Maciste is one of the oldest recurring characters of cinema, created by Gabriele d'Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. He is featured throughout the history of the cinema of Italy from the 1910s to the mid-1960s.
Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum, is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget Hollywood historical epics of the time, such as Samson and Delilah (1949), Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Cleopatra (1963). These films dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by spaghetti Western and Eurospy films.
Atlantida is a fantasy novel by French writer Pierre Benoit, published in February 1919. It was translated into English in 1920 as Atlantida. L'Atlantide was Benoit's second novel, following Koenigsmark, and it won the Grand Prize of the French Academy. The English translation of Atlantida was first published in the United States as a serial in Adventure magazine.
Roy "Reg" Park was an English bodybuilder, businessman, and actor. His first title was Mr. Britain in 1949. He then won Mr. Universe in 1951, 1958, and 1965. He went on to star in five films, all of which featured him playing Hercules. Later in life, he received renewed interest for being the first inspiration to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Hercules Unchained is a 1959 Italian-French epic fantasy feature film starring Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina in a story about two warring brothers and Hercules' tribulations in the court of Queen Omphale. The film is the sequel to the Reeves vehicle Hercules (1958) and marks Reeves' second – and last – appearance as Hercules. The film's screenplay, loosely based upon various Greek mythology and plays by Aeschylus and Sophocles, was written by Ennio De Concini and Pietro Francisci with Francisci directing and Bruno Vailati and Ferruccio De Martino producing the film.
Virna Lisa Pieralisi, known as just Virna Lisi, was an Italian actress. Her international film appearances included How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966), The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969), Beyond Good and Evil (1977), and Follow Your Heart (1996). For the 1994 film La Reine Margot, she won Best Actress at Cannes and the César Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Rosalba Neri is a retired Italian actress.
The Atlantis Interceptors is a 1983 Italian science fiction film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring Christopher Connelly, Gioia Scola, Tony King, Michele Soavi and George Hilton.
Heracles, also known as Hercules, is a Greek and Roman mythological hero known for his strength and far-ranging adventures. He is one of the most commonly portrayed figures from classical mythology in the popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Toto the Sheik is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò. It is a parody of desert films such as The Son of the Sheik and Siren of Atlantis.
Piero Lulli was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1942 and 1977. He was the younger brother of actor Folco Lulli.
Vittorio Cottafavi was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1943 and 1985. His film Il diavolo sulle colline was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.
Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis is a 1961 film directed by Vittorio Cottafavi and starring Reg Park in his film debut as Ercole/Hercules. It was originally released in Super Technirama 70.
Goliath and the Dragon is a 1960 sword-and-sandal film directed by Vittorio Cottafavi and starring Mark Forest and Broderick Crawford.
Hélène Chanel is a French actress of Russian heritage. She was active in the 1960s in a variety of European international co-productions of sword and sandal, Eurospy and Spaghetti Westerns. She was credited with a variety of names such as Hélène Chancel, Helen Chanel, Sheryll Morgan, Helen Stoliaroff and Hélène Stoliaroff.
Time for Loving is a 1983 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina. It obtained a great commercial success and launched a short-living subgenre of revival-nostalgic comedy films. It also generated a sequel, Sapore di mare 2 - Un anno dopo. For her performance in this film Virna Lisi won a David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress and a Silver Ribbon in the same category.
L'Arbre de Noël is a 1969 French-Italian drama film directed by Terence Young and starring William Holden, Bourvil and Virna Lisi. It was defined as "the most tearful film of sixties". The film was co-produced by Italy where it was released as L'albero di Natale.
Luisella Boni is an Italian actress.
Nando Tamberlani (1896–1967) was an Italian actor. A character actor in Italian cinema of the postwar era, he was the brother of actor Carlo Tamberlani. Another brother Ermete Tamberlani was also an actor. He appeared in a number of peplum epics during the late 1950s and 1960s.
Il Conte di Matera is a 1958 Italian adventure film directed by Luigi Capuano and starring Virna Lisi and Otello Toso.
