Customer Reviews

Vengeance of Hercules

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie was a spin off from the Steve Reeves film Goliath and the Barbarians.Mark Forrest, real name Lou Degni who was a former Mr. California and Mr. America stands out in this "spaghetti" sword and sandal movie.The addition of Broderick Crawford at least puts a top name actor to the list of credits.I remember seeing this movie as a child and enjoyed it and recently saw it again on dvd.The widescreen is excellent. One of the better sword and sandal movies made during that time.Conquerer of Atlantis was interesting and a decent movie for the time. Kirk Morris made a bunch of sword and sandal films including several Sons of Hercules and played Hercules in Hercules, Samson and Ulysses, a movie produced by Pietro Torrisi, the same Italian producer of Hercules and Hercules Unchained. This movie also had the same cast of Hercules and Hercules Unchained minus Reeves and Sylvia Koscina. It's great to see that these movies are gaining popularity today, 40 years after they were originally produced.I still feel that the Reeves films, Hercules, Hercules Unchained and Goliath and the Barbarians were the best sword and sandal films. White Warrior, although not a sword and sandal film is a good movie starring Reeves.

The Alpha Video dvd of GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON is from a well-preserved widescreen print, and it's dazzling to look at! To be sure, the color balance goes a bit wonky in a few outdoor scenes, but the aquamarine trees and purple skies almost seem intentional, given the strangeness of director Vittorio Cottafavi's vision. If all the old sword and sandal epics were in this good a shape, the genre would attract many more fans. Great quality for a great price!

The movie itself is a delirious muscleman fantasy from start to finish. A bearded Mark Forest shows off the biggest pecs and widest lats of his generation, and melts everyone with his smile (except scar-faced Broderick Crawford as the cranky villain). The costumes are beautiful, the sets are extravagant, the exterior landscapes are a lush paradise, the monsters are huge puppets, and just when you think the story can't become more bizarre...it does! An absurdly majestic music score by Les Baxter strives to match the melodrama of a hero who dares to revolt against the gods themselves.

Cottafavi will try just about anything to dazzle and disorient the viewer. In one scene, as Goliath approaches, looms above, and then passes over the camera, the point of view turns completely upside-down; the effect is so unexpected and audacious I had to laugh out loud! This is fearless (and yes, perhaps sometimes mindless) filmmaking, and the result is truly dreamlike, if not downright mythic.

Fans of sword & sandal films: finally a sword & sandal film on DVD the way it is supposed to be seen, in widescreen. Something Weird Video put together a really fun package with a fine looking print of "Goliath and the Dragon" and a bundle of extras. They even include another movie "The Conqueror of Atlantis" which is presented full frame. I think I enjoyed this film even more than "Goliath and the Dragon"! There are also trailers for 11 sword & sandals, highlights from "The Son of Hercules vs. the Fire Monsters" and two other short subjects on Hercules taken from mondo movies of the sixties. Hopefully this Somehting Weird release will inspire other comapnies to release more sword & sandal movies.

First of all, let me say that Goliath and the Dragon is my favorite sword and sandal movie of all time. Mark Forest is perfectly cast as Goliath and the DVD format is absolutely incredible. Last year I bought a VHS format of this movie from Hollywood Attic and the quality was abysmal. They also hacked the movie to death cutting out key parts from beginning to end. The quality of this DVD is amazing and it looks to be completely intact. My mother took me to see this movie when I was a wee lad of 6 years old and I must admit I love watching this movie now every bit as much as I did then. If your a fan of this genre, this is a MUST BUY for your collection.

Excellent movie,originally called Revenge of Hercules,but dubbed into English by American International and re-titled Goliath & The Dragon.,for release in the States.
This Alpha release is in Letterbox,glorious Widescreen and beautiful color
If only all the Sword & Sandal releases were as good as this..........Highly Recomended.

One of my fondest childhood memories was camping out in front of our big color TV on Saturday mornings watching an endless stream of Italian muscle man "sword and sandal" movies. They were colorful, fun and very juvenile. My father, who held a prominent place in the community, referred to these features as "wop movies." In all innocence, I commented loudly to my dad in a supermarket one time "let's go home and watch some wop movies!" I was incredulously shushed up, for reasons that were unknown to me at the time.

