1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. Rewind. This is Rob 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Lamb and we have a fun one here for you. 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: This one originally aired last year seven twenty six, twenty 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: twenty four. This is our look at the oh so 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: colorful nineteen sixty one Mario Baba film Hercules in the 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: Haunted World, starring REDG. Park, Christopher Lee, and Leonardo Rufo. 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: It's a lot of fun and certainly has a lot 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: of visual style. Let's jump right in. 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 10 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. 11 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 3: This is Rob Lamb and this is Joe McCormick. And 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 3: today on Weird House Cinema, we are going to be 13 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 3: talking about the nineteen sixty one Italian sword and sandal 14 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 3: movie her Achilles in the Haunted World, directed by show 15 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 3: favorite Mario Bava, starring English bodybuilder REDG. Park as her 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 3: Achilles and also starring show favorite Christopher Lee as the 17 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 3: evil King Leco in what I must say is one 18 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 3: of the most underwhelming Christopher Lee performances of all time, 19 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 3: but otherwise really really fun, great if low budget fantasy movie. 20 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: That's right, I mean, with a Mario Bava film as well, 21 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: no doubt be discussing most of this episode. There are 22 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: certain expectations in place, and this film meets those expectations. 23 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: You know that it is going to look glorious. You 24 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: know that you are going to be entering a phantasmagorical 25 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: world of color and smoke and strange surreal landscapes. 26 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, whatever the genre, whatever the budget, you pretty much 27 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 3: always know a Mario Bava movie is going to look 28 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 3: fascinating and you will feel the mood with your eyes. 29 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 3: They tend to be have very well composed shots. Each 30 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 3: shot is kind of like a like a painting in 31 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: some way. It's always kind of interestingly staged or framed. 32 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 3: And he's a big fan of things like mist and 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 3: fog and colored lights. So in scenes that in other 34 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 3: movies might just be lit with what comes off as 35 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 3: realistic lighting to the audience, in abov a movie, yeah, 36 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 3: you'll have red lights coming from one side of the room, 37 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 3: green and blue coming from the other, and pink lights 38 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 3: on the on the subject, and it just infuses everything 39 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 3: even more realistic scenes with a sense of magic. 40 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, and there they are almost always going to be 41 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: sequences that feel kind of hypnotic, and this film is 42 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: no exception. There are there are some sequences that have 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:45,399 Speaker 1: a hypnotic vibe to them. 44 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 3: So Hercules in the Haunted World has been known by 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 3: other names, as many Italian movies have lots of names. 46 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 3: It's been known as Hercules at the Center of the 47 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 3: Earth and also some variations on Hercules versus the Vampires. 48 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 3: I don't think that really describes the movie at all. 49 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: I was reading about the various titles for this film 50 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 1: in Robert A. Rushings descended from Hercules, a book that 51 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: I'll refer back to, and he mentions that, like the 52 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: literal translation of the original Italian title is essentially Hercules 53 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: in the Center of the Earth. But yeah, mostly it's 54 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: known as Hercules in the Haunted World, which I think 55 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: is a pretty great title. There's at least one title 56 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: for the film that is with Hercules to the Center 57 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: of the Earth, which is a little more confusing, but 58 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: fair enough if you get the basic idea Hercules is 59 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: going inside the planet. 60 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 3: As you might guess from some of the titles for 61 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 3: this film, such as Hercules versus the Vampires, even though 62 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 3: there aren't really any vampires in it. This is a 63 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 3: somewhat rare genre crossover that might be called peplam horror. 64 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 3: Peplam is of course an originally derisive I think term 65 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 3: for the sword and sandal genre. So that's your standard 66 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 3: genre of movies about figures like Hercules, these you know, 67 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 3: like strong figures from ancient Greece, a rome that run 68 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 3: around doing heroic deeds. So that's peplam and Hercules in 69 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 3: the Haunted World is one of a small number of 70 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 3: films that have been said to be an attempt to 71 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 3: cross that stream with the trappings of gothic or supernatural horror. 72 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 3: So your prototype example might be a story set in 73 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 3: an archaic time period about an immense gentleman of beef 74 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 3: who wields a magic saber to defeat an army of 75 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 3: the blood drinking undead. 76 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, and in the case of this film, like obviously 77 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: they're bringing in Christopher Lee, who as a major player 78 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: in a gothic horror of the time period, so you know, 79 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: it's it's rather obvious what they're doing here. 80 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 3: That said, I was kind of expecting there to be 81 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 3: more horror in this movie. There are definitely scenes that 82 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 3: are horror, and the final showdown involves hercules fighting in 83 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 3: an army of zombies. So I think that definitely gets 84 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 3: you there. But for a lot of the film, it's 85 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 3: much more like a tradition, an old sword and sandal 86 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 3: movie where there aren't really any monsters. I don't think 87 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 3: anything really counts as a vampire. Probably the closest you 88 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 3: get is that Christopher Lee is in it, and he 89 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 3: plays a vampire in other movies. 90 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, he kind of wants to become a vampire, but 91 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: that's about it, really. Yeah, you know that they're maybe 92 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: we're going to cash in on some of that that 93 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: that vampire fame. Yeah, there's there are whole sections of 94 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: the movie that you might not even recognize as Bava 95 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: that you basically before they enter the surreal world beneath 96 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: the Earth, and and to your point, yeah, there's there's 97 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 1: not much in the film that you might identify as 98 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: horror outside of like the visual trappings of Bava's style. 99 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 3: Right, right, I mean, I think I would identify this 100 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 3: as Bava throughout because of the way it looks, but 101 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 3: maybe not so much because of plot elements earlier on. 102 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 3: So I was trying to think if I had ever 103 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 3: before seen a movie that would be considered peplham horror. 104 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 3: And while I don't think I've seen any of the 105 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 3: ones that usually get highlighted from like the late fifth 106 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 3: these early sixties, we have seen on weird house cinema 107 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 3: Luccio Fulci's Conquest, which certainly has a sword chopping muscle man. 108 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 3: It's set in an archaic time period, and it has 109 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 3: zombies and were wolves and other straight supernatural horror elements. 110 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 3: But I was wondering does this count is Conquest peplam 111 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 3: or is it too post Conan to count as peplam, 112 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 3: Like I don't really know what film historians would usually 113 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 3: consider the cutoff there. Does peplam only refer to these 114 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 3: earlier movies about ancient Greece and Rome and stuff, or 115 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 3: does it also include the more often gory, somewhat sleazy, 116 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,599 Speaker 3: r rated Barbarian fantasy films that came after, like Millius's 117 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:44,799 Speaker 3: adaptation of Conan. 118 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: Well, I turned to Rushing for this because this is 119 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: the book to find the answer, And Rushing does identify 120 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: barbarian films as the third wave of peplam, so he 121 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: breaks everything down into five waves. So the first wave 122 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: consists pretty much entirely of the Machiste cycle, the Machiste 123 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: films from nineteen fourteen through nineteen twenty six, all starring 124 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: Bartolomeo Pagano as the titular Roman strong man Macheste. And 125 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: I believe you were actually looking at one of these 126 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: the other day. You were in the mood for a 127 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: sword and Sandals film and you were looking at a 128 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: silent film. I believe this is one of the Pagano films. 129 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, that's right. And in fact, I came across 130 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 3: a movie from this era that has the same one 131 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 3: line plot summary as the movie we're covering today. So 132 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 3: Hercules in the Haunted World, you know, the elevator pitch 133 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 3: is Hercules goes to Hell. And fun fact, there is 134 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 3: actually a word in Greek for stories in which the 135 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 3: hero goes to the underworld. It's called katabasis. This is 136 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 3: a common enough type of story, and there are of 137 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 3: course scenes from the big Greek and Roman epics where 138 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 3: characters go into the underworld. Happens in the Odyssey. There's 139 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 3: a katabasis where Odysseus goes to the underworld and talks 140 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 3: to talk to you know, dead people. There's a passage 141 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 3: in the Aeneid where I think the heroes go to 142 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 3: the underworld, which just talked about recently on the show. Actually, 143 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 3: so there's a long tradition of stories in which the 144 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 3: epic hero takes a journey to Hell for some reason. 145 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 3: But this, this Bava movie from sixty one that we're 146 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 3: talking about today is not even the first Hercules goes 147 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 3: to Hell film in the twentieth century. I came across 148 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 3: a nineteen twenty five Italian silent film called Meshista in Hell, 149 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 3: which looks awesome, Rob. I've attached the poster for you 150 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 3: to look at here. It has some kind of I 151 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 3: don't know, some like bride of Hell kind of figure 152 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 3: on it who's wearing like a dress with a golden 153 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 3: calf theme. 154 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: Oh wow, very art deco. 155 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, but she looks like she will indeed invite 156 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 3: you straight into Hell. And I think the basic premise 157 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 3: of Mashista in Hell is that, you know, he's not 158 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 3: only strong, he's the most virtuous man on earth, and 159 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 3: the demons of Hell are like, okay, we got to 160 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:00,199 Speaker 3: trick him into sinning so that he'll come to Hell. 161 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 3: And I think they have a difficult time trying to 162 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 3: get him to sin. I haven't seen this movie in full, 163 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 3: but it looks like it would be worth a watch 164 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 3: if you want to sit through a full length silent film. 165 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: All right, So first Wave nineteen fourteen through the nineteen 166 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: twenty six then, according to Rushing, interestingly, there's kind of 167 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: a break here, So Peplam popularity dies out during the 168 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,680 Speaker 1: fascist and post war period in Italy, which initially I 169 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: was kind of confused by, and I'm still very interested 170 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: in how this occurs because you think of what a 171 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:38,079 Speaker 1: Hercules movie or Peplam movie is, and it centers around 172 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: a literal strong man. Yeah, and then what is fascism 173 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: is It is just, in very simple terms, someone at 174 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: least putting on the act of being a strong man, 175 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,320 Speaker 1: you know that is going to you know, lead you 176 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: and solve all your problems for you. And on one level, 177 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: I would think, well, wouldn't they just go hand in hand? 178 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: But I'm not going to get into all the points 179 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: that are the explorers in the book, But he basically 180 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: highlights that there's kind of some back and forth here, Like, 181 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: on one hand, yes, there is there are some fascist 182 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: elements to the idea of a Hercules or Samson or 183 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: any of these other figures that are explored in these films. 