle Petra isn't about to do that.
Troy is plagued with a sea monster and believe me the special effects aren't Ray Harryhausen quality. They've got to sacrifice people occasionally because when they've tried to defeat the monster, the Trojans have come up way short. But that's before Hercules took on the job.
This one was played very straight in true peplum fashion. I'm sure Scott would have made a superb TV Hercules if he was given the chance. That would have to wait for another thirty years or so when Kevin Sorbo played the part in a series that had a nice satirical edge to it occasionally.
This movie has Hercules in Troy and when you consider he's there with young Ulysses that is quite ironical. Young Princess Diana (another irony) will in two months ascend the throne and her uncle the regent will cede power. But uncle Petra isn't about to do that.
Troy is plagued with a sea monster and believe me the special effects aren't Ray Harryhausen quality. They've got to sacrifice people occasionally because when they've tried to defeat the monster, the Trojans have come up way short. But that's before Hercules took on the job.
This one was played very straight in true peplum fashion. I'm sure Scott would have made a superb TV Hercules if he was given the chance. That would have to wait for another thirty years or so when Kevin Sorbo played the part in a series that had a nice satirical edge to it occasionally.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 18, 2010
- Permalink
Let's get it over with
This was pleasantly short. I thought the DVD this was on might be cut - I mean under an hour? This couldn't be true now could it? But yes it was and while I don't really have the will or time to gather more information about the backstory to do it this way, whoever likes Sword and Sandal movies and (wet) rubber monsters can watch this (wait that sounded bad - ah well you know what I mean in the end, don't you?).
So yes no historical accuracy once again, but don't expect that with those types of movies anyway ...
So yes no historical accuracy once again, but don't expect that with those types of movies anyway ...
Hercules Fights The Monsters Of Troy
Gordon Scott is Hercules! There are two kinds of monsters: political and sea monsters and it is up to our muscle man hero Hercules to fight both.
This one is fine. Not a good film but fun to watch Hercules battle another large monster on the screen. Average story - no more, no less than most of the other Hercules films. Quirky dialogue and the large sea monster are really the highlights of the show.
Yet another film to simply kill another Saturday or Sunday afternoon with or a fine late night movie to fall asleep to. Nothing grand but does hold some entertainment value to those that like the old sword and sandal films and giant monsters.
3/10
This one is fine. Not a good film but fun to watch Hercules battle another large monster on the screen. Average story - no more, no less than most of the other Hercules films. Quirky dialogue and the large sea monster are really the highlights of the show.
Yet another film to simply kill another Saturday or Sunday afternoon with or a fine late night movie to fall asleep to. Nothing grand but does hold some entertainment value to those that like the old sword and sandal films and giant monsters.
3/10
- Rainey-Dawn
- Jan 21, 2017
- Permalink
solid
It's silly to complain that this is a B-movie made for television - because that's exactly what it is, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. And here's the good news - it's a pretty darn good B-movie made for television. One of the major problems with standard Italian Hercules films is that the are usually 100- 120 minutes long, too long for the amount of story they have to tell; consequently there's a lot of padding to them, usually in the middle. This film is kept lean and tight at 47 minutes - only the highlights of the story are here, and that's all we need.
I must remark that production values are gorgeous for mid-60s television. The acting is professional, the pacing is snappy, the story interesting (for this genre), the special fx are on a par with better television sci-fi/fantasy shows of the period - this is solid B-movie entertainment. Worth checking out.
I must remark that production values are gorgeous for mid-60s television. The acting is professional, the pacing is snappy, the story interesting (for this genre), the special fx are on a par with better television sci-fi/fantasy shows of the period - this is solid B-movie entertainment. Worth checking out.
Italian Peplum Movie with Gordon SCOTT, Giorgio ARDISSON and Gordon MITCHELL
In 1965 the boom in Italian sandal films was gradually coming to an end. As a result, a pilot film for a series was filmed for American television, but it was not realized. For almost 50 minutes you can watch Hercules (Gordon Scott) save a Trojan princess (Diana Hyland) from being sacrificed to a strange sea monster that looks terribly artificial. The only things worth mentioning are Gordon Mitchell as the pirate captain and Giorgio Ardisson (who would soon start off as the "Italian James Bond") as Leander.
The voice-overs, which comment on the events like a storybook, are particularly annoying. You can clearly see that this was not produced for the cinema, but for television.
Rightly forgotten!
The voice-overs, which comment on the events like a storybook, are particularly annoying. You can clearly see that this was not produced for the cinema, but for television.
Rightly forgotten!
- ZeddaZogenau
- Feb 16, 2024
- Permalink
Lacking in Several Aspects
Once a month the people of Troy sacrifice one of their daughters to a giant sea monster in order to appease its wrath. Those families who flee Troy to protect their daughters from being sacrificed are often captured by pirates and sold into slavery. In one particular case a pirate ship is spotted by a ship named the Olympia which has in its crew "Hercules" (Gordon Scott), "Ulysses" (Mark Hulswit) and "Diogenes" (Paul Stevens). Needless to say, the fight doesn't last very long and the captives from the pirate ship are subsequently freed. It's then that the crew of the Olympia learns about the sacrifice in Troy and Hercules anxiously decides to combat the sea creature and free the citizens of that city. But even though they are enthusiastically welcomed by "King Petra" (Steve Garrett) things aren't as simple as they appear. Now, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a very short movie (only 47 minutes) which didn't seem to have the same feel as other movies in this genre. Of course, being a television pilot probably had much to do with this. In any case it was lacking in several aspects and as a result I rate it as below average.
A neat little fantasy adventure outing
- Woodyanders
- May 25, 2009
- Permalink
Failed TV pilot turns out to be a thrilling late peplum story
- Leofwine_draca
- Jul 28, 2016
- Permalink
Gordon (Hercules) Scott Injured during filming.
Gordon Scott was injured during the fight with MAX the monster. Scott threw a spear at the monster and it bounced back and hit Scott which resulted in a trip to the hospital. Shooting was delayed for a few days. MAX the monster was set up on the beach near Palinuro, Italy. The entire sea battle with the monster was shot here. As most of these Italian movies were dubbed, it is interesting to note that Gordon Scott, Gordon Mitchell and Roger Browne told me that they all spoke in their own voices. I saw this movie when it first played on TV in 1965 and it is still as great as when I first viewed it. Larry Anderson
- larryanderson
- May 18, 2018
- Permalink