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.
Ursus is a 1961 Italian peplum film directed by Carlo Campogalliani. It was originally theatrically released in the US on a double bill with "Jack, the Giant Killer" (1962) before being sold to television in the U.S. The film was later released to American television retitled Ursus, Son of Hercules as part of the Sons of Hercules TV syndication package.
Samson in King Solomon's Mines is a 1964 Italian peplum film written and directed by Piero Regnoli.
Hercules Against the Barbarians is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.
Samson vs. the Giant King is a 1964 Italian fantasy-peplum film directed by Amerigo Anton.
Samson Against the Sheik is a 1962 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.
The Fury of Hercules is a 1962 peplum film written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini.
Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun is a 1964 Italian-Spanish peplum film written and directed by Osvaldo Civirani.
Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules is a 1962 peplum film directed by Mario Caiano.
The Fall of Rome is a 1963 Italian peplum film written and directed by Anthony Dawson.
Hector the Mighty is a 1972 Italian comedy film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. A parody of Homer's Iliad set in modern times, it is loosely based on the 1966 novel Le roi des Mirmidous by Henri Viard and Bernard Zacharias.
Son of Samson is a 1960 Italian peplum film directed by Carlo Campogalliani and starring Mark Forest. The film was distributed to English-speaking countries as Son of Samson, although in the original film, Maciste had no relation to Samson whatsoever.
Ursus in the Land of Fire, released directly to U.S. television as Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire, is a 1963 Italian peplum film directed by Giorgio Simonelli and starring Ed Fury as Ursus, and Adriano Micantoni as the evil usurper, Amilcare.
Hercules and the Black Pirates, also known as Hercules and the Pirates and Hercules and the Black Pirate, is a 1963 Italian pirate-peplum film directed by Luigi Capuano and starring Alan Steel.
3 Avengers is a 1964 Italian peplum film written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring Alan Steel.
Jacob and Esau is a 1963 Italian religious epic drama film written and directed by Mario Landi and starring Edmund Hashim and Ken Clark in the title roles.
79 A.D. is a 1962 Italian-French epic drama film written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring Brad Harris.
Poppea's Hot Nights is a 1969 Italian comedy film set in Ancient Rome. It was written and directed by Guido Malatesta and stars Olga Schoberová and Brad Harris in the main roles.
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (Italian: Il trionfo dei dieci gladiatori is a 1964 peplum film written and directed by Nick Nostro and starring Dan Vadis. It is the sequel of Gianfranco Parolini's The Ten Gladiators, and was followed by Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators.
The Three Fantastic Supermen is a 1967 superhero film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. The film was the first in a series of Three Supermen films.