184 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: But on the other hand too, there are certain anti 185 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: fascism elements to it, like, for example, Hercules. Even in 186 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: this film, Hercules is not saying put the crown on me. 187 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: Hercules doesn't want rewards. He's in it out of the 188 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: goodness of his heart. 189 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 3: Yes, he explicitly is not power seeking in the film, 190 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 3: and when I think at certain points has sort of 191 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 3: given the chance to assume power and he sort of 192 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 3: shies away from it. All right. 193 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: The next wave we have of Peplam, according to Rushing, 194 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: is the mid century Peplam, that's nineteen fifty eight through 195 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty five, and this period star is almost exclusively 196 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: bodybuilders such as Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott and Reg Park. This, 197 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: of course is the period that we're discussing here with 198 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: Hercules in the Haunted World. And according to the extras 199 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,079 Speaker 1: on the Kinoclassics disc which i'll mention again here in 200 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: a bit, this film and Mario Bava in particular, had 201 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: had a very important role in the resurgence of peplam 202 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: during this period and also the cementing of Hercules's place 203 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: at the center of it instead of mitchi ste or 204 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,679 Speaker 1: the biblical Samson or any other character. So like, this 205 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: is where things become more like Hercules movies as opposed 206 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: to various figures that fit the mold. 207 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 3: Okay, now, I think that the grimier peplam comes in 208 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 3: the eighties, right, sort of in the wake of Conan, 209 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 3: which was what like nineteen eighty one. 210 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: Yeah. He highlights the third wave as eighties Barbarian movies, 211 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: a broad category that includes everything from Conan the Barbarian itself, 212 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,719 Speaker 1: to the Attor films to Fulgi's Conquest, which he discusses 213 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: in This wave is also notable for featuring more sex, 214 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: more violence, at least compared to everything that had come before. Now, 215 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: the fourth wave that he highlights is the nineteen nineties 216 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: TV wave, typified by Hercules, the Legendary Journeys, and various 217 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,119 Speaker 1: other shows of that sort. I guess this leads into Zena. 218 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: If you watched any TV in the nineties, you know 219 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: exactly this whole realm of shows we're talking about. 220 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 3: You know, I haven't really gone back and revisited these, 221 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 3: but I do remember watching both Hercules and Zena on 222 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 3: TV when I was a kid, and they had a 223 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 3: great feeling there was such a pleasing corniness about them. 224 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know what you mean. I never I never 225 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: really religiously watched them, but I would catch them on 226 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: and you know sometimes. 227 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know, I'd have to go back and 228 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 3: check them out as an adult. But I think these 229 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,320 Speaker 3: shows did have a pretty strong sense of irony about them, 230 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 3: Like they didn't They have like Bruce Campbell as a 231 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 3: recurring guest character, and he was hamming it up real good. 232 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You had a number of either talented 233 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,959 Speaker 1: actors of the time or actors that would go on 234 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: to become more prominent on those shows. 235 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 3: All right. 236 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 1: Then finally, fifth wave peplam according to Rushing here, contemporary 237 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: peplam concerning pretty much everything that comes in the wake 238 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: of Ridley Scott's two thousand film Gladiator. So that includes 239 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: the two thousand and six film three hundred, it includes 240 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 1: the Spartacus TV show. And I do want to note 241 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: that the book in question here came out in twenty sixteen, 242 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: so I'm not sure where Rushing would consider us now, 243 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,839 Speaker 1: Like we have Gladiator two coming out this year for 244 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,559 Speaker 1: Midley Scott, so I don't know if that is going 245 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: to cap off this period of Peplam, or is it 246 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: going to birth a new period, or how we might 247 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: figure out where we are in this legacy of sword 248 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 1: and sandals cinema. 249 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,080 Speaker 3: I'm having a hard time believing that they're actually making 250 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 3: a Gladiator two. 251 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the first one I had all the 252 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: money in the world, so I mean that's also a 253 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: really scott film. But anyway, you catch. 254 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 3: My meeting what we do in life franchise is in eternity. 255 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's a quick overview. If you want a 256 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:13,840 Speaker 1: deeper look at Peplum, do pick up that book. 257 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 3: It sounds interesting and I'm sure there is a lot 258 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 3: to excavate in terms of the sort of the historical 259 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 3: context and the social and psychological connotations that are flowing 260 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 3: through this oiled up genre. Now, to situate the movie 261 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 3: we're looking at today within the history, we're saying it's 262 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 3: in that middle period during sort of a Peplam revival, 263 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 3: Like there had been a Peplam low tide for several decades, 264 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 3: and now this is early sixties, late fifties, early sixties. 265 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 3: Peplam's coming back, and it's coming back by mixing with 266 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 3: other genres like horror. 267 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: That's right, and eventually there's going to be some sci 268 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: fi peplums as well, Yeah, which we might come back 269 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: to on the show. 270 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 3: So, from what I've read, Hercules and the Haunted World 271 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 3: was a relatively low budget picture, but like most Mario 272 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 3: Bob movies, it you know, it looks a lot better 273 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 3: than what it cost. Apparently. Would I do want to 274 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 3: single out a genuine crime in the creative choices of 275 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 3: this movie, which is that they cast Christopher Lee as 276 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 3: the villain and then, as best I can tell, did 277 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 3: not use his actual voice at all, like he is 278 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 3: dubbed by another actor. I don't I couldn't confirm this, Rob. 279 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 3: Maybe you have more insight into whether that's the case 280 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 3: for sure, but it does not sound like him on 281 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 3: the Italian track I heard, and I from what I understand, 282 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 3: it's not his voice in English either. 283 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: That's my understanding. I think there chrispher Lee did some 284 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: international pictures in which his voice was dubbed, and I 285 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 1: think there's maybe one German production where he did his 286 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: own voice acting for the German language version. I'm not 287 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: one hundred percent on that, but I think it's the 288 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: case as far as I can tell, there's just no 289 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 1: audio of at least surviving of Lee's lines here. In 290 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: all likelihood he did his lines in English, but yeah, 291 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: they're dubbed by an Italian speaking actor for the Italian version, 292 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: dubbed by a non Christopher Lee actor for the English dub, 293 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: and on from there. You know, it was common practice 294 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: in a lot of these lower budget European films that 295 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 1: they wouldn't even have live sound. Everything would be dubbed anyway, 296 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: and that sometimes meant international cast members were just doing 297 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: their lines in their own language and they just work 298 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: it all out in the dub later on. I think 299 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: I've mentioned before that Spanish be cinema legend, Paul Nashy 300 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: almost never did his own vocal performance, even for the Spanish, 301 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: it would be somebody else. But I agree, it's a 302 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: shame we don't get to hear Christopher Lee here. 303 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, so it seems like it's probably not a you know, 304 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 3: a particular choice of this movie, but it's just how 305 00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 3: movies in this time and place were done. You just 306 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 3: have live sound, and a lot of times it was 307 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 3: not the original actor recording the audio. 308 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: But it's a shame that they had decades to write 309 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: this wrong and Christopher Lee lived a long time and 310 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 1: was active for the rest of his life. Even if 311 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: you'd gone in and gotten a much older Christopher Lee 312 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: to come in and do a little voice work for this, 313 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: it would have been I think it would have been 314 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: worth it. I don't know if it was actually worth 315 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: it to anyone who's going to put the money down 316 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: for it, But there you go. 317 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 3: I'm just saying, if you're going to hire Christopher Lee, 318 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 3: you better go out of your way to get his 319 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 3: voice on tape. 320 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:30,959 Speaker 1: Agreed. 321 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 3: Another thing I want to address before we actually get 322 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 3: into the cast and the plot, which is did you 323 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 3: notice that hercules solution to nearly every puzzle and problem 324 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 3: in this film was to lift a large object over 325 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 3: his head and throw it. Yes, most often the large 326 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 3: object is a rock. At least like four or five 327 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 3: major problems in the movie are solved by throwing a rock. 328 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 3: But sometimes it is a wooden cart, or sometimes it 329 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 3: is a monster made out of rocks. So it's like 330 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 3: the moral of Hercules in the Haunted world is that 331 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 3: there's almost no problem which cannot be solved by guerrilla 332 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 3: pressing and throwing an object of sufficient mass. 333 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, this film is one hundred percent herk chunking objects 334 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: at his problems. And yet I have to say that 335 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,119 Speaker 1: these scenes are also well crafted, the lighting, the physical acting, 336 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,159 Speaker 1: the props and effects that I buy it in ways 337 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: that I rarely buy a boulder eating scene in a 338 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: motion picture. 339 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 3: I never wanted to stop. Was like, yeah, throw rocks 340 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 3: at that too, Throw some more rocks. 341 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: I mean, if we were gonna get picky, we might say, well, 342 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: in the actual you know tales of Hercules, he's he's 343 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 1: not only using rocks to solve problems. He's not only 344 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: throwing things he gets. He can be rather devious at 345 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: times in the way that he overcomes his various challenges, 346 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: but in this it's mostly throwing stuff. 