Customer Reviews

Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There was a time where camp classics weren't exactly intentional but were every bit as enjoyable as the camp films we have now. "Historical Epics" is the fourth in Warner Home Video's "Cult Camp Classics" and at least two of these three films are actually quite good outside of the classification.

The first "The Colossus of Rhodes" was the first film that Sergio Leone took credit on as a director. Set during during the Hellenistic era before the rise of Rome, this film features cowboy b-movie star Rory Calhoun as a Greek(!) hero vacationing in Rhodes who gets pulled into an attempt to overthrow the Emperor. The centerpiece of this film a 180 foot high statue that stood astride the waterways of Rhodes and could be used as a weapon to defend the city by dumping hot molten lead on invaders or would be revolutionaries.

Featuring risable dialogue, great action sequences and impressive production design, this international production (featuring actors from Italy, Spain, America and France)features a number of stunning set pieces that hint at Leone's great Italian Westerns such as "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and "Once Upon a Time in the West". The film looks quite good with an excellent commentary track by Leone biographer and film historian Christopher Frayling who covers everything from the historical context of the film (the real statue of Rhodes was believed to be about 38 feet high and overlooked the city)and the original theatrical trailer. Frayling points out the good (Leone's stunning use of the camera), the bad (often the dialogue is quite ripe)and the ugly (the overwrought performances of some of the actors)but still finds merit in the film.

Leone does a hommage to Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and "Sabteour" particularly during the end sequence on top of the Colossus of Rhodes where there is a fight sequence. Fans of cinema will see other references to other films that Leone sneaks in to this historical epic which is still quite enjoyable both as a memorable peek into what would come later from Leone's classic films as well as the silly plot devices and dialogue.

"Land of the Pharaohs" was directed by Howard Hawks and co-written by William Faulkner(!)so how could one go wrong with this historical epic about the building of the pyramids? Joan Collins plays a Nellifer in this epic production while Jack Hawkins is the Pharaoh Cheops putting thousands to work to build is massive tomb. It's interesting because the structure of this film echoes Hawks' great western "Red River". "Pharoahs" is an excellent minor Hawks classic with an epic scale and of the three here is the least camp best film of the bunch. Collins brings the camp element to the forefront with her performance as the scheming Nellifer.

The film features Peter Bogdanovich providing a commentary. Bogdanovich doesn't think much of the film (nor did Hawks as is evident in the interview excerpts included here)but it's a pretty good historical epic with the massive spectacle and production design that one expects from the genre. If it fails to live up to Hawks best films, that could be because he was working in a genre that he wasn't totally comfortable with.

The last film included here "The Prodigal" featuring Lana Turner fits into the camp camp quie well. It apes the Cecil B. DeMille Biblical and historical epics quite well. Basically this tells the story of the prodigal son (Edmund Purdom) who falls for a pagan priestess (Turner).

Dr. Drew Casper gives a frentic and interesting commentary track that makes more of this film than is there. Casper mentions in his commentary that he feels this is a remake of Raoul Walsh's "The Wanderer" from 1926 which I've never seen. He also provides interesting biographical information on many of the actors in the film.

All the films included here look extremely good with some looking much better than others depending on the source print and its condition. Warner does an excellent job of putting this together much as they did with some of the other "Cult Camp Classics" sets in the series (the other two I purchased I haven't watched yet--I wanted to go for the set that had the Hawks and Leone films first). Some of these sets have no or minimal extras (such as a trailer only)but most have commentary tracks and all the ones here even when they aren't perfect provide background on the films. Frayling is always entertaining and does an outstanding job adding humor and has a relaxed conversational style that makes his informative commentary the best of the bunch here.

Three stars for the films with an extra star for the commentary tracks.

