 | This article needs a plot summary.(July 2017) |
| The Seven Magnificent Gladiators | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruno Mattei [1] |
| Screenplay by | Claudio Fragasso [2] |
| Produced by | Alexander Hacohen [2] |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Silvano Ippoliti [2] |
| Edited by | Bruno Mattei [2] |
| Music by | Dov Seltzer [2] |
Production company | Cannon Italia SrL [2] |
Release date |
|
| Country | Italy |
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (Italian : I sette magnifici gladiatori) is an Italian peplum film directed by Bruno Mattei.
The box office success of Conan the Barbarian sparked a mini-revival of peplum film productions between 1982 and 1990 in Italy. [3] The Seven Magnificent Gladiators was part of the revival. [4] Among the production crew was cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti who had shot many of the original peplum films and Brad Harris and Dan Vadis who had starred in peplum films of the previous era. [4]
A filmed version of Hercules was originally to be directed by Bruno Mattei from a screenplay by Ricardo Ghione. [5] Principal photography was scheduled to begin in May 1982 in Rome, Italy while The Hollywood Reporter named Claudio Fragasso as screenwriter, and Ennio Morricone as music composer and conductor. [5] Neither Mattei, Fragasso, or Morricone appear in onscreen credits. [5] The Hollywood Reporter later stated that principal photography began in August in Italy under the direction of Luigi Cozzi. [5] Hercules was filmed back-to-back with The Seven Magnificent Gladiators in Italy in 1982. [6] The Seven Magnificent Gladiators was filmed first. [6] During production, Brad Harris suggested to actor Lou Ferrigno that he should star in a new Hercules film. [4] After production commenced, it was followed by the shooting of Hercules , which began on 12 July 1982. [6]
The film was produced by Cannon Italia SrL and filmed a De Paolis Studios in Rome, some of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Ostia Antica. [2] The film's plot is a re-working of Seven Samurai . [2]
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators was released in Italy in 1983 and in August 1983 in the United States. [2]
Kim Newman ( Monthly Film Bulletin ) described the film as a "such an exact remake/rip-off of The Seven Samurai / The Magnificent Seven that the only possible surprise comes from the casting of Sybil Danning in the Brad Dexter role". Newman stated that Bruno Mattei "seems totally at a loss when confronted with an action scene, and tends unfortunately to emphasize the stately pace and clumsy horsemanship of the participants in a noticeably unexciting chariot race, and the gauche weediness of the village girls and dotards required to fight Nicerote's hordes in the scrappy final battle". [7]
Laurette Marcia Gemser is an Indonesian-Dutch retired actress, model and costume designer. She is primarily known for her work in Italian erotic cinema, most notably the Emanuelle series. Many of her films were collaborations with directors Joe D'Amato and Bruno Mattei.
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.
Aristide Massaccesi, known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres but is best known for his horror, erotic and adult films.
Dan Vadis was an American actor famous for his lead roles in many Italian films made in the 1960s.
Hercules is a 1983 Italian-American science fantasy adventure film written and directed by Luigi Cozzi and starring bodybuilding champion Lou Ferrigno. The film is based on Greek mythology and follows the exploits of Hercules. Supporting cast includes Brad Harris, Sybil Danning and William Berger. Filmed in Italy, Hercules was released theatrically in August 1983 and has grossed $11 million at the American box office. It received mostly negative reviews from film critics, although over the years it has become a cult movie. Ferrigno reprised his role in the 1985 sequel, The Adventures of Hercules.
Claudio Fragasso is a film director and screenwriter. Fragasso first attempted to make art films in the early 1970s, then became a screenwriter in the Italian film industry in the mid-1970s. Fragasso met director Bruno Mattei, which led to a ten-year partnership from 1980 to 1990 during which the two worked together closely on films, with Fragasso's contributions often going uncredited. Fragasso's wife Rossella Drudi was also a screenwriter and collaborated with him on a number of projects. Fragasso would later go on to write and direct his own films in the 1980s, including Monster Dog with rock musician Alice Cooper and After Death. Fragasso directed Troll 2 in 1989, which was later the topic of Best Worst Movie, a documentary film that discussed Troll 2's fandom.
Bruno Mattei was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. Mattei's films often followed popular genre trends of the era. Mattei continued work as a director primarily in the Philippines until his death in 2007, just before he was to enter production on his fifth Zombie film.
The Adventures of Hercules also known as Hercules II: The Adventures of Hercules is the 1985 sequel to the 1983 film Hercules. It was written and directed by Luigi Cozzi and has bodybuilder-turned-actor Lou Ferrigno reprising his role as the title character.
Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules is a 1964 international co-production filmed in Algeria and directed by Anthony Dawson.
The Magnificent Gladiator is a 1964 Italian sword-and-sandal film written and directed by Alfonso Brescia.
The Ten Gladiators is a 1963 Italian film directed by Gianfranco Parolini.
Hercules Against the Barbarians is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Domenico Paolella.
The Fury of Hercules is a 1962 peplum film written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Gladiators Seven is a 1964 Italian peplum film directed by Alberto De Martino and starring Tony Russel.
Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules is a 1964 peplum film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Richard Harrison and Lisa Gastoni.
The Throne of Fire is a 1983 Italian film directed by Franco Prosperi, starring Sabrina Siani and Pietro Torrisi. The film is among the peplums of the 1980s to feature a woman as the central character, along with Red Sonja, Hundra and Barbarian Queen.