347 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 3: Well, it's supposed to be the character that Hercules is 348 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 3: not only strong, but he is clever. He comes up 349 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 3: with ingenious solutions to unsolvable problems. You know, how does 350 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 3: he How does he clean the stables that have accumulated 351 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 3: the filth from all the years, like he he can't 352 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 3: even with all his strength, He can't do it with 353 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:15,239 Speaker 3: a shovel, but he diverts a river, so you know, 354 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 3: so he comes up with clever solutions like that. And 355 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 3: I think the movie is trying to show him doing that. 356 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 3: At times, he like faces a problem and he has 357 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,119 Speaker 3: to come up with some outside the box solution, but 358 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 3: it's always throwing a rock. 359 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's true. He's like, all right, I need another 360 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,119 Speaker 1: approach to this problem. Should I throw a rock at it? 361 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 3: Yes? 362 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: I should throw a rock at it? 363 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 3: Okay, the elevator pitch. I've already given one version, which 364 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,240 Speaker 3: is Hercules goes to Hell. You could shorten that even 365 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:47,359 Speaker 3: to just Helcules nice, but I guess the longer version 366 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 3: is that the only way the noble Hercules can save 367 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 3: his beloved Danira is to retrieve a magic stone from 368 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 3: the underworld of the dead. But a dubbed Christopher Lee 369 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 3: with a Prince Valiant haircut has a plans. 370 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: All right, So where can you watch Hercules in the 371 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: haunted world? Well, it's out there. And this is another 372 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:08,920 Speaker 1: one of those films where I feel like you got 373 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:10,719 Speaker 1: to be a little picky about where you get it. 374 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: I initially did the lazy thing, and I was like, Okay, 375 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: I don't really want to get up. I'm just going 376 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,199 Speaker 1: to rent this on Prime. And then I rented it 377 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: and the quality was not optimal. It even featured a watermark. 378 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: So I did what I should have done to begin with. 379 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: I drove over to Atlanta's own Videodrome video rental store 380 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: and I rented the two disc Kino Classics Blu Ray release. 381 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: It is excellent. It features multiple cuts of the film, 382 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: you know, the UK cut, Italian cut, US cut, as 383 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,360 Speaker 1: well as some extras, and so, you know, we generally 384 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: encourage everyone to watch these films and the best quality available, 385 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,720 Speaker 1: and this is especially true of Mario Bava. I don't 386 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,639 Speaker 1: think my wife really understood why I was leaving the 387 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: house to go rent a movie that I just rented. 388 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: But it's like, you just can't watch a Mario Bava 389 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: film unless it is in just as high of quality 390 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: as is possibly available. 391 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 3: I agree, and specifically because some of the streaming options 392 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 3: I came across it seemed to me that they were 393 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 3: not only like lower resolution kind of grainy, but also 394 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 3: they were desaturated in terms of color, and I want 395 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 3: all the color. Yeah. So yeah, so you want to 396 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 3: get the good version of this one? Yeah. 397 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 1: So I'm not saying don't use Prime, but I'm just 398 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: saying be choosy about where you get this film, because 399 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 1: I don't think all the streams are equal here. All right, 400 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 1: let's get into the folks involved in the making of 401 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: this film. Well, we've been talking about him already, but 402 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: Mariobava is credited as the director, one of the writers, 403 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: the cinematographer of course, and also has sound effects credit. 404 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: Sound effects, we should also mention, are often a real 405 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: hallmark of Mariobava films as well, especially with the film 406 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: like Planet of the Vampires. 407 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 3: I wonder have we done more Mariobava movies than any 408 00:21:57,520 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 3: other director on Weird House, because we did Planet of 409 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 3: the Empires, we did Danger Diabolic, we did Black Sabbath. 410 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:05,679 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I think it was Sabbath. I put Sunday 411 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:07,199 Speaker 1: in the notes, but yeah, it would be that the 412 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: color when not the black and white one. 413 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, and maybe another one or I don't know. 414 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: I think that's all the Bava we've directly done on 415 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 1: the show thus far, but we'll probably come back. I 416 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:18,840 Speaker 1: know there are a couple other Bava films that are 417 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: on my radar, all. 418 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 3: Of them incredibly strong. I think today's movie might be 419 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 3: the one out of all the Bava movies we've done 420 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 3: that I liked the least. But I loved all of them. 421 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:34,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean unmistakable obsessive emphasis on visual composition. He 422 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: lived nineteen fourteen through nineteen eighty. You mentioned the films. 423 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: We've've already mentioned the films we've covered already. But so 424 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 1: far we've covered a Bava Gothic carr, a space ar 425 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,479 Speaker 1: a sixty super criminal movie, and it feels right that 426 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: we're dealing with a Peplham film. 427 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 3: Now, did he do every genre? Did he do Westerns? 428 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 3: I think he did. 429 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:57,640 Speaker 1: I think he did. Interestingly, this wasn't his only outing 430 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: with Hercules. He had served as cinematoga and special effects 431 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: artist on the previous nineteen fifty eight Hercules movie, as 432 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: well as the nineteen fifty nine sequel to that film, 433 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 1: Hercules Unchained. All right, the writing credits on this. First 434 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:14,639 Speaker 1: of all, we have Sandro Continenza, who lived nineteen twenty 435 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: through nineteen ninety six, Italian screenwriter, best known for such 436 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: films as sixty one's Valley of the Lions, seventy eight's 437 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 1: The Inglorious Bastards, and really just a long list of thrillers, 438 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 1: action movies, horror movies, comedies, and more. We previously mentioned 439 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 1: this writer on the show because they were one of 440 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 1: the screenwriters on let Sleeping Corpses Lie aka The Living 441 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: Dead at Manchester More. 442 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, that was fun. I don't think this. I 443 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 3: don't think the screenplay is the strongest suit of this movie. 444 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 3: It's a it's partially by numbers, but it gets the 445 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:48,479 Speaker 3: job done. 446 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, the other two. In addition to Baba as well, 447 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: we have Francesco Prosperi, who lived nineteen twenty six through 448 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: two thousand and four, Italian film director and screenwriter active 449 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,879 Speaker 1: between the mid nineteen sixties and the early nineteen eighties, 450 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: perhaps best known for nineteen sixty six is The Hired Killer, 451 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty three is The Evil Eye. And then 452 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 1: we have Duccio Tassari nineteen twenty six through nineteen ninety four, 453 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: Italian director and writer who work on a number of 454 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,920 Speaker 1: sixties peplam films and as a director he directed such 455 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 1: movies as eighty five's Texts and The Lord of the Deep. 456 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: That's a Western of some sort, and nineteen seventy one's 457 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: The Bloodstained Butterfly. 458 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 3: Texts and the Lord of the Deep. 459 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I believe it was based on an Italian comic. Okay, 460 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:37,920 Speaker 1: now getting into the actors here, we have to start 461 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: at the top, of course, with Hercules himself. Reg Park, 462 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: who lived nineteen twenty eight through two thousand and seven 463 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 1: aka Reg the Ledge. 464 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 3: Spelled like Reg the Leg, but it's Reg the Ledge, 465 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 3: so incredibly confusing. Yeah. 466 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: Anyway. He was a Leeds born British football player turned 467 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 1: professional bodybuilder, one time Mister Britton in forty six and 468 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: three time Mister Universe So fifty one to fifty eight 469 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 1: and sixty five, among many other titles. At this point 470 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 1: in his life, he I believe he'd already moved to 471 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: South Africa with his wife, but he received this offer 472 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: to temporarily move to Rome to star in at least 473 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: a couple of Hercules movies. He accepted and that gave 474 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: us this film and Hercules and the Captive Women, both 475 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: released in sixty one. In sixty four he returned for 476 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: Hercules Prisoner of Evil, and he also fit in Mitchieste 477 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: movie mitcheste In King Solomon's Minds, and then nineteen sixty 478 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,400 Speaker 1: five would mark his final film and his final appearance 479 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: as Hercules. Hercules the Avenger. 480 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 3: Now he is huge in this movie. His muscles are 481 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 3: massive and one thing I noticed, Strob I don't know 482 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 3: if you'd agree here, but it seemed to me that 483 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:53,640 Speaker 3: his physique was almost identical to the other big twentieth 484 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,359 Speaker 3: century movie muscleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's like you could swap 485 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 3: their heads and you wouldn't realize there was a difference there. 486 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 3: I don't know, their bodies just look incredibly similar. 487 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. I don't know much about the specifics of bodybuilding, 488 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: but like apparently redg was one of Arnold's heroes, and 489 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: they knew each other to some extent, and Arnold really 490 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: admired him. But yeah, I don't know if you can 491 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: like really sculpture body to look like someone else's body, 492 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: but certainly, certainly there is a physical resemblance in it, 493 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: like the way that they're built. 494 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 3: But you know what, I like this muscle man Reg 495 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 3: does not. He does not portray a very complicated Hercules. 496 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 3: He portrays Hercules as a quite simple and surface level man. 497 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 3: But I think it. 498 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,879 Speaker 1: Works absolutely five out of five stars for this Hercules 499 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: from me. I do not want an overly charismatic actor 500 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,880 Speaker 1: in these roles. I don't want to see the wheels turning. 501 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: I think a Hercules role befits a greener actor, which 502 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: typically lines up with the fact that filmmakers are casting 503 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: bodybuilders in these roles, thus greatly narrowing the talent fear. 504 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, in this film, I can't speak to the others, 505 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: but I feel like reg feels a little stiff, but 506 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:12,399 Speaker 1: never too stiff. He's outwitted by a cerebral villain at times, sure, 507 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: but not to a agree that it tarnishes his hero status, 508 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: Like he doesn't. He doesn't seem you know, like a 509 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: like a dufus out there, and uh, and he he 510 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,960 Speaker 1: just kind of has like a he feels comfortable in 511 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: the scenes. You know. 512 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's charming, but not in a way that could 513 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 3: possibly imply any kind of scheming or machiavellianism. Like he 514 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 3: is just so he comes off as so simple and straightforward, 515 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 3: and his likability you just don't suspect there's anything under it. 516 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: Right. In the extras on that Chino Classics disc, there's 517 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:50,399 Speaker 1: an older interview with an actor I'll get into here 518 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 1: in just a second, George Artisan. He remarks that while 519 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,159 Speaker 1: Regg wasn't as handsome as Steve Reeves, I mean, I 520 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: don't know, it seems like he's has it had handsome 521 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: and or at least in the same like handsomeness orbit 522 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: as as Steve Reeves. 