Though these movies can be viewed as campy sword 'n sandle flicks, two of the three are actually pretty good. All three are in color and anamorphic 'scope, and two even have multi-track sound. The images are crisp and clear, with no sign of fading.
The Colossus of Rhodes was directed by Sergio Leone, with impressive visuals and a huge cast of extras. The weakest (and most laughable) part of the film is Rory Calhoun's leading character, but the rest of the cast is fine - though the plot is overly-complex. Rory, a visiting hero from Athens, leads a slave revolt, amid treacherous plots to enslave peaceful Rhodes.
Land of the Pharaohs was produced and directed by Howard Hawks and written by no less than William Faulkner. The leads are played by Jack Hawkins and Joan Collins. Hawkins portrays a king obsessed with accumulating wealth for the afterlife, along with building a tomb to house himself and the gold. Collins plays a scheming princess who wants the gold for herself. Joan Collins is far from the stereotype she became in later years, and her acting ability leaves no doubt as to why Hawkins' Pharaoh falls for her.
The Prodigal, retelling the Biblical story of the prodigal son, is the only truly campy film among the three. There are lots of processions, ponderous dialog, pagan temples, and a beautiful pagan priestess to tempt the hero. Lana Turner may be beautiful, but she needs to take tempting-the-hero lessons from Joan Collins. Speaking of camp, at one point we see a long wall where various slaves are lined up for sale, with descriptions and prices written on the wall next to each slave - written in english of course. Now that's camp!

Some movie genres have definitely died over the years. The Western used to dominate but has petered out to maybe a movie or two per year of any note. Musicals are doing similarly, with the occasional success just showing how sparse the offerings are nowadays. The so-called sword-and-sandal flicks have, if anything, done even worse, with just a few significant offerings in the past decade, most notably Gladiator (others include Troy and Alexander).

Volume 4 of Warner Brothers Cult Camp Classics takes up back to the golden era of sword-and-sandal films (and their close cousins, Bible films). This set, titled Historical Epics, feature three entertaining if not particularly good examples of the genre.

First up is The Prodigal, very loosely based on the parable of the prodigal son. Edmund Purdom plays the title character, the son of a successful Jewish farmer in 70 B.C. who falls for a pagan high priestess and forsakes his family and fiancee to pursue her. Lana Turner plays the priestess who is essentially a high-priced call girl, and the price Purdom will be dear indeed, but if you're familiar with the prodigal son story, you know how it will all turn out in the end.

Next is The Colossus of Rhodes, most notable for being Sergio Leone's first credited directorial effort. If you're expecting the same stylistic film as with his Spaghetti Westerns, you're in for a disappointment: the direction is almost all by-the-book. The story has Rory Calhoun as an Athenian soldier on vacation in Rhodes during a time of intrigue with Phoenicia. Straddling the harbor is the Colossus, not merely a giant statue (far bigger than the historical version), but also an elaborate machine filled with traps for unwanted visitors to the island.

Finally, there is Land of the Pharaohs, directed by Howard Hawks in a movie that is one of the great director's weakest, even with screenwriting assistance from William Faulkner. Jack Hawkins plays the pharaoh obsessed with preserving his wealth after his death; he oversees the construction of the pyramid to serve as his tomb and has a clever method designed to make sure his treasure will not be stolen. As an absolute ruler, he does not have to deal with a love triangle when he falls for Joan Collins though he is already married; instead he just takes her on as a second wife. She, however, has greedier ambitions in mind. Though this lacks the wonderful dialogue common to Hawks movies, Land of the Pharaohs does conclude with a brilliantly ironic finale.

All three movies have commentary tracks and theatrical trailers. Are they truly campy? At times, although Colossus comes closed to pure camp. These are not great films, but with the DVD extras, the collection does merit four stars overall. Among the four Warner Brothers sets, I would rate this second best, behind the Sci-Fi Thriller set but ahead of Terrorized Travelers and Women in Peril.

What a great way to waste a few hours, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, great color photography, serious scene chewing and, actually, excellent music scores, in at least two of them by well-known composers of the Golden Age...this is great fun...I especially love the Joan Collins bad girl turn in Land of the Pharoahs!

The Land of the Pharaohs, the Colossus of Rhodes, and The Prodigal.

You must like historical costume epics, in order to appreciate this set. The Land of the Pharaohs (1955) with Joan Collins, I believe that this is the best movie of the set. The movie deals with the reign of the pharaoh Khufu, and the building of the great pyramid at Giza. If you like this movie, you should also see the movie The Egyptian.

The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) This is a movie based on one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. If you liked this movie, you would also like Jason and the Argonauts, or Clash of the Titans.

The Prodigal an attempt to cash in on the biblical epic craze of the 50s. The thing that makes this film watchable is Lana Turner. The film is loosely based on the biblical story of the prodigal son.

