Duel of the Champions (1961)

Original title: Orazi e Curiazi

Peplum. Italy. Starring Alan Ladd, Robert Keith, Luciano Marin, Andrea Aureli & Franca Bettoia. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi & Terence Young.

EVC (Holland). BETA. English dubbed. Letterboxed.

Fine, medium-budget peplum with fading american moviestar Alan Ladd (who looks way too old for the hero part). 3/5

Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules (1962)

Original title: Maciste Contro i Mostri

Peplum. Italy. Starring Reg Lewis, Margaret Lee, Luciano Marin, Andrea Aureli & Birgit Bergen. Directed by Guido Malatesta.

Pepikahs Video (Greece). English dubbed. Fullscreen.

This is one of those craptastic low budget peplum/fantasy cheeze-fests that italians cranked out like crazy during the early sixties (often starring C-list "actors" like Dan Vadis and Kirk Morris) and that have entertained ten year olds and immature B-movie buffs like myself ever since. Noone would mistake this for a good movie, but it's a minor classic of its kind. It's about our hero Maciste ("Maxus" or "Hercules" in some prints) who basically just walks around in stoneage and slays some monsters, rights a few wrongs or fights a bunch of evil cavemen who likes to kidnap blond cuties in fur bikinis and perfect make-up. What more do you need when Reg Lewis is simply the perfect sword and sandal cheeze hero? Why? He throws a mighty fine boulder, sports a bloody rockabilly due that could only have been made in heaven and delivers his lines with the bombastic and smug diginitide of a peplum God! Why he only got to put on the loin-cloth in this one Cinecittà role I will never understand... 4/5 (entertainment value)

Cavalier in Devil's Castle (1959)

Original title: Il Cavaliere del Castello Maledetto

Sword. Italy. Starring Massimo Serato, Luisella Boni, Pierre Cressoy, Livio Lorenzon,
Carlo Tamberlani & Luciano Marin. Directed by Mario Costa.

Video For Pleasure promo (Holland). English dubbed. Widescreen.

Colorful, fast-paced and all around fun swashbuckler made just the way you want 'em. Recommended! 4/5

Fire Over Rome (1965)

Original title: L'incendio di Roma

Peplum. Italy/Yugoslavia. Starring Lang Jeffries, Mario Feliciani, Moira Orfei, Luciano Marin & Vladimir Medar. Directed by Guido Malatesta.

Draaipleizer (Holland). English dubbed. Letterboxed (slightly).

These praetorians vs. christians peplum dramas simply aren't my thing... 2/5

Hercules Conquers Atlantis (1961)

Original title: Ercole alla Conquista di Atlantide

Peplum. Italy/France. Starring Reg Park, Fay Spain, Ettore Manni, Luciano Marin & Mario Petri. Directed by Vittorio Cottafavi.

Videoform (UK). English dubbed. Widescreen. Excellent print - I haven't seen the Retromedia DVD but considering their track record I would guess that this video snuffs it!

Considered by me and many others as one of the most accomplished, visually imaginative and entertaining peplas out there. Reg Park is the perfect Hercules, it's a shame he only starred in a handful of films. 4/5

The Son of the Red Pirate (1959)

Original title: Il Figlio del Corsaro Rosso

Pirate yarn. Italy. Starring Lex Barker, Luciano Marin & Sylvia Lopez. Directed by Primo Zeglio.
NK Video (Greece). English dubbed. Fullscreen.

Classy pirate film starring adventure hero Lex Barker. Jolly good fun all the way! 4/5

Duel of the Champions (1961)

Original title: Orazi e Curiazi

Peplum. Italy. Starring Alan Ladd, Robert Keith, Luciano Marin, Andrea Aureli & Franca Bettoia. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi & Terence Young.

EVC (Holland). English dubbed. Letterboxed.

Fine, medium-budget peplum with fading american moviestar Alan Ladd (who looks way too old for the hero part). 3/5