523 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 3: I don't know. 524 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: He says that Reg was really laid back and easy 525 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: to work with. He also stresses that he didn't just 526 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: look strong, he was strong. There's a there's a scene 527 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: that we'll get to where they have to traverse this 528 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: rope hanging over a lava pit in Hell, and of 529 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 1: course they're not. You know, they didn't actually film it 530 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 1: over lava, but they really did have to hang from 531 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: a rope. And Artisan is like, I only lasted like 532 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: a minute and my arms were killing me. But Reg 533 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:36,120 Speaker 1: was hanging from that thing for like eight to ten 534 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: minutes at a time and didn't seem particularly phased. 535 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 3: Wow. 536 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: But then again, in this interview, an elderly Artisan also 537 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: insisted that Reg was picking up and throwing real rocks, 538 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: a real bombers. 539 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 3: No, So I don't know. 540 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,880 Speaker 1: I mean, this film makes them feel like real boulders, 541 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 1: but surely not. No, I can't I can't accept that. 542 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 3: No, those are props, obviously. H So I was digging 543 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 3: up old muscle magazine covers that have redg Park on them, 544 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 3: and I found some really fun, funny ones. My favorite 545 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 3: was the one it's called it's from a magazine called 546 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 3: Muscle Builder, and it's got a picture of him standing there, flexing, 547 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 3: pushing his chest out, and the article title that it's 548 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 3: promoting is get big husky muscles fast. I've never heard 549 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 3: muscles described as husky before. That's good. 550 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: But he's weird seeing him on these covers because he 551 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 1: doesn't have the beard like in the movie he has 552 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: the Hercules beard. Here he is clean shaven and in 553 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: one of the images looks kind of like Don Draper. 554 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 3: Oh, I can see that. Yeah. Also, how fast are 555 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 3: you going to get them? You're gonna get big husky muscles, like, 556 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 3: I don't know. 557 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: You don't want to get him too fast? All right? 558 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: Moving on to the rest of the cast. We have 559 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,800 Speaker 1: already mentioned. Christopher Lee, who lived nineteen twenty two through 560 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: twenty fifteen, plays the villain King Leko. This film was 561 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: made during his Hammer years, one of five films of 562 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: his release in sixty one, and one of numerous mainland 563 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: European films that he did over the years, which also 564 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: encompassed German, Spanish, and Italian productions and co productions. To 565 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: position this film between his better known works, consider that 566 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: Hammers the Mummy had come out earlier in fifty nine, 567 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: and he'd go on to act in sixty six's Dracula 568 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,960 Speaker 1: Prince of Darkness. Though to be clear, he was working 569 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 1: quite a bit during this period, so there are no 570 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: real breaks here for him. He's just doing picture after picture. 571 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 3: He plays the Mummy in Hammers the Mummy. 572 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so this is prime period for Lee for sure. 573 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: Now it's worth highlighting that this was the first off 574 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: I believe two Mario Baba films that he did, the 575 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: other being the sixty three gothic horror film The Whip 576 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: and the Body. But in neither film do we actually 577 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: get to hear Lee's voice. I believe both of those 578 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,239 Speaker 1: are the same, and that the English dub makes use 579 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: of a different actor. 580 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 3: That is really inexplicable. And I do stand by I 581 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 3: think I said this earlier, but this may be the 582 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 3: most underused Christpher Lee has ever felt in a film. 583 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: To me, yeah, I would agree. 584 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 3: I mean, he's not bad, he's fine, but you could 585 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,239 Speaker 3: have imagined doing so much more with him as this 586 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 3: sort of evil wizard king. Yeah. 587 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 1: All right, let's get into the sidekicks. We have not one, 588 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 1: but two of them. 589 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, multiple sidekicks. We got the handsome guy and we 590 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 3: got the the I don't know, scaredy cat guy. 591 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, we have yeah, the first of all, we have Theseus. 592 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: I think he's also at Tessio. It depends on what 593 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 1: what thread you're looking. 594 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 3: At in the Italian hercules is Ercole and theseus is 595 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 3: they say you or something? Yeah? 596 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: And this is the character played by George Artisan. He's 597 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:51,479 Speaker 1: also Georgio Artisan, Italian actor who lived nineteen thirty one 598 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: through twenty fourteen. So this character is Hirk's lady chasing 599 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: blonde sidekick. Classically handsome and by all reasonable measures, in 600 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: really good shape. But you know, good luck to anyone 601 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: who has to stand opposite Redge in these scenes. 602 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 3: Right. Uh, Theseus is a fan of dating. 603 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, he likes the ladies. The ladies like him, I 604 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:22,280 Speaker 1: would say that Artisan definitely. He gets in in on 605 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,120 Speaker 1: a lot of the action. He has stunts and action 606 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: sequences throughout, but as the obviously more seasoned actor, he 607 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: gets to do all of the heroic emotional heavy lifting 608 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: while reg gets to actually lift stones and throw them 609 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: at villains. 610 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:40,239 Speaker 3: That's right, So basically all of the emotional conflict that 611 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 3: it might usually fall on a hero to have in 612 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 3: a story like this, goes to theseus, he gets to 613 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 3: be he gets to be the one who's like conflicted 614 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 3: over you know, his relationship and all that. And you know, 615 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,080 Speaker 3: Hercules just stands there and says, you should you should 616 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 3: do good? Yes. 617 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: So artisan was a mainstay in various Italians Jordon sandals 618 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 1: and adventure films, including Mario Bob's nineteen sixty one Swashbuckler. 619 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 1: You know, throw another genre on the barbie there Eric 620 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: the Conqueror alongside Cameron Mitchell. So I was reading a 621 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: little bit about about this, this movie in particular, but 622 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: also like in general, Hercules movies in that Robert A. 623 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 1: Rushing Book descended from Hercules, and the author points out 624 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: that a lot of Peppola movies in general give the 625 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: central muscle character a quote moody, morose or lethargic sidekick 626 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 1: in order to emphasize the strong man's optimism and energy. 627 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: And that's we do see that with this character. 628 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I guess he doesn't come off as moody 629 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 3: or morose early on. That's only when he has his 630 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 3: love conflict later in the movie. Earlier, I was thinking, 631 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 3: like is there enough distinction between these two guys. It's 632 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 3: just like two handsome, muscley guys who are good friends 633 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 3: and they you know, they like hanging out. 634 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: But they work it in. 635 00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 3: You know. 636 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 1: It's like, you know, we get into the details of 637 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:05,720 Speaker 1: their love life, you'll see this division, and it apparently 638 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 1: just follows like some traditional tropes of peplam. Rushing points 639 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: out that in mid century peplam movies like this, when 640 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: the sidekick usually has an impossible love that Hercules either 641 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,799 Speaker 1: helps him obtain or dissuades him from. And he also 642 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: stresses that sometimes the sidekick is purely for comic relief, 643 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:29,840 Speaker 1: and that his physique may serve to contrast Hercules' muscular perfection. 644 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,080 Speaker 3: Okay, so this movie took that took that sidekick character 645 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 3: and broke him into two different parts. So we get 646 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,879 Speaker 3: the muscly happy sidekick here, but we also are going 647 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 3: to get a weak, cowardly comic relief sidekick. 648 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:46,759 Speaker 1: That's right, and that's where Telemachus comes in, played by 649 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:51,320 Speaker 1: Franco Guillocabini who lived nineteen twenty six through twenty fifteen. 650 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: So this is just a straight comic relief character and 651 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 1: his guy ultimately a sidekick to both Herk and Theseus 652 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 1: and also gives us like a baseline human body in 653 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:07,800 Speaker 1: there alongside these other two. So this actor often played 654 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: comedic roles for Italian TV and film had but he 655 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:14,240 Speaker 1: had a long career on stage, apparently in both comedic 656 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: and dramatic roles. This was his second time working in 657 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:19,440 Speaker 1: a film with Christopher Lee, though I don't think they 658 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 1: have any scenes together in this, but he had been 659 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifty nine movie Uncle Was a Vampire, 660 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: and he also pops up in Bava's Eric the Conqueror. 661 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,400 Speaker 1: He'd work in a Lee film again for nineteen sixty 662 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 1: two Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace that was an 663 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 1: international co production directed by Terrence Fisher. Oh and the 664 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:43,440 Speaker 1: actor here also was in nineteen sixty seven's Ok Connery 665 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: aka Operation Kid Brother. That was the Bond knockoff film 666 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:49,360 Speaker 1: starring Neil Connery. 667 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 3: Subject of a mystery science theater episode. 668 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 1: Believe okay, we have to mention the ladies the love 669 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: interests here as well. There's the Princess Bianira played by 670 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: Lee and Aa Rufo. She lived nineteen thirty six through 671 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 1: two thousand and seven. Again hurts love interest, but she 672 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,919 Speaker 1: has some issues with her blood and or her mortality. 673 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 1: Rufo was an Italian leading lady of the fifties and sixties. 674 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: Her films include nineteen sixty one's Goliath and the Vampires 675 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: and the stylish sci fi film Star Pilot from nineteen 676 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,319 Speaker 1: sixty six. I was actually looking at this one just 677 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: a few weeks ago when I was eyeing some various 678 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:31,040 Speaker 1: like euro sci fi films. This one is supposed to 679 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,520 Speaker 1: be rather stylish and sort of like a post two 680 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: thousand and one, since. 681 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 3: You know, a scene where I think Rufo really stands 682 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,800 Speaker 3: out in the movie is early on when when Hercules 683 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:46,560 Speaker 3: first comes to meet her after being away on an adventure, 684 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:48,919 Speaker 3: and there, of course they're you know, they're in love 685 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 3: and there betrothed to be married. I guess he's been 686 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 3: away for a while and he returns and finds that 687 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 3: she has fallen ill. There's some kind of madness or 688 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,359 Speaker 3: illness that has that has overtaken her, and Hercules goes 689 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,760 Speaker 3: to meet her out in the garden of the palace, 690 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 3: and she's wandering around like she's sleepwalking or in a dream, 691 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 3: but with her eyes open, and she's kind of muttering 692 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:14,240 Speaker 3: these slowly muttering these lines that are expressing her thoughts. 693 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:18,000 Speaker 3: But it's like she's speaking from within, within a dream. 694 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:22,359 Speaker 3: And so you know, Hercules goes up to her and says, oh, 695 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 3: you know, now we're reunited, but she doesn't believe it's 696 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,239 Speaker 3: really him. She says something like, I see my love, 697 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 3: but it is only an illusion. He is dead deep 698 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 3: within the sea, never to see my love again, Never 699 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 3: to see my love again. And the way she mutters 700 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:39,680 Speaker 3: the lines is so spooky. I think it's a fantastic scene. 701 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:43,160 Speaker 1: It is, Yeah, and it's a testament to this film 702 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:46,400 Speaker 1: because otherwise, I mean, she is a princess in danger 703 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 1: that must be rescued by Hercules, and that that's that's 704 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: pretty much her role in the picture. But she does 705 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,719 Speaker 1: get to have these moments where she stands out. So 706 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:58,799 Speaker 1: that's hurts love interest. But then Theseus's love interest is 707 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,839 Speaker 1: this mysterious character that he meets, and where he meets 708 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:04,160 Speaker 1: there should be a red flag. 709 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 3: I just want to flag he has more than one loving. 710 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: Well, yes, yes he does. It just depends on what 711 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:15,280 Speaker 1: day it is. But to no one's surprised, he develops 712 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:18,719 Speaker 1: a new love interest during their journey through Hell, right. 713 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:20,960 Speaker 3: So he's got a girlfriend back home, which is the 714 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,920 Speaker 3: witch Jacosta, who she seems really cool. But he's like, no, 715 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,560 Speaker 3: I'm going on vacation. We're you know, we're going to 716 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:29,760 Speaker 3: Hell and I'm gonna I'll probably meet some women there, 717 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 3: so you know, we'll see if we're still together when 718 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:34,719 Speaker 3: I'm back. And the woman he meets in Hell, yes, 719 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,680 Speaker 3: is how do you say your name miositodi or something? 720 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, some of these names. Really. I watched 721 00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 1: it in the Italian with the with the English subtitles, 722 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: and so some of the names kind of flew past me. 723 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,320 Speaker 1: But she is a seems to be a denizen of 724 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:55,120 Speaker 1: the underworld, but seems like a nice gal. Played by 725 00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: Ida Golli born nineteen thirty nine, Italian actress. Her other 726 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: credits include six Threes, The Whip in the Body, sixty 727 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 1: four's Wore the Zombies, sixty six is Django Shoots First, 728 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:09,600 Speaker 1: seventy five, Footsteps on the Moon, and Luccio Fulci's nineteen 729 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 1: seventy seven thriller The Psychic. 730 00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 3: I would characterize her performance as quite muted. She doesn't 731 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:19,600 Speaker 3: display like her Her character is written as one that 732 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:22,360 Speaker 3: has like a great longing but she plays it in 733 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 3: a way that's very restrained. 734 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:26,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, and especially some of the revelations that we end 735 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,759 Speaker 1: up having about the true nature of her character. It 736 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,920 Speaker 1: seems like there were more opportunities here. Maybe those opportunities 737 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:36,360 Speaker 1: weren't in the script, you know, but so it shouldn't 738 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:40,240 Speaker 1: you know, shouldn't really blame her for it, but character wise, 739 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 1: I feel like there could have been more here as well, 740 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,720 Speaker 1: all right, And then a quick note about the music. 741 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:49,360 Speaker 1: The score is by Armando Traviajoli, who lived nineteen seventeen 742 00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:53,360 Speaker 1: through twenty thirteen. This is kind of what you'd expect 743 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,799 Speaker 1: from a Hercules movie of this period. It's epic, it's 744 00:39:55,800 --> 00:40:02,360 Speaker 1: sweeping to Treviadoli was an Italian composer and sometimes actor. 745 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:05,760 Speaker 1: His scores include seventy seven's A Special Day, seventy two's 746 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 1: The Italian Connection, and he also scored Uncle was a Vampire. 747 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,520 Speaker 3: I'm not sure I'm understanding Uncle was a vampire. Is 748 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:14,160 Speaker 3: that like Papa was a rolling Stone? 749 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 1: I'm yeah, I'm not sure. All I know is that 750 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,600 Speaker 1: I think it's like a comedy they got Christopher Lee 751 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 1: somehow involves a vampire. I don't know. I didn't look 752 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 1: into it too closely. 753 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:27,879 Speaker 3: Well, for the moment we're on the music, I'm gonna 754 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 3: say I thought it was actually pretty good, especially in 755 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:34,719 Speaker 3: some of the darker, moodier scenes, like well, like the 756 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:37,440 Speaker 3: garden scene that I was just talking about with Leonora Rufo, 757 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:41,120 Speaker 3: you know, giving that kind of that dreamy, cursed muttering 758 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:45,760 Speaker 3: performance there. There is a spooky, haunting music that flows 759 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 3: through that scene that I think is quite good. 760 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:51,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I may not be given enough credit. It 761 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:52,680 Speaker 1: kind of comes back to the fact that I guess 762 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 1: if a score is doing what it's supposed to, sometimes 763 00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:59,560 Speaker 1: it is invisible, and if you're in an engage in 764 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,720 Speaker 1: a film like this, it's so you know, hyperly visual. 765 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:05,440 Speaker 1: You know, sometimes you can you can forget that it's 766 00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: there at all. So yeah, yeah, it does nothing wrong. 767 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:11,080 Speaker 1: It does a does a does a good job. It's 768 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,400 Speaker 1: just not maybe not something I would seek out in isolation. 769 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:24,440 Speaker 1: All right, Well, let's go ahead and get into the 770 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: plot of Hercules in the Haunted World. 771 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,200 Speaker 3: All right. Well, I understand there are different cuts of 772 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:31,640 Speaker 3: the movie and that affects which opening you get, But 773 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 3: the version I saw, I believe is the Italian cut. 774 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 3: So I'm going to start there, So we opened on 775 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,480 Speaker 3: a mound of earth surrounded by blue green fog and 776 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:44,400 Speaker 3: dead gray trees, and on the mound there is a 777 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:48,400 Speaker 3: circle of large stone figures that look only kind of 778 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:52,040 Speaker 3: vaguely human shaped, kind of like big wizards with beards, 779 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:53,960 Speaker 3: But we get to see them again later, and I'm 780 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:55,640 Speaker 3: not sure that's what they are. They might just be 781 00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:59,840 Speaker 3: sort of like, you know, bubbly rippling stones. There is 782 00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:03,440 Speaker 3: a stone slab bench at the center of the green 783 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:05,840 Speaker 3: on top of this mound, and we get lightning flashing 784 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:10,120 Speaker 3: without sound and instead there's just this eerie dissonant cord 785 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,840 Speaker 3: and reverby drum beats and the camera pans and we 786 00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,440 Speaker 3: see a woman lying down in the dirt on the 787 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:19,520 Speaker 3: edge of the mound, wearing a sort of ancient Greek dress, 788 00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:21,880 Speaker 3: and she has blood on the side of her neck 789 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,080 Speaker 3: and she's sort of writhing in the dirt as if 790 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:27,400 Speaker 3: she's in pain. Then we pan up to see standing 791 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:31,480 Speaker 3: over her, christpher Lee, dressed like the way I was 792 00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:33,560 Speaker 3: thinking of this. He's dressed like kind of like a 793 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:38,239 Speaker 3: Mennonite Darth Vader, like it's Vader but no helmet and 794 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:42,040 Speaker 3: no electronic parts and so and the prince valiant haircut, 795 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:45,160 Speaker 3: and he's got the dark cloak and the studded black 796 00:42:45,239 --> 00:42:48,319 Speaker 3: leather belt. This is not chrispher Lee's best look ever. 797 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:51,680 Speaker 3: I think it is certainly not his best haircut. But 798 00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:56,880 Speaker 3: he begins to address a mass of figures. It's almost 799 00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,440 Speaker 3: like he's talking to a crowd of a symbol. The 800 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:03,080 Speaker 3: zombie that are on this hillside above, who are mostly 801 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 3: hidden in shadow, and the bits of their bodies that 802 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 3: are illuminated are in like dark blue and green light. 803 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:11,840 Speaker 3: They're covered in these cloaks. Some of them look like 804 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:14,600 Speaker 3: they might be kind of like old long Beard type figures. 805 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:18,960 Speaker 3: And Chris really says in Italian with the subtitles, the 806 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 3: time shall come when days shall turn to night, and 807 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:25,800 Speaker 3: night shall rule our lives. Their cries shall sound like music. 808 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,160 Speaker 3: The wailing and screaming we hear now shall be songs 809 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:32,040 Speaker 3: that soothe us. The time shall come when the moon 810 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:36,359 Speaker 3: devoured by the great dragon, shall bring eternal darkness. Eye 811 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:39,359 Speaker 3: shall be the master of darkness and light. When the 812 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 3: sun ravages the earth and the rivers run dry, and 813 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 3: every mortal soul freezes in death, then shall evil triumph 814 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:50,520 Speaker 3: the absolute master that shall dominate the Earth. 815 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:51,879 Speaker 1: All right, So we get a taste of it here 816 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:54,440 Speaker 1: and we learn a little bit more later on. But basically, 817 00:43:54,520 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 1: Christopher Lee's character serves dark, nameless gods that may even 818 00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:04,960 Speaker 1: exist outside the Greco Roman pantheon, I'm not sure. Yeah, 819 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:09,959 Speaker 1: And he has powers over the undead and or alliances 820 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: with the undead. 821 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,919 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's almost as if the setting is Greek mythology. Otherwise, 822 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,920 Speaker 3: but Christopher Lee is a devotee of Satan. 823 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 1: Really, like he walked out. This character walked out of 824 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: a Gothic horror filmy and into a Hercules movie. 825 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:31,720 Speaker 3: Out He's from Hammer horror and he stepped into the peplum. Yeah. 826 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,560 Speaker 3: And so we see black smoke pouring across a blue sky, 827 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:38,839 Speaker 3: and then there are these stone boxes that have these 828 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,919 Speaker 3: lids on them. We'll see them several times in the movie. 829 00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:45,279 Speaker 3: And like the lids lift up and they have these 830 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:49,839 Speaker 3: slime soaked cobwebs that stretch like bubble gum between the 831 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:52,680 Speaker 3: lid and the boxes. It's a very gross looking, cool 832 00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 3: physical effect. And these clawed, bony hands like reaching out 833 00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:01,960 Speaker 3: and touching the spider silk that holds the box lids 834 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:04,920 Speaker 3: to the boxes. And then we get the credits and 835 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:08,200 Speaker 3: come back on the action over like a rushing river 836 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:11,400 Speaker 3: and a waterfall, and here's Hercules standing over the waterfall 837 00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:15,479 Speaker 3: cleaning his body. But the strigil, just a brief historical note. 838 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:18,799 Speaker 3: The strigil is a real historical artifact. It looks kind 839 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,440 Speaker 3: of like a hooked metal shoehorn. It was used for 840 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,839 Speaker 3: hygiene in the ancient world. So if you go into 841 00:45:23,880 --> 00:45:26,760 Speaker 3: a Roman bath, you might rub oil on your skin 842 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:29,319 Speaker 3: and then you would scrape the oil along with any 843 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,960 Speaker 3: accompanying dirt off of your skin with a stridgel. It's 844 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:34,960 Speaker 3: kind of like a squeegee for the body. 845 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:38,799 Speaker 1: I should also note I forget the name of these waterfalls, 846 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,080 Speaker 1: but this is this is like a noted filming location 847 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:45,840 Speaker 1: in Italian cinema, and I think even today a lot 848 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:47,879 Speaker 1: of people get their like wedding photos taken here. 849 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,319 Speaker 3: Oh that's funny, wedding photos at the Herk fall. So 850 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 3: Hercules is when we first see him. He's like shown 851 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,920 Speaker 3: from below with the camera tilting up toward him, and 852 00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,440 Speaker 3: it's like climbing up the stream of the waterfall, and 853 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:02,640 Speaker 3: this does give him a very epic postured, a good 854 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,160 Speaker 3: way to first meet him. He is, of course shirtless 855 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,440 Speaker 3: and his muscles are gigantic, and he calls out to 856 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:12,680 Speaker 3: his friend Theseus, and we cut to the loft of 857 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:15,920 Speaker 3: some kind of open sided barn structure. It's like this 858 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:19,720 Speaker 3: open wooden loft covered in hay where Theseus is making 859 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:23,600 Speaker 3: out with a gorgeous witch named Jocosta, and she is 860 00:46:23,760 --> 00:46:26,759 Speaker 3: really into Theseus. She says, every time I kiss you, 861 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:30,040 Speaker 3: I feel the earth trembling, the sky changes its color, 862 00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 3: taking on the color of your kisses. So I think 863 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,719 Speaker 3: she likes him. And then meanwhile, just over the hill 864 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:39,239 Speaker 3: there is a gang of nasty bandits and they are 865 00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:43,480 Speaker 3: organizing an attack on Theseus and Hercules. But they don't 866 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:46,120 Speaker 3: know that the people they're supposed to attack are Theseus 867 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:49,120 Speaker 3: and Hercules. They explain that a king has offered them 868 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:52,160 Speaker 3: a lot of gold to kill two men, whoever they are. 869 00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:55,200 Speaker 3: Their names are not important, So they go and they 870 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,000 Speaker 3: say they're going to attack them one at a time. 871 00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:01,080 Speaker 3: They attack Theseus and Theseus begins to fight them off, 872 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:06,000 Speaker 3: and it's a very breezy, lighthearted, swashbuckling fighting styles kind 873 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,640 Speaker 3: of robin Hood, you know, swinging from the rafters to 874 00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:11,440 Speaker 3: kick them out of the barn and Jocosta helps by 875 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:15,000 Speaker 3: tossing theseus a log to use as a club. But 876 00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:18,040 Speaker 3: then finally to end the fight, Hercules arrives on the 877 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:22,400 Speaker 3: scene and he lifts an entire wagon over his head 878 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:25,280 Speaker 3: and throws it into the barn, making the barn collapse. 879 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:28,239 Speaker 3: The effect looks very good. I watched this a couple 880 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,399 Speaker 3: of times and I'm still not quite sure how they 881 00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:31,359 Speaker 3: accomplished it. 882 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:33,080 Speaker 1: There are a lot of effects like this in this 883 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:35,799 Speaker 1: movie where I'm not sure how they pulled it off, 884 00:47:35,880 --> 00:47:40,400 Speaker 1: but it looks really good as a you know, tremendous 885 00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:44,719 Speaker 1: job to hear by Bava and his crew. Everything that 886 00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:47,680 Speaker 1: throws looks believable to my eyes. 887 00:47:47,920 --> 00:47:51,160 Speaker 3: Yeah. After this, of course, the bandits realized that their 888 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:54,319 Speaker 3: targets are Theseus and Hercules. If they had known that, 889 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,480 Speaker 3: they never would have taken the job, so they run 890 00:47:56,520 --> 00:48:00,920 Speaker 3: away in fear. I did notice some funny continuity errors here, like, 891 00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:05,280 Speaker 3: for example, a Jocasta to escape the fighting, she jumps 892 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:07,759 Speaker 3: into a river, and then as soon as the bad 893 00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:09,839 Speaker 3: guys run away, she comes out of the water, and 894 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:12,600 Speaker 3: then in the next shot she's bone dry, like completely, 895 00:48:12,719 --> 00:48:14,440 Speaker 3: her hair and her clothes are totally dry. 896 00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:15,360 Speaker 1: She's a witch. 897 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 3: Oh, I guess it's magic. Yeah. So Theseus and Jocosta 898 00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:23,280 Speaker 3: speculate that the attackers were probably hired by a wannabe 899 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:27,680 Speaker 3: suitor of Hercules' beloved dan Era, who's jealous of their 900 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:31,719 Speaker 3: upcoming marriage. And speaking of Hercules, who's just come off 901 00:48:31,719 --> 00:48:33,840 Speaker 3: some other adventure, he's ready to go to the palace 902 00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:38,239 Speaker 3: and reunite with dan Era, his beloved, And so then 903 00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:41,279 Speaker 3: we get a view of the city, and oh, man, 904 00:48:41,440 --> 00:48:45,000 Speaker 3: what an establishing shot. So when we first see the 905 00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:48,200 Speaker 3: city they're going to, I think it's called Acalea, it 906 00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:52,719 Speaker 3: is a very moody and foreboding vision. It's Greek architecture 907 00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:56,200 Speaker 3: with columns and marble buildings nestled into the contours of 908 00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:59,960 Speaker 3: these rocky hills, but instead of the sunny Mediterranean web 909 00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:02,480 Speaker 3: that you would usually see in in like an ancient 910 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:07,200 Speaker 3: Greek movie, the buildings are surrounded by dark, swirling clouds, 911 00:49:07,280 --> 00:49:10,160 Speaker 3: and the light from the sky is this mix of colors. 912 00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:13,760 Speaker 3: It's blood red from the west, royal blue from the east, 913 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:16,720 Speaker 3: and they're mixing so that the light over the palace 914 00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:21,480 Speaker 3: is pink and purple. Uh. And it's it's beautiful and unsettling, 915 00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:24,640 Speaker 3: and I love the way that the just the use 916 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:28,120 Speaker 3: of color like this bold, sort of unashamed use of 917 00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:30,440 Speaker 3: color just fills the movie with emotions. 918 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:33,400 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, and it's a it's a great sign of 919 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 1: things to come. While the previous action scene was very 920 00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:40,719 Speaker 1: much set, you know, outside in the real world, we 921 00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:45,400 Speaker 1: are going to progressively be dealing with surreal landscapes and 922 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:48,920 Speaker 1: interiors and more to the point, from the filmmaking standpoint, 923 00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:52,759 Speaker 1: sets that Baba has one control over. 924 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:55,480 Speaker 3: That's right. So inside the palace we once again meet 925 00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:58,440 Speaker 3: Christopher Lee. Now he is seated on a kingly throne 926 00:49:58,560 --> 00:50:01,440 Speaker 3: on a raised red pedestal, surrounded by hop lights with 927 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:04,920 Speaker 3: spears and shields, and down below the king, groveling on 928 00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:07,759 Speaker 3: his knees, is the leader of the bandits who we 929 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:10,560 Speaker 3: saw attacking our heroes earlier, and Christopher Lee is chewing 930 00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:13,000 Speaker 3: him out real good. He failed in his mission. He's 931 00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:16,080 Speaker 3: no good and the guy tries to explain, but the 932 00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:18,720 Speaker 3: king orders him to be quiet, and then he leads 933 00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:21,520 Speaker 3: the bandit chief back into another chamber and locks the 934 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:25,080 Speaker 3: door behind them. And then the king is like, even 935 00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:27,279 Speaker 3: though he was just chewing him out for failing, he's like, 936 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:30,840 Speaker 3: you deserve a reward. Look over there, that suspicious pile 937 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:33,920 Speaker 3: of gold, treasures and trinkets surrounded by green light. Go 938 00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:36,320 Speaker 3: and get your wages from that stash while I stand 939 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:40,520 Speaker 3: back over here. And so the guy's like, oh goodie, 940 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:42,520 Speaker 3: I'm gonna get some gold. And so he goes up 941 00:50:42,560 --> 00:50:45,760 Speaker 3: to the pile, and then Christopher Lee presses a button 942 00:50:45,800 --> 00:50:49,680 Speaker 3: that triggers a spear trap that gets the guy, and 943 00:50:49,760 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 3: the bandit chief just kind of spits out blood and 944 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:54,040 Speaker 3: slumps over. He doesn't really scream or anything. 945 00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:57,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a good trap. It kills instantly, there's no 946 00:50:57,920 --> 00:50:58,800 Speaker 1: time for the scream. 947 00:50:59,280 --> 00:51:01,759 Speaker 3: Then we follow King Leco as he goes down a 948 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,279 Speaker 3: secret passage into an underground cavern which seems full of 949 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:08,239 Speaker 3: evil occult magic, and he stands in front of a 950 00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:10,840 Speaker 3: bunch of those stone boxes we saw earlier, and he 951 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:13,440 Speaker 3: says dan Era, that's, of course, the name of the 952 00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:16,799 Speaker 3: woman who's going to marry Hercules. And slowly one of 953 00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,520 Speaker 3: the stone boxes opens and a blonde woman in a 954 00:51:19,560 --> 00:51:22,560 Speaker 3: white gown rises out of it like Dracula, Like her 955 00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:25,239 Speaker 3: body is rigid, it straight as a plank, and it 956 00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:29,520 Speaker 3: sort of levers up from this otherworldly slumber. And then 957 00:51:29,560 --> 00:51:32,680 Speaker 3: she approaches King Leko like she's sleepwalking, but her eyes 958 00:51:32,680 --> 00:51:35,640 Speaker 3: are open. She's in some kind of trance. In the 959 00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:38,240 Speaker 3: next scene, Hercules comes into the city and he's greeted 960 00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:41,640 Speaker 3: by adoring fans. He's like the beatles of ancient Greece. 961 00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:45,640 Speaker 3: Everybody's swarming around him, screaming, happy to see him. And 962 00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:47,600 Speaker 3: he meets this old guy. I think the guy's name 963 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:51,440 Speaker 3: is Caros. I think he's some friend of his, and 964 00:51:51,600 --> 00:51:55,120 Speaker 3: Karros explains the situation. He says, dan Era, the princess, 965 00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:58,680 Speaker 3: should have become queen and ascended to the throne, but 966 00:51:58,880 --> 00:52:01,520 Speaker 3: she hasn't because there's something wrong with her. No one 967 00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:04,080 Speaker 3: can see her, and she's confined to a secluded wing 968 00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:07,319 Speaker 3: of the palace, and so Hercules has to go figure 969 00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:09,279 Speaker 3: out what's going on. He goes into the palace and 970 00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:13,040 Speaker 3: meets with King Leko, who is Danira's uncle, who has 971 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:17,200 Speaker 3: been raining while she is not capable. And it's a 972 00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:19,440 Speaker 3: very awesome looking throne room scene. By the way, it's 973 00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 3: sort of like open to this blue, pink purple sky, 974 00:52:22,239 --> 00:52:25,920 Speaker 3: has these red columns and flaming braziers everywhere, and it's 975 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:28,640 Speaker 3: like a long, deep room. Very cool. 976 00:52:29,160 --> 00:52:33,400 Speaker 1: Absolutely yeah, so many of the stills from this movie, 977 00:52:33,480 --> 00:52:35,960 Speaker 1: like other bob Of stills, Like it looks like you 978 00:52:35,960 --> 00:52:39,040 Speaker 1: could lick them and get the various candy flavors out 979 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:39,239 Speaker 1: of it. 980 00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:42,759 Speaker 3: You know, Oh, I know exactly what you mean. Yeah, 981 00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:46,160 Speaker 3: So Leko explains the situation and says, you know, she's 982 00:52:46,239 --> 00:52:48,640 Speaker 3: there's something wrong with her, she's been ill, and I've 983 00:52:48,680 --> 00:52:51,080 Speaker 3: been protecting her. I've been keeping her away from public 984 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:54,440 Speaker 3: view until she is healed. So Hercules goes to the 985 00:52:54,440 --> 00:52:57,000 Speaker 3: garden to see her, and this is the creepy scene 986 00:52:57,040 --> 00:52:59,520 Speaker 3: I was talking about earlier, where she's standing there staring 987 00:52:59,560 --> 00:53:02,120 Speaker 3: at a fountain and looking like she's in a trance, 988 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:04,839 Speaker 3: muttering about how she will never see the man she 989 00:53:04,880 --> 00:53:08,319 Speaker 3: loves again, and Hercules is standing right there, but she's 990 00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:10,880 Speaker 3: talking in a dreamy voice that saying she must be 991 00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:14,120 Speaker 3: imagining him he no longer exists, and she says, my 992 00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:16,680 Speaker 3: love is dead in the deep sea, and never again, 993 00:53:16,760 --> 00:53:18,960 Speaker 3: while I see my love, Never to see my love 994 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:23,360 Speaker 3: again and again. The spaced out performance is really great here, 995 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:26,520 Speaker 3: very spooky, and it's sort of shot from a distance 996 00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:29,640 Speaker 3: as she wanders away repeating these melancholy lines. 997 00:53:30,239 --> 00:53:32,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's pretty great and I have to say. The 998 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:36,560 Speaker 1: previous scene is one of multiple scenes in the film 999 00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:41,560 Speaker 1: where Hercules interacts with Leco and is like and afterwards 1000 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:44,000 Speaker 1: it's like, yep, that checks out, you know, obvious villain. 