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.
Marco Leonardi is an Italian actor.
There Was a Castle with Forty Dogs is a 1990 comedy film, starring Peter Ustinov and directed by Duccio Tessari. It is based on the novel Au bonheur des chiens by Rémo Forlani.
Goliath and the Barbarians is a 1959 Italian peplum film loosely based on events of the Lombard invasion of Italy in AD 568. As with many Italian peplums of the time, the English dubbed version renamed some of the characters.
Nemici d'infanzia is a 1995 Italian comedy drama film written by Luigi Magni and Carla Vistarini and directed by Luigi Magni. The film won the David di Donatello for Best Script.
The Devil Has Seven Faces is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed and co-written by Osvaldo Civirani. It starred George Hilton, Carroll Baker and Luciano Pigozzi. The film has also been released on video as Bloody Mary (US) and Nights of Terror (UK).
The Prisoner of the Iron Mask is a 1962 Italian-French swashbuckler film. It was directed by Francesco De Feo.
Pirates of the Coast is a 1960 Italian adventure film directed by Domenico Paolella.
The Invincible Masked Rider is a 1963 adventure film directed by Umberto Lenzi. It was based on a novel by Johnston McCulley. The film was released in the US as Terror of the Black Mask.
Virtual Weapon is a 1997 Italian comedy-science fiction film, directed by Antonio Margheriti.
The Son of the Red Corsair is a 1959 Italian historical adventure film written and directed by Primo Zeglio and starring Lex Barker, Sylvia Lopez and Vira Silenti. It is based on the novel with the same name by Emilio Salgari. The story had previously been made into a 1943 film The Son of the Red Corsair.
The Pirate and the Slave Girl is a 1959 Italian adventure film written and directed by Piero Pierotti and starring Lex Barker.
Spy Today, Die Tomorrow is a 1967 German-Italian-Spanish Eurospy film written and directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Lex Barker.
Tunis Top Secret is a 1959 Italian-German adventure-spy film written and directed by Bruno Paolinelli and starring Elsa Martinelli and Giorgia Moll.
First Love is a 1959 Italian romantic drama film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Carla Gravina.
Le signore is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Turi Vasile and starring Chelo Alonso and Nadia Gray.
The Secret of the Black Falcon is a 1961 Italian swashbuckler film co-written and directed by Domenico Paolella and starring Lex Barker and Livio Lorenzon.
The Executioner of Venice, also known as Blood of the Executioner, is a 1963 Italian swashbuckler film co-written and directed by Luigi Capuano and starring Lex Barker and Guy Madison.
Knight of 100 Faces is a 1960 Italian swashbuckler film directed by Pino Mercanti and starring Lex Barker and Liana Orfei.
Attack of the Moors, also known as The Kings of France, is a 1959 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Costa and starring Chelo Alonso, Rik Battaglia and Gérard Landry.