There is nothing more fabulous than Joan Collins trapped in a pyramid, screaming "I don't want to die - I don't want to die". The Land of the Pharoahs is worth the price alone; an excellent angle on the building of the pyramids and Egyptian society.

Lana Turner is all hot and steamy and hammy in The Prodigal.

Colussus is colossal.

Get this for a winter weekend and have plenty of popcorn on hand.

Cult Camp Classics, indeed! They just don't make movies like this anymore! Big budget, widescreen, lots of extras, and not a CGI special effect in sight! Those are real people running around on all those sets, mister! The color is gaudy, the costumes are skimpy, and the music is loud. What more can you ask for from Hollywood in its heyday!

Actually, of these three, "Colossus of Rhodes" is actually an Italian production, the first directorial credit for Sergio Leone, no less, later famous for his so-called "spaghetti westerns," like "Fistful of Dollars," etc. Here he seems to handle the crowds well, though Rory Calhoun looks out of place in a mini-skirt. Still, it's all good fun, as the good people plot to overthrow this year's tyrant, and the statue looks good.

"Land of the Pharaohs" is more of a paradox. The first part is all about the building of a pyramid, with massive crowds of workers struggling away. Then it devolves into a plot of intrigue, involving malicious bad-girl Joan Collins, some would say type-cast, trying to take over the Pharaoh's heart and his treasure. Frankly, the pyramid part is more interesting than Ms.Collins' tight bodice, let alone her acting. But the visuals are fun, the music is by classic film score master Dimitri Tiomkin, the direction is by no less than Howard Hawks, and the script is I understand the only film credit ever issued to, you'll never guess, no less than William Faulkner! True.

Lastly, we have "The Prodigal," with Lana Turner giving her all as the "High Priestess of Astarte." Really. This was one of two costume epics which caused the end of her career at MGM. (The other was "Diane.") Here Ms.Turner applies her considerable wiles to so-called impressionable Edmund Purdom, in what is essentially a gussied-up version of the Biblical parable of The Prodigal Son. Mr.Purdom is just as earnest here as he was the previous year, in "The Egyptian," and, as many have said, just as wooden. But it's all good fun. See the Temple Virgins! See the Pagan Idol! See the Human Sacrifice! See Lana Turner's skimpy costumes! Actually very entertaining.

All three of these films are available in a boxed set, costing considerably less than each of them separately. Not only fun entertainment, but a great buy into the bargain!

Enjoy!

The best film in this pack is Colossus of Rhodes, which has many memorable moments but it's wildly uneven. It's still worth seeing for any fan of old Italian Sword & Sandal films.

Of the two other films (which are American made) Land of Pharaohs and The Prodigal, Pharaohs is the best but the script is not good. It starts off brilliantly and then it becomes the Joan Collins show. Joan Collins in blackface no-less. The score is amazing though.

The Prodigal is the worse of the bunch. I watched it once and won't be watching again. Aside from the miscast Lana Turner, there's almost nothing to recommend, even the much vaunted sets are tacky looking.

As camp value, only Joan Collins in Land of Pharaohs fits the bill. The Prodigal is too leaden and serious to be camp (unfortunately, Lana basically has a supporting role) and Colossus of Rhodes, even with a miscast Rory Calhoun, is not really camp per se.

For Ancient History camp, nothing in this pack is as campy as Anne Baxter as Nefertiti in The Ten Commandments.

This movies were fun for what they were..Cult Movies.Lana and JOan were both beautiful and interesting to watch with a so so story line.

Of the four boxsets, this is the best of Camp Classics series.

Land of the Pharaohs isn't that campy. It just lacks the umph in casting and dynamics. it's like watching a TLC show about how to build pyramid. Joan Collins does get whipped. Bogdanovich's commentary includes tapes of his interviews with director Howard Hawks.

The Colossus of Rhodes is an out of control Italian epic about the statue. it's loaded up with fighting and bare chests. Sergio Leone keeps the weirdness coming at Rory Calhoun. Mr. Burns loves this.

The Prodigal is the camp best. You have the Prodigal son fighting a vulture! Plus Lana Turner....yummy. Slaughter the calf to get this film in your collection.