1001 00:53:44,080 --> 00:53:46,960 Speaker 1: Christopher Lee. Yeah, yeah, that sounds good. I'm glad you're 1002 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,440 Speaker 1: on it, sir. I'm gonna go onto my next mission. 1003 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:53,560 Speaker 3: Christopher Lee in the Prince Valiant haircut, within the dark Cloak, 1004 00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:56,719 Speaker 3: surrounded by the soldiers. He's the stand up guy. I 1005 00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:00,319 Speaker 3: believe everything he just said. So Hercules me. It's again 1006 00:54:00,320 --> 00:54:02,720 Speaker 3: with his friend of Karros, who says something is wrong 1007 00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:06,080 Speaker 3: in the land. It's not just Danira. Evil mists have 1008 00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:09,040 Speaker 3: come down from the mountains and poisoned the air. People 1009 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:11,319 Speaker 3: hide in their homes and feel that a terror is 1010 00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:15,120 Speaker 3: upon them. And Danira's madness is not ordinary. There is 1011 00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:18,160 Speaker 3: some wicked force behind it, and it's the same force 1012 00:54:18,239 --> 00:54:21,879 Speaker 3: that is oppressing Achala, and he more or less hays 1013 00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:24,360 Speaker 3: like your mission, Hercules, should you choose to accept it 1014 00:54:24,400 --> 00:54:27,480 Speaker 3: as to save Danira and Achalea from this evil force? 1015 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:30,000 Speaker 1: And of course he's gonna accept He's that's the kind 1016 00:54:30,040 --> 00:54:32,280 Speaker 1: of stand up guy Hercules is, of course. 1017 00:54:32,360 --> 00:54:35,279 Speaker 3: Oh and then this feels kind of, uh, I don't know, 1018 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:38,279 Speaker 3: kind of superfluous. But then Hercules goes back to this 1019 00:54:38,440 --> 00:54:41,040 Speaker 3: same guy's room later that night and oh, there he is. 1020 00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:42,520 Speaker 3: He's been murdered. Who did this? 1021 00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:45,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, he was gonna get more details, right, He's like, 1022 00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:48,120 Speaker 1: I can't talk to you too much here, but come 1023 00:54:48,160 --> 00:54:50,359 Speaker 1: back to my place where it's safe. He shows up 1024 00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:51,600 Speaker 1: and of course dude is. 1025 00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 3: Dead, right, and Chrisopher Lee is there, but. 1026 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:56,319 Speaker 1: He like walk He's like in the hallway behind. 1027 00:54:56,400 --> 00:55:04,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's lurking. And then Hercules is like, oh good, yes, yeah, 1028 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:07,200 Speaker 3: so he comes in and starts explaining things to Hercules. 1029 00:55:07,520 --> 00:55:10,439 Speaker 3: He's like, you know, long ago, before dan ears father 1030 00:55:10,480 --> 00:55:13,440 Speaker 3: took the throne, the forces of evil reigned in this land. 1031 00:55:13,600 --> 00:55:17,239 Speaker 3: But dan Eur's father or maybe her grandfather, I don't remember, 1032 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:20,640 Speaker 3: which banished those evil spirits to Hades, the land of 1033 00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:24,200 Speaker 3: the dead, and now they have put the spirits have 1034 00:55:24,200 --> 00:55:26,080 Speaker 3: put a curse over the land. The curse will only 1035 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:29,880 Speaker 3: be lifted once the royal line is destroyed. And Hercules 1036 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:31,960 Speaker 3: is like, there must be some way to fight them, 1037 00:55:32,120 --> 00:55:35,600 Speaker 3: and Leko is like, are there ways of fighting against shadows, 1038 00:55:35,640 --> 00:55:39,279 Speaker 3: against wind, against bolts of lightning can one fight the 1039 00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:43,279 Speaker 3: raging storms that batter the earth. And Hercules says, I 1040 00:55:43,320 --> 00:55:45,719 Speaker 3: know what to do. I'm gonna ask the gods for 1041 00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:48,359 Speaker 3: a weapon to fight the evil. Thanks, Leco, you've been 1042 00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:51,320 Speaker 3: a big help. So he's gonna go consult the sibyl, 1043 00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:54,560 Speaker 3: the who you know, the oracle who can send who 1044 00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:57,200 Speaker 3: can get messages from the gods to him. Now, this 1045 00:55:57,280 --> 00:56:02,000 Speaker 3: is another wonderful set and composition. Here, the Sybil I 1046 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:04,800 Speaker 3: think the character is named Medea, is sitting at the 1047 00:56:04,880 --> 00:56:08,280 Speaker 3: end of a clear, still reflecting pool, surrounded by fires 1048 00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:12,319 Speaker 3: and braziers, with a kaleidoscope of colored lights falling over her. 1049 00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:15,719 Speaker 3: She's got green, red, and blue lights on her. She's 1050 00:56:15,719 --> 00:56:19,239 Speaker 3: in this spider like posture that's very creepy, and she's 1051 00:56:19,239 --> 00:56:21,800 Speaker 3: wearing a white mask over her face with a frowning 1052 00:56:21,920 --> 00:56:25,680 Speaker 3: mouth and closed eyes. And the Sybil tells him that 1053 00:56:25,719 --> 00:56:28,640 Speaker 3: the forces of evil have bound her to silence and 1054 00:56:28,680 --> 00:56:31,799 Speaker 3: she cannot speak of this subject. But Hercules is like, 1055 00:56:31,920 --> 00:56:34,240 Speaker 3: you gotta help me, and so he ends up praying 1056 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:37,440 Speaker 3: to Zeus. Remember Zeus is Hercules' father. He's like, Dad, 1057 00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:41,120 Speaker 3: help me, and so he says he will offer up 1058 00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:44,640 Speaker 3: his immortality in exchange for help with this quest my 1059 00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:48,239 Speaker 3: life for Dan Eirez. Let the Sybil speak, and it 1060 00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:51,600 Speaker 3: seems like this works. The Sybil asks if he is 1061 00:56:51,640 --> 00:56:54,200 Speaker 3: willing to go into the underworld, and you can almost 1062 00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:56,879 Speaker 3: kind of hear Hercules gulp here. He says, no man 1063 00:56:56,960 --> 00:56:59,799 Speaker 3: has ever gone there and come back. But she says, 1064 00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:02,760 Speaker 3: a stone is shining in the depths of the earth, 1065 00:57:02,920 --> 00:57:06,520 Speaker 3: far beyond the garden of the Hesperides, A stone hidden 1066 00:57:06,520 --> 00:57:10,000 Speaker 3: in the river sticks only there where death dwells can 1067 00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:13,640 Speaker 3: be found. Life for your woman, And then lightning flashes 1068 00:57:13,719 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 3: and she says, thus has Zeus spoken through me, So 1069 00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:18,320 Speaker 3: it seems like we have our quest. 1070 00:57:18,600 --> 00:57:20,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, I got to go to the underworld, get a 1071 00:57:20,720 --> 00:57:22,880 Speaker 1: special stone and bring it back out again. 1072 00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:26,800 Speaker 3: Not the most earthshakingly new type of story. He's got 1073 00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:30,200 Speaker 3: to go get a magical item from the underworld. We 1074 00:57:30,320 --> 00:57:32,320 Speaker 3: may have heard one like this before, but you know what, 1075 00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:43,160 Speaker 3: it's a classic for a reason is a classic. Yeah, 1076 00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:46,920 Speaker 3: So now it's time for Hercules to gather allies. Of course, 1077 00:57:46,920 --> 00:57:49,480 Speaker 3: he's going to take his hunky best friend theseus along, 1078 00:57:50,360 --> 00:57:52,680 Speaker 3: maybe in case they need to win any beauty contests 1079 00:57:52,720 --> 00:57:55,880 Speaker 3: along the way. But he also ends up taking a weird, 1080 00:57:56,040 --> 00:58:00,960 Speaker 3: cowardly little guy named Telemachus for comic relief purpose. If 1081 00:58:00,960 --> 00:58:04,160 Speaker 3: Hercules is El Santo, Telemachus is his perry co. 1082 00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:09,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and Telemachus is legitimately funny throughout most of the picture, Like, 1083 00:58:10,320 --> 00:58:12,880 Speaker 1: I am glad he came along on this adventure. He's 1084 00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:16,080 Speaker 1: It's an over the top performance, but not not too 1085 00:58:16,160 --> 00:58:17,960 Speaker 1: over the top. I don't know if it felt like 1086 00:58:17,960 --> 00:58:18,960 Speaker 1: the right balance for me. 1087 00:58:19,200 --> 00:58:22,360 Speaker 3: I can easily imagine a similar Italian movie like this 1088 00:58:22,520 --> 00:58:26,200 Speaker 3: going way overboard with the silliness of this character. 1089 00:58:26,640 --> 00:58:29,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, the actor here, I think, has he reminded me 1090 00:58:29,400 --> 00:58:30,960 Speaker 1: a little bit of Rowan Atkinson. 1091 00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:32,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's mister Bean. 1092 00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:35,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a little bit of mister Bean to the performance. 1093 00:58:35,320 --> 00:58:39,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's some slight bullying by Herk, but it's kind 1094 00:58:39,080 --> 00:58:42,160 Speaker 3: of good natured and he like. At one point, Telemachus 1095 00:58:42,280 --> 00:58:44,360 Speaker 3: is like, I'm guarding the bridge. I can't let you 1096 00:58:44,400 --> 00:58:48,240 Speaker 3: go see theseus because he and he and Jocosta are 1097 00:58:48,240 --> 00:58:51,360 Speaker 3: making out, and Hercules is like, I'm his friend, and 1098 00:58:51,440 --> 00:58:54,400 Speaker 3: Telemachus won't move, so Hercules kind of lifts him up 1099 00:58:54,440 --> 00:58:56,280 Speaker 3: by his hair to get him out of the way. 1100 00:58:56,760 --> 00:58:58,680 Speaker 3: But it's it seems to be good natured like he 1101 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:00,920 Speaker 3: he also protects tell Maccus later. 1102 00:59:01,000 --> 00:59:04,880 Speaker 1: And I guess Telemachus helps out like he basically comes 1103 00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:07,440 Speaker 1: around a lot because he wants to come along and 1104 00:59:07,760 --> 00:59:10,240 Speaker 1: you know, more importantly to be comic relief for the film. 1105 00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:14,600 Speaker 3: So yeah, Theseus is busy kissing Jocosta when herk shows up, 1106 00:59:14,600 --> 00:59:16,959 Speaker 3: and Herk is like, hey, get your weapons, it's time 1107 00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:19,320 Speaker 3: for an adventure, and Theseus is like, oh great, I 1108 00:59:19,400 --> 00:59:23,520 Speaker 3: was getting bored, and Jocosta only looks a little bit offended, 1109 00:59:24,960 --> 00:59:28,120 Speaker 3: and so you know they're they're gonna they decide they 1110 00:59:28,160 --> 00:59:29,720 Speaker 3: need to get a ship because they're gonna have to 1111 00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:32,280 Speaker 3: travel across the sea. They have to get a golden 1112 00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:35,320 Speaker 3: apple from the Garden of the Hesperides, which is the 1113 00:59:35,320 --> 00:59:38,360 Speaker 3: only way they can get to the underworld alive. And 1114 00:59:38,400 --> 00:59:40,840 Speaker 3: the Garden of the Hesperites is at the edge of 1115 00:59:40,880 --> 00:59:43,960 Speaker 3: the Kingdom of Eternal Night, where the sun never rises. 1116 00:59:44,440 --> 00:59:47,560 Speaker 3: And then Theseus is like, oh, the Hesperites they're all women, 1117 00:59:47,680 --> 00:59:50,120 Speaker 3: aren't they. I should not have any trouble getting them 1118 00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:52,360 Speaker 3: to give us what we need. And then we cut 1119 00:59:52,400 --> 00:59:59,160 Speaker 3: to Jocosta looking skeptical, but Telemachus tells Herk and theseus that, oh, 1120 00:59:59,320 --> 01:00:03,320 Speaker 3: I know, so this guy Sonnis who can let us 1121 01:00:03,320 --> 01:00:05,520 Speaker 3: borrow a ship, I'll convince him to let us borrow 1122 01:00:05,520 --> 01:00:08,960 Speaker 3: his ship, And then cut immediately to that not working 1123 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:11,600 Speaker 3: out so well is like a he's like a big 1124 01:00:11,640 --> 01:00:13,880 Speaker 3: guy in red with an axe, and he's like, got 1125 01:00:13,880 --> 01:00:17,080 Speaker 3: Telemachus tied up to these teams of horses. 1126 01:00:16,960 --> 01:00:20,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, about to pull him in half. It's legitimately hilarious 1127 01:00:21,280 --> 01:00:23,440 Speaker 1: cut here because he's like, I got it taken care of. 1128 01:00:23,800 --> 01:00:25,400 Speaker 1: Oh I'm about to be pulled in half. 1129 01:00:25,640 --> 01:00:28,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, So like the horses, I don't. He explains like, 1130 01:00:29,120 --> 01:00:31,320 Speaker 3: I'll let you borrow my ship if you survived the 1131 01:00:31,360 --> 01:00:32,520 Speaker 3: test of my horses. 1132 01:00:32,840 --> 01:00:35,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. 1133 01:00:35,720 --> 01:00:38,720 Speaker 3: But then his muscly friends come to the rescue. Hercules 1134 01:00:38,760 --> 01:00:41,480 Speaker 3: comes in and like grabs hold of the ropes that 1135 01:00:41,520 --> 01:00:43,840 Speaker 3: are holding the horses, and so like he just with 1136 01:00:43,920 --> 01:00:48,440 Speaker 3: his muscles holds them together until they can free Telemachus. Meanwhile, 1137 01:00:48,440 --> 01:00:52,480 Speaker 3: theseus goes and fights Soonis on the beach. Our heroes 1138 01:00:52,520 --> 01:00:55,120 Speaker 3: prevail and they they take the ship, while Soonis runs 1139 01:00:55,160 --> 01:00:59,120 Speaker 3: off after his horses. So our three adventurers journey across 1140 01:00:59,200 --> 01:01:02,720 Speaker 3: the ocean to the domain of the Hesperides, and the 1141 01:01:02,840 --> 01:01:06,040 Speaker 3: lighting on this sea voyage is once again insane. There's 1142 01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:09,560 Speaker 3: like swirling mist in the sky, black clouds, a red sky. 1143 01:01:10,800 --> 01:01:14,400 Speaker 3: The heroes somehow all become magically sedated, and they fall 1144 01:01:14,480 --> 01:01:18,040 Speaker 3: irresistibly into sleep while they're traveling over the ocean, and 1145 01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:20,800 Speaker 3: this dark cloud comes up over them, and the ocean 1146 01:01:20,960 --> 01:01:24,360 Speaker 3: opens up and reveals a deep passage and realms below. 1147 01:01:24,760 --> 01:01:27,439 Speaker 3: And when they wake up, they are somehow transported off 1148 01:01:27,480 --> 01:01:30,280 Speaker 3: their ship into a cave where mist sits over the floor, 1149 01:01:30,600 --> 01:01:33,320 Speaker 3: and these shadowy women are watching them while they sleep. 1150 01:01:34,040 --> 01:01:36,560 Speaker 3: So they wake up and they're greeted by an agent 1151 01:01:36,680 --> 01:01:41,880 Speaker 3: of the Hesperites who says that they're Queen Arethusa wants 1152 01:01:41,960 --> 01:01:45,400 Speaker 3: to meet with them. I like the Hysparites costumes. They're 1153 01:01:45,520 --> 01:01:48,720 Speaker 3: like just sashes upon sashes, like you made if you 1154 01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:51,680 Speaker 3: made a whole dress out of like fifty silk scarves. 1155 01:01:52,160 --> 01:01:55,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. This, by the way, is Marisa Belly, who lived 1156 01:01:55,640 --> 01:01:57,440 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty three through twenty seventeen. 1157 01:01:57,760 --> 01:02:02,040 Speaker 3: Queen Arthusa. Yes, yeah, and so Hercules greets her courteously. 1158 01:02:02,160 --> 01:02:05,200 Speaker 3: He's he's a gentleman and a gracious guest. But Queen 1159 01:02:05,320 --> 01:02:08,040 Speaker 3: Arthusa already knows of him and knows why he has come. 1160 01:02:08,440 --> 01:02:11,120 Speaker 3: She says she's willing to help, but she issues a warning. 1161 01:02:11,440 --> 01:02:13,760 Speaker 3: He can attempt to claim the apple, but it's all 1162 01:02:13,880 --> 01:02:16,440 Speaker 3: or nothing. If he goes after the fruit and fails, 1163 01:02:16,560 --> 01:02:20,120 Speaker 3: he will die. And of course, you know, her accepts 1164 01:02:20,160 --> 01:02:22,800 Speaker 3: he's not afraid, so she tells him where to find it. 1165 01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:24,920 Speaker 3: It's in a sacred tree, far from the eyes of 1166 01:02:24,960 --> 01:02:27,800 Speaker 3: any greedy soul. So we go there, and our heroes 1167 01:02:27,840 --> 01:02:33,000 Speaker 3: are sort of separated here that the Hesperites tell Telemachus 1168 01:02:33,040 --> 01:02:36,400 Speaker 3: and theseus that like, oh, here are some beds for 1169 01:02:36,480 --> 01:02:38,680 Speaker 3: you to sleep on while Hercules is getting the apple. 