Reviews
Wuchak

Wuchak

August 13, 2020
7.0
_**Married to Sylva but bewitched by Sylvia**_ "Hercules Unchained" (1959) is an Italian/French/Spanish sword & sandal flick in the mold of Kirk Douglas' "Ulysses" (1954). "Hercules Unchained" is more of the same, with a similar plot, i.e. the journeying hero forgets who he is while bewitched by a beautiful babe on some island. “Samson and Delilah” (1949) is the crowning predecessor of the genre. Californian muscleman Steve Reeves plays the titular hero/god to perfection. Reeves is most known for his Hercules role but interestingly only played the part twice, in this film and the first one "Hercules" (1958). Anyway, one good side-effect of watching Reeves is that it will likely inspire guys to get in shape (the way Stallone does when watching Rambo). In this film Herc is married to the beautiful Iole (Sylva Koscina), but he forgets his wife and homeland after drinking of the waters of forgetfulness and falls under the spell of Queen Omphale (Sylvia Lopez) of the isle Lidia. So Herc is caught between two beauties: Sylva and Sylvia. "Hercules Unchained" can be enjoyed by both youths and adults. It's a fun fantasy adventure with dated "effects," but it also addresses a few mature themes. One theme is the boneheaded predilection of men to sexual gratification and their intrinsic weakness to the spell of feminine beauty. Herc is married to cutie Iole (Sylva), but it wasn't too hard for him to fall under the power of Omphale (Sylvia). And he has the perfect excuse: "Aduh, I forgot.” Another theme is that feminine power can be used for good or evil, productivity or destruction. Iole (Sylva) uses her feminine charms to catch herself a manly hunk (Reeves) for a husband and family, while Sylvia (Omphale) uses her womanly power to capture a never-ending succession of studs, literally. Sylva wants a lifelong mate and family, whereas Sylvia is a black widow who kills her "conquests" after she gets bored with ’em and puts ’em in her trophy case, so to speak. Look around and you'll see both types of women in real life. One girl I knew in high school, for example, would catch herself a hunk boyfriend and ultimately start cheating on him when she eventually got bored; she would then let go of the boyfriend and officially hook up with the guy she was cheating with; once she got bored of him she'd start cheating with the next guy, ultimately dropping the boyfriend for him, ad nauseam. She was notorious, just like Omphale (Sylvia). She would even break up best friends with her expert feminine powers. The lunkheads could never come to the realization of what she was doing because they were too mesmerized by her bewitching charms. Interestingly, Sylva is beautiful in a cute way, whereas Sylvia is beautiful in a sharp, leggy way. Both are worth catching the film for if you're a red-blooded male. Another theme is that of negative rivalry. The two siblings vie for kingship (or control) of Thebes. Proud rivalry begats enmity and violence, and ultimately mutually assured self-destruction. Both actors are outstanding, displaying a palpable royal pomp. The sets and costuming are noteworthy. Mario Bava did the cinematography and special effects, as well as some directing, so the film has that colorful Bava look. BOTTOM LINE: If you can overlook certain dated aspects (like the editing) "Hercules Unchained" is enjoyable on numerous levels, both juvenile and mature. It's the obvious precursor to more modern films like "Troy" (2004). The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes (with some prints 4 minutes shorter), and was shot at Titanus Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy. GRADE: B

Recommendation Movies

6
Adventure
View
6
The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii1959
4.5
Adventure
View
4.5
Goliath and the Barbarians
Goliath and the Barbarians1959
4.7
Drama
View
4.7
Persona non grata
Persona non grata2019
3.4
Adventure
View
3.4
The Loves of Hercules
The Loves of Hercules1960
5.6
Drama
View
5.6
79 A.D.
79 A.D.1962
6.3
Drama
View
6.3
Gypsy Colt
Gypsy Colt1954
6.7
Comedy
View
6.7
Friends Jokes
Friends Jokes2006
6.2
Drama
View
6.2
The Three Friends
The Three Friends1966
7.8
Drama
View
7.8
The Ascent
The Ascent1977
8.1
Drama
View
8.1
Red Beard
Red Beard1965
7.2
Drama
View
7.2
Red Sorghum
Red Sorghum1988
7.9
Drama
View
7.9
Mirror
Mirror1975
7.2
Drama
View
7.2
The Last Metro
The Last Metro1980
7.9
Drama
View
7.9
Cries and Whispers
Cries and Whispers1972
7
Western
View
7
Hombre
Hombre1967
5.6
Horror
View
5.6
Psycho III
Psycho III1986
7.9
Drama
View
7.9
Throne of Blood
Throne of Blood1957
7.3
Drama
View
7.3
Strike
Strike1925
7.1
Drama
View
7.1
That Most Important Thing: Love
That Most Important Thing: Love1975
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt