Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas

Last updated
Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas
Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas.jpg
Directed by Piero Pierotti
Screenplay by
  • Arpad DeRiso
  • Piero Pierotti [1]
Produced by Fortunato Misiano
Starring
Cinematography Augusto Tiezzi [1]
Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino [1]
Production
companies
  • Romana Film
  • Ilysse Productions [1]
Release date
  • 15 October 1964 (1964-10-15)
Running time
110 minutes (Italy)
90 minutes (U.S. Print) [2]
Countries
  • Italy
  • France [1]

Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas (Italian : Sansone e il tesoro degli Incas) is a 1964 film written and directed by Piero Pierotti and starring Alan Steel. Originally conceived as a peplum film, given the contemporary success of A Fistful of Dollars , it was turned into a western film during the shootings, resulting in a bizarre crossover between the two genres. Although Alan Steel reverts to a Hercules-like character in the film's climax, the bulk of the film resembles a standard Spaghetti Western. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

A cowboy named William Smith (Alan Steel) tries to save his friend who has been framed for committing a murder. The two leave civilization and find themselves in mountainous territory on the trail of a hidden treasure, which is guarded by a lost Inca tribe (who are also referred to as Aztecs in the film). After the Spanish conquistadors wiped out the Aztecs in the Sixteenth Century, a small group of Aztecs managed to escape to the Arizona territory, bringing with them a vast cache of gold. They somehow built a hidden city in the desert where they lived in peace for many years until a lost map turns up and ignites a treasure hunt among two competing groups of cowboys. Mario Petri leads the bad guys who arrive at the city first before hero Alan Steel's party can get there. They enter the lost city through two golden doors built into the side of a cliff face. After the two groups try to kill each other, the Aztecs start attacking them all with arrows. When Petri finally gets possession of the treasure, he loses his mind and kills off the members of his own gang. The Aztec natives decide to sacrifice the last three surviving white men by throwing them into a river of molten gold. At the climax of the film, Alan Steel inexplicably reverts to a Hercules-like character and uses his massive strength to tear down the city just before an earthquake coincidentally destroys whatever's remaining of the place. The heroes escape in the end through the hidden city's golden doors.

Cast

Release

Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas was released on 15 October 1964. [1] In Italy, the film had a 110-minute running time while in the United States it was edited to 90 minutes. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Hercules Against the Moon Men</i> 1964 film

Hercules Against the Moon Men is a 1964 Franco-Italian international co-production sword and sandal film. It was directed by Giacomo Gentilomo in his final film and stars Alan Steel and Jany Clair. The English version of the film runs for 90 minutes and is dubbed.

<i>Hercules in the Haunted World</i> 1961 film by Mario Bava

Hercules in the Haunted World is a 1961 Italian sword-and-sandal film directed by Mario Bava. British bodybuilder Reg Park plays Hercules while British actor Christopher Lee appears as Hercules' nemesis Lico. Shooting at Cinecittà, director Mario Bava used some of the same sets from the earlier Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis which also stars Park.

<i>Hercules in the Valley of Woe</i> 1961 film

Hercules in the Vale of Woe, a.k.a. Hercules in the Valley of Woe, is a 1961 Italian Franco and Ciccio comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Kirk Morris as Maciste and Frank Gordon as Hercules. The film is a comical take on the popular sword-and-sandal epics of the 1950s and 1960s.

<i>The Magnificent Gladiator</i> 1964 Italian film

The Magnificent Gladiator is a 1964 Italian sword-and-sandal film written and directed by Alfonso Brescia.

<i>Hercules Against Rome</i> 1964 film

Hercules Against Rome is a 1964 peplum film directed by Piero Pierotti.

<i>Hercules, Prisoner of Evil</i> 1964 Italian film

Hercules, Prisoner of Evil is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Anthony Dawson and an uncredited Ruggero Deodato. Deodato, the official assistant director, replaced Margheriti as he was busy with the completion of the film The Fall of Rome. Deodato actually directed most of the film in actuality but Margheriti was credited as the director. The film is filled with a variety of horrific themes and elements, featuring a killer werewolf, and is as much a horror film as it is a peplum.

<i>Goliath and the Rebel Slave</i> 1963 film

Goliath and the Rebel Slave, also known as The Tyrant of Lydia Against the Son of Hercules, is a 1963 Eastmancolor adventure peplum film directed by Mario Caiano.

<i>Hercules Against the Barbarians</i> 1964 Italian film

Hercules Against the Barbarians is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.

<i>Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus</i> 1965 Italian film

Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus is a 1965 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.

<i>Hercules Against the Mongols</i> 1963 Italian film

Hercules Against the Mongols is a 1963 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.

<i>Samson and the Slave Queen</i> 1962 film

Samson and the Slave Queen is a 1963 Italian peplum directed by Umberto Lenzi. It was originally made as a Maciste film in Italy, in which the fabled strongman meets Zorro. It was redubbed into a "Samson" movie for distribution in the U.S. and "Samson" meets "El Toro"

<i>The Fury of Hercules</i> 1962 film

The Fury of Hercules is a 1962 peplum film written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini.

<i>Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules</i> 1962 film

Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules is a 1962 peplum film directed by Mario Caiano.

<i>The Lion of Thebes</i> 1964 film

The Lion of Thebes is a peplum film written and directed by Giorgio Ferroni.

<i>The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules</i> 1964 film

The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules is a 1964 peplum film directed by Mario Caiano and starring Mark Forest and Marilù Tolo.

<i>The Invincible Brothers Maciste</i> 1964 Italian film

The Invincible Brothers Maciste is a 1964 Italian peplum film written and directed by Roberto Mauri.

<i>Hercules vs. Moloch</i> 1963 film

Hercules vs. Moloch is a 1963 Italian/French international co-production peplum film written and directed by Giorgio Ferroni and starring Gordon Scott. The film reuses battle scenes from Ferroni's 1961 film The Trojan Horse.

<i>Hercules and the Masked Rider</i> 1963 film

Hercules and the Masked Rider is a 1963 Italian peplum film written and directed by Piero Pierotti and starring Alan Steel and Mimmo Palmara. A crossover film, it is set in the seventeenth century Spain and it features Hercules in a Zorro-like scenario.

<i>Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules</i> 1964 film

Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules is a 1964 peplum film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Richard Harrison and Lisa Gastoni.

<i>The Avenger of Venice</i> 1964 film

The Avenger of Venice is a 1964 adventure film written and directed by Piero Pierotti and Carlo Campogalliani and starring Brett Halsey and Gianna Maria Canale. It is based on a novel by Michel Zevaco.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 88.
  2. Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476662916.
  3. Marco Giusti (2007). Dizionario del western all'italiana. Mondadori, 2007. ISBN   978-88-04-57277-0.
  4. Laura Morandini; Luisa Morandini; Morando Morandini (2010). Il Morandini 2011. Dizionario dei film. Zanichelli, 2010. ISBN   978-8808227225.

Bibliography

  • Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN   978-1476662916.