1170 01:02:38,720 --> 01:02:41,080 Speaker 3: You just stay here on these beds, and they're like okay. 1171 01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:46,320 Speaker 3: And then Hercules goes to this tangled, tangled tree with 1172 01:02:46,360 --> 01:02:49,520 Speaker 3: these big exposed roots, this bathed in blue light. The 1173 01:02:49,560 --> 01:02:52,360 Speaker 3: set is very eerie, and the music matches with these 1174 01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:56,120 Speaker 3: low wobbling woodwinds. And the queen goes with him to 1175 01:02:56,160 --> 01:02:58,520 Speaker 3: the base of the tree and you know, tells him 1176 01:02:58,520 --> 01:03:01,640 Speaker 3: good luck, and Hercules climbs and but he encounters trouble. 1177 01:03:01,640 --> 01:03:04,400 Speaker 3: They're like tangled branches, thorns, and then when he gets 1178 01:03:04,520 --> 01:03:07,760 Speaker 3: very high, there's lightning and thunder and wind whipping at him, 1179 01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:10,400 Speaker 3: and at one point he falls, but he catches hold 1180 01:03:10,440 --> 01:03:13,600 Speaker 3: of a lower branch. There's like fire pouring out of 1181 01:03:13,640 --> 01:03:15,920 Speaker 3: the upper branches at him, Like, I guess maybe they 1182 01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:17,000 Speaker 3: were struck by lightning. 1183 01:03:17,360 --> 01:03:20,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, So it's quickly becoming obvious that this tree 1184 01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:22,000 Speaker 1: is just inaccessible to climbing. 1185 01:03:22,200 --> 01:03:24,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, he can't get up to the apple by climbing it, 1186 01:03:25,120 --> 01:03:27,320 Speaker 3: but he's going to think outside the box. So he 1187 01:03:27,360 --> 01:03:29,800 Speaker 3: comes back down to the base of the tree and 1188 01:03:29,840 --> 01:03:33,680 Speaker 3: he gets a boulder. He puts it in a sling 1189 01:03:33,800 --> 01:03:36,040 Speaker 3: made out of the ropes that are tying some horses, 1190 01:03:36,040 --> 01:03:38,840 Speaker 3: and he like throws the boulder at the tree and 1191 01:03:38,880 --> 01:03:41,160 Speaker 3: a branch falls and it has the apple on it. 1192 01:03:41,160 --> 01:03:46,320 Speaker 3: He claims the apple clutches. The apple great solution. Meanwhile, elsewhere, 1193 01:03:46,440 --> 01:03:50,080 Speaker 3: Theseus and Telemachus are sleeping in their designated cave on 1194 01:03:50,120 --> 01:03:53,520 Speaker 3: the on the iron beds that the Hesperides led them to, 1195 01:03:54,120 --> 01:03:56,760 Speaker 3: and uh oh, a monster that looks like it's made 1196 01:03:56,760 --> 01:03:59,919 Speaker 3: out of iron rail spikes and filthy rags comes out. 1197 01:04:00,640 --> 01:04:02,560 Speaker 3: And then Theseus wakes up and tries to hit it 1198 01:04:02,600 --> 01:04:04,920 Speaker 3: with a sword, but it's clear that that's not doing anything. 1199 01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:07,919 Speaker 3: This monster is hard as a rock, or maybe even 1200 01:04:07,960 --> 01:04:10,080 Speaker 3: made of rocks. I think maybe made of rocks. 1201 01:04:10,560 --> 01:04:13,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's like it's kind of like a stone 1202 01:04:13,040 --> 01:04:13,920 Speaker 1: golumn or something. 1203 01:04:14,240 --> 01:04:16,720 Speaker 3: I love this monster design. He looks like he's having 1204 01:04:16,760 --> 01:04:20,360 Speaker 3: a bad day, like his mouth is hanging open in anguish. 1205 01:04:20,520 --> 01:04:22,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, who's sleeping on my slabs? 1206 01:04:24,080 --> 01:04:28,240 Speaker 3: So we cut away from that to Herk and Arthusa, 1207 01:04:28,680 --> 01:04:31,280 Speaker 3: now in a happy, sunny garden instead of a gloomy, 1208 01:04:31,280 --> 01:04:35,720 Speaker 3: cursed one, and Arthusa explains that the Hesperites were cursed 1209 01:04:35,720 --> 01:04:38,800 Speaker 3: by Pluto to live in darkness, but they were originally 1210 01:04:38,880 --> 01:04:41,040 Speaker 3: daughters of the Sun, and now that they've been freed 1211 01:04:41,040 --> 01:04:43,800 Speaker 3: from the curse by Herk's retrieval of the apple, they 1212 01:04:43,840 --> 01:04:46,800 Speaker 3: can return to the sun. And she also reveals that 1213 01:04:46,920 --> 01:04:49,600 Speaker 3: all this time, while they've been cursed by Pluto, they 1214 01:04:49,600 --> 01:04:52,600 Speaker 3: have been forced to kill. You see, they have been 1215 01:04:52,680 --> 01:04:57,080 Speaker 3: slaves of Procrustes. Procrustes was a figure who was like, 1216 01:04:57,360 --> 01:05:01,120 Speaker 3: I think, a bandit in Greek mythology. Who's the story 1217 01:05:01,240 --> 01:05:03,560 Speaker 3: is that he had these like iron beds, and he 1218 01:05:03,880 --> 01:05:06,640 Speaker 3: if you weren't the same size as the iron bed 1219 01:05:06,680 --> 01:05:09,120 Speaker 3: that he puts you on, he would either crush you 1220 01:05:09,280 --> 01:05:12,080 Speaker 3: or stretch you to make you fit on the iron bed. 1221 01:05:12,480 --> 01:05:15,120 Speaker 1: Oh well, that that explains the scene that's about to 1222 01:05:15,160 --> 01:05:15,680 Speaker 1: happen here. 1223 01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:20,400 Speaker 3: Yes, so Arethusa apologizes to her. She's like, I'm sorry 1224 01:05:20,400 --> 01:05:23,400 Speaker 3: your friends, Theseus and Telemachus, they had to be the 1225 01:05:23,480 --> 01:05:28,360 Speaker 3: last sacrifices we were giving to Procrestes. But she says, 1226 01:05:28,360 --> 01:05:31,360 Speaker 3: if you destroy Procrustes, the gates of the underworld will 1227 01:05:31,360 --> 01:05:34,960 Speaker 3: open for you. And herk of course, rushes to protect 1228 01:05:34,960 --> 01:05:40,160 Speaker 3: his friends. We see the monster like explaining to theseus 1229 01:05:40,160 --> 01:05:42,360 Speaker 3: that he needs to stretch him out until he's the 1230 01:05:42,400 --> 01:05:45,160 Speaker 3: exact size of his iron bed. He says, you will 1231 01:05:45,160 --> 01:05:47,760 Speaker 3: be as thin as the ropes that bind you. Then 1232 01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:49,720 Speaker 3: I will tie you in a knot that no one 1233 01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:54,160 Speaker 3: can untie. But then Hercules runs in and he's I think. 1234 01:05:54,160 --> 01:05:57,440 Speaker 3: He says, of stone. You are made only by stone? 1235 01:05:57,520 --> 01:06:00,400 Speaker 3: Can you be unmade? And he lifts him up and 1236 01:06:00,640 --> 01:06:03,800 Speaker 3: throws him into the wall, and like every like all 1237 01:06:03,840 --> 01:06:06,680 Speaker 3: these rocks just crumble, so like for crusties breaks apart 1238 01:06:06,720 --> 01:06:09,440 Speaker 3: into pieces, and the wall crumbles and it reveals the 1239 01:06:09,480 --> 01:06:12,120 Speaker 3: gate to the underworld. Very funny, by. 1240 01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:16,640 Speaker 1: The way, yeah, but also really like really cool, Like 1241 01:06:16,680 --> 01:06:19,320 Speaker 1: it is like the gates of the underworld are opening, 1242 01:06:19,920 --> 01:06:23,440 Speaker 1: and in descended from Hercules, the author points out that, 1243 01:06:23,560 --> 01:06:26,160 Speaker 1: like there's a lot of like rock imagery with Hercules 1244 01:06:26,880 --> 01:06:30,040 Speaker 1: in these films. Like Hercules is of course always throwing rocks, 1245 01:06:30,200 --> 01:06:33,760 Speaker 1: He's always being strapped to rocks. He's battling creatures made 1246 01:06:33,800 --> 01:06:38,160 Speaker 1: of rocks, and like his physiology is very rock like 1247 01:06:38,240 --> 01:06:38,640 Speaker 1: as well. 1248 01:06:39,120 --> 01:06:43,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I think they leave Telemachus behind. But Hercules 1249 01:06:43,560 --> 01:06:47,200 Speaker 3: and theseus they go on through the underworld. They encounter 1250 01:06:47,280 --> 01:06:50,000 Speaker 3: some illusions as they go. There's like a vision of 1251 01:06:50,040 --> 01:06:53,720 Speaker 3: a beautiful woman chain to a rock, and she's not real. 1252 01:06:53,800 --> 01:06:56,120 Speaker 3: It's like an illusion to trick them. And there's a 1253 01:06:56,240 --> 01:06:59,120 Speaker 3: vision of like a valley of flames and that's not real, 1254 01:06:59,160 --> 01:07:02,200 Speaker 3: it's actually just And then there are all these vines 1255 01:07:02,280 --> 01:07:03,840 Speaker 3: that they have to cut their way through, and when 1256 01:07:03,880 --> 01:07:06,200 Speaker 3: they cut the vines, they hear these screams and the 1257 01:07:06,280 --> 01:07:09,000 Speaker 3: vines bleed blood, so they're like human vines. 1258 01:07:09,720 --> 01:07:11,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. 1259 01:07:11,160 --> 01:07:14,760 Speaker 3: But eventually they come across a shining stone in the distance, 1260 01:07:15,440 --> 01:07:18,200 Speaker 3: and Herk says that is the stone that could save 1261 01:07:18,280 --> 01:07:20,720 Speaker 3: dayan Ear his life. It seems you could just reach 1262 01:07:20,760 --> 01:07:23,960 Speaker 3: out and take it. But the boiling lava makes it difficult. 1263 01:07:25,560 --> 01:07:27,840 Speaker 3: So they've got to get over the lava somehow. How 1264 01:07:27,840 --> 01:07:29,760 Speaker 3: are they going to do that? Well, they come up 1265 01:07:29,760 --> 01:07:33,360 Speaker 3: with an idea. We're gonna throw a rock yep Hercules. 1266 01:07:33,720 --> 01:07:36,800 Speaker 3: He ties some of the vines, the screaming vines by 1267 01:07:36,800 --> 01:07:38,760 Speaker 3: the way, which are like screaming as he cuts more 1268 01:07:38,800 --> 01:07:41,120 Speaker 3: of them to the rock, and then he throws the 1269 01:07:41,200 --> 01:07:43,000 Speaker 3: rock and this creates like a I don't know what 1270 01:07:43,080 --> 01:07:44,760 Speaker 3: you call this. I was one to say zipline, but 1271 01:07:44,800 --> 01:07:47,920 Speaker 3: they're not ziplining, like like a rope across the chasm 1272 01:07:47,960 --> 01:07:50,520 Speaker 3: over the lava that they can climb to cross it. 1273 01:07:50,640 --> 01:07:52,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're gonna have to sort of like monkey across it, 1274 01:07:53,000 --> 01:07:53,600 Speaker 1: I guess, you know. 1275 01:07:53,720 --> 01:07:56,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, So there's a long climbing over the lava scene 1276 01:07:56,600 --> 01:07:59,800 Speaker 3: and then oh theseus falls and he sinks into the lava, 1277 01:08:00,000 --> 01:08:02,880 Speaker 3: our beloved hunk. You think he's dead for a moment. 1278 01:08:02,760 --> 01:08:05,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, my jaw dropped. I was like, oh my goodness, 1279 01:08:05,000 --> 01:08:06,000 Speaker 1: we lost him, you know. 1280 01:08:06,200 --> 01:08:07,280 Speaker 3: I couldn't believe it. 1281 01:08:07,400 --> 01:08:10,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it becomes then I'm like, he's probably 1282 01:08:10,160 --> 01:08:13,080 Speaker 1: coming back. Right, this is a place full of illusion. 1283 01:08:13,080 --> 01:08:15,520 Speaker 3: Right, this is not the end for theseus. He suddenly 1284 01:08:15,520 --> 01:08:19,280 Speaker 3: appears elsewhere, unconscious in a cave with a woman we 1285 01:08:19,320 --> 01:08:23,080 Speaker 3: have previously not met, caressing his face, and she introduces 1286 01:08:23,120 --> 01:08:25,920 Speaker 3: herself as one of the shadows of the underworld. There's 1287 01:08:25,920 --> 01:08:29,799 Speaker 3: some ambiguity like are she and Theseus dead or alive? 1288 01:08:30,920 --> 01:08:34,320 Speaker 3: But anyway, within about five lines of dialogue, Theseus is 1289 01:08:34,439 --> 01:08:36,880 Speaker 3: legit like you're the love of my life. I will 1290 01:08:36,880 --> 01:08:37,559 Speaker 3: never leave you. 1291 01:08:38,479 --> 01:08:41,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's it's uncertain, at least at first, whether 1292 01:08:41,320 --> 01:08:45,360 Speaker 1: this is magic or this is like literally every relationship 1293 01:08:45,400 --> 01:08:49,240 Speaker 1: he has with a woman, like one minute in head 1294 01:08:49,240 --> 01:08:50,040 Speaker 1: over heels in love. 1295 01:08:50,400 --> 01:08:52,760 Speaker 3: Meanwhile, Herk is getting the magic stone. He sort of 1296 01:08:52,760 --> 01:08:56,439 Speaker 3: has to like bash it out of an incrustation, and 1297 01:08:56,479 --> 01:08:58,760 Speaker 3: then he's just wandering back to the ship with the 1298 01:08:58,760 --> 01:09:01,519 Speaker 3: magic stone that he got. He runs into Telemachus and 1299 01:09:01,560 --> 01:09:04,880 Speaker 3: he's like, Theseus is dead. The lava of Hades swallowed him. 1300 01:09:05,200 --> 01:09:07,479 Speaker 3: And then Theseus jumps out from behind a rock and 1301 01:09:07,600 --> 01:09:10,439 Speaker 3: he's he says, actually I'm fine, and Herk's like, oh cool. 1302 01:09:11,560 --> 01:09:14,160 Speaker 1: I thought this was going to be an illusion at first, 1303 01:09:14,280 --> 01:09:16,800 Speaker 1: because I thought Telemachus was back on the ship and 1304 01:09:16,880 --> 01:09:19,679 Speaker 1: wasn't coming in, and I wasn't sure what was going 1305 01:09:19,680 --> 01:09:21,639 Speaker 1: on with theseus and I was like, oh goodness, he's 1306 01:09:21,680 --> 01:09:24,479 Speaker 1: about to be led astray and have to kill another monster. 1307 01:09:24,560 --> 01:09:26,760 Speaker 1: But no, they were just legitimately like it's time to go, hrk, 1308 01:09:26,840 --> 01:09:27,519 Speaker 1: let's go, and they do. 1309 01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,599 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a little bit lucy goosey plotting at this part, 1310 01:09:31,479 --> 01:09:32,880 Speaker 3: but so they all go back to the ship and 1311 01:09:32,920 --> 01:09:37,240 Speaker 3: they're sailing home and Theseus has brought along a stowaway. 1312 01:09:37,320 --> 01:09:40,400 Speaker 3: It's his dream woman from Hell. She is riding in 1313 01:09:40,439 --> 01:09:44,200 Speaker 3: the cargo hold of the ship. Even though they talk 1314 01:09:44,280 --> 01:09:47,240 Speaker 3: about how she knows that Hercules would have said, no, 1315 01:09:47,400 --> 01:09:50,640 Speaker 3: you can't take someone from Hades with you back with you, 1316 01:09:50,760 --> 01:09:54,840 Speaker 3: but Theseus hides it from Hercules. So a storm comes 1317 01:09:54,920 --> 01:10:00,519 Speaker 3: up and Theseus goes down to talk to this woman Hades, 1318 01:10:00,800 --> 01:10:03,160 Speaker 3: and she says Pluto is angry and he's trying to 1319 01:10:03,160 --> 01:10:06,320 Speaker 3: stop them from leaving the underworld, and she begs Theseus 1320 01:10:06,360 --> 01:10:09,679 Speaker 3: to throw the golden Apple into the sea, so he does, 1321 01:10:09,880 --> 01:10:12,559 Speaker 3: and when Hercules sees this, he is furious that that 1322 01:10:12,720 --> 01:10:15,839 Speaker 3: was their ticket out of Hades. But suddenly the sky clears, 1323 01:10:16,040 --> 01:10:19,479 Speaker 3: sun comes out. Seems like it worked, but something isn't 1324 01:10:19,520 --> 01:10:22,600 Speaker 3: quite right. So they get to shore and Herky is 1325 01:10:22,600 --> 01:10:26,800 Speaker 3: returning to Akalea on horseback, and he's passing smoldering fields 1326 01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:30,519 Speaker 3: of smoke and bleached cattle bones and people are trudging 1327 01:10:30,520 --> 01:10:34,280 Speaker 3: around hopelessly, and one man explains to him that someone 1328 01:10:34,400 --> 01:10:37,479 Speaker 3: must have offended the gods because things have been bad 1329 01:10:37,520 --> 01:10:40,840 Speaker 3: here Heavenly fire and disease descended and the people have 1330 01:10:40,920 --> 01:10:43,920 Speaker 3: been ruined. So Hercules arrives back at the city and 1331 01:10:43,960 --> 01:10:47,080 Speaker 3: people here are blaming him for the calamity. It must 1332 01:10:47,160 --> 01:10:49,439 Speaker 3: be his fault because he went to the underworld and 1333 01:10:49,520 --> 01:10:53,559 Speaker 3: he returned. And meanwhile, at the palace, we get a 1334 01:10:53,560 --> 01:10:56,280 Speaker 3: scene alone with Theseus and his dream woman from Hell 1335 01:10:56,640 --> 01:11:00,559 Speaker 3: and she reveals her true identity. She is a may Zotide, 1336 01:11:00,800 --> 01:11:04,240 Speaker 3: the daughter of Pluto. So woo, this is a this 1337 01:11:04,400 --> 01:11:07,360 Speaker 3: is a goddess and she wasn't supposed to leave Hades. 1338 01:11:07,880 --> 01:11:08,760 Speaker 1: Oops yep. 1339 01:11:10,360 --> 01:11:12,519 Speaker 3: She says, you and your people are gonna be punished 1340 01:11:12,520 --> 01:11:15,559 Speaker 3: for bringing me here. Our love is doomed, but Theseus 1341 01:11:15,560 --> 01:11:18,080 Speaker 3: won't accept it. He says he'll do anything to protect 1342 01:11:18,160 --> 01:11:21,720 Speaker 3: their love, even if he has to kill Hercules, and 1343 01:11:21,760 --> 01:11:25,760 Speaker 3: then the kiss. Uh. Meanwhile, back to like dian Era 1344 01:11:25,880 --> 01:11:28,280 Speaker 3: for the first time, she awakes and she has sort 1345 01:11:28,320 --> 01:11:31,120 Speaker 3: of a conscious reunion with Hercules. She's back to herself, 1346 01:11:31,160 --> 01:11:33,919 Speaker 3: now healed by the power of the magic stone from Hades. 1347 01:11:34,640 --> 01:11:38,680 Speaker 3: But the curse on the land continues and Hercules and 1348 01:11:38,760 --> 01:11:42,360 Speaker 3: Danira's love is blamed, so Hercules has to go back 1349 01:11:42,400 --> 01:11:45,479 Speaker 3: to the Sibyl to learn how to stop it. Meanwhile, 1350 01:11:45,479 --> 01:11:48,240 Speaker 3: he's like, Uncle Leco, you know you're you would be 1351 01:11:48,240 --> 01:11:50,360 Speaker 3: great to keep watch over dan Era and make sure 1352 01:11:50,400 --> 01:11:51,519 Speaker 3: she's safe while I do this. 1353 01:11:51,920 --> 01:11:54,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolute faith in Uncle Leco here. 1354 01:11:54,520 --> 01:11:57,559 Speaker 3: Yes. Perfect. So Herk goes to the Sibil once again, 1355 01:11:57,640 --> 01:12:01,080 Speaker 3: and she reveals they have angered the gods and Theseus 1356 01:12:01,120 --> 01:12:05,720 Speaker 3: has to renounce his love, and Herk balks. He's like, uh, oh, no, 1357 01:12:05,920 --> 01:12:07,640 Speaker 3: you're never going to get a man to renounce his 1358 01:12:07,720 --> 01:12:09,920 Speaker 3: love for a woman. But the Sybil says, when you 1359 01:12:10,040 --> 01:12:14,839 Speaker 3: learn who she truly is, you will bid him renounce her. Meanwhile, 1360 01:12:14,880 --> 01:12:17,960 Speaker 3: back at the palace, Leco's doing Leco stuff. He like 1361 01:12:18,120 --> 01:12:21,880 Speaker 3: he reveals that he was the one behind Danira's illness, 1362 01:12:22,200 --> 01:12:24,360 Speaker 3: and he murders her lady in waiting and she like 1363 01:12:24,439 --> 01:12:27,560 Speaker 3: runs away from her from from him, screaming. 1364 01:12:27,360 --> 01:12:29,880 Speaker 1: Oh, now, is this the scene where we get the 1365 01:12:29,920 --> 01:12:33,679 Speaker 1: blood pool on the