Something Weird has coughed up a winner with this fun double feature. GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON is typical "peplum." An arrogant muscleman hero must do battle with an evil dictator (this time, Broderick Crawford dubbed in with not his real voice!) while his effete male companion and his lovely wife get constantly underfoot. It's big (letterboxed), colorful and will be manna from heaven for those who adore the cheesy monsters found in these films. There's a knee-jerk three-headed Cerebus dog (that looks like it's suffering from cerebral palsy), a centaur that turns into a satyr to solve the problematical nature of two to four horse hooves and of course, the dragon. Really, there's no reason not to buy this disc, crammed full of colorful extras. Put this on and relive your Saturday afternoons of yore.

During the sixties, Italian cinema exported literally hundreds of movies each year that primarily consisted of 1) Spaghetti Westerns, 2) Italian gialli, and 3) sword and sandal features known as pepla. "Goliath and the Dragon" is a prime example of a peplum. Something Weird Video, a subsidiary of Image, has done an excellent job of restoring this feature, which was released in 1960 and stars bodybuilder Mark Forest, known as "the Adonis with the perfect physique." This DVD has a boatload of sword and sandal extras, including an un-restored, full frame feature of "Conqueror of Atlantis."

Forest was every bit as good an actor as his contemporaries, including icon Steve Reeves. Unfortunately, Forest left acting to further his career as an opera singer and never obtained the stardom that Reeves enjoyed. Money he earned from his acting went towards his education. Mark Forest is a good man. He spent his early life helping to devise rehabilitation programs for the elderly.

"Goliath and the Dragon" has a lot of action/adventure. Goliath must battle strange creatures, he is plotted against by an evil king, and he rescues his captive brother and wife from deadly traps. A large cast and budget make this movie a must have for fans of Italian sword and sandal. I can only hope that Image, Retromedia, and other companies will release more restored, widescreen versions of pepla, especially the ones that star Mark Forest.

Muscles, monsters, emperor's, and evil dictators. . . what more can you possibly want from a good Saturday afternoon dvd sword & sandel movie!
This dvd has extras galore, and nice to have other options than just one movie, or the same movie's trailers, and whatever. This dvd has many well muscled faces in various heroes, and trailers for many other features. The Conquerer Of Atlantis was a surprise added movie included on this dvd, and believe it or not, better than Goliath And The Dragon as far as bringing back the tension of early cinema serials involving the likes of Flash Gordon. It actually had me watching until the end, since the hero fought evil henchmen, to help his comrades to escape, leaving himself behind in the evil empire's mercy. The comrades make their way back to their own army and band together to retrieve the lost hero. Even though in the back of your mind, you know how it's going to end, you just have to watch. Some elements of the best Sci-fi thrillers intact, even in this cheapie. Very good, and worth the money for this "total package."

Hmmm... Can't say as I agree with my fellow reviewers here, but the movie deserves points for the sheer nerve of delivering a wonderful poster...then cheating its audience of such an experience. Looks as if the color and widescreen were stunning when this was shot, but despite the comments below, this print looks as if it's seen better days, so for fans of this weird item I'd say beware. Broderick Crawford looks as if he's slumming, and his death scene is a hammy delight. Wish I could say the same for the dragon, but maybe I'm missing the point. I was hoping for something Harryhausen-esque, but what appears is endearingly terrible, and there's a childlike sense of embarrassment one feels for poor Mark Forest, who's got to dance around the thing, looking stern faced and serious. If you loved this as a kid, who am I to tell you not to cherish it? But for others lured by the great poster art, steer clear. Those who do admire this cheesy little adventure deserve a better DVD pressing. Buy the poster and hang it, instead.

If you're a fan of the Italian "Sword and Sandal" genre, then you probably agree with the opinion that GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (1960), is one of the most representative of this brand of films. It packs in all the standard plot elements - a beefcake hero, beautiful maidens, palace intrigue, mythical monsters, and a wicked monarch - but to a degree that surpasses most of the other installments. The production even includes a bit of stop-motion animation for the dragon of the title. It also benefits by some unintentional humor brought on in part through the English dubbing.

Mark Forest carved a niche for himself with muscleman movies, and he does a good job here as the hero, Goliath. But the one who's the most fun to watch chew up every scene he's in is Broderick Crawford as the evil King Eurysteus. He's an all around nasty villain with a big scar on his face, who likes tossing his enemies into a snake pit.

This version from Something Weird Video is off the 35mm U.S. "Colorscope" negative,
and is presented in widescreen. Also included is a bonus feature, THE CONQUEROR OF ATLANTIS (1965), a sci-fi/sword and sandal tale that's actually pretty good too.

As is customary with Something Weird, the special features are lots of fun; you get a cache of trailers, 3 short subjects, and a gallery of Sword and Sandal Exploitation Art.

You really can't go wrong with this great looking, entertaining DVD, and I highly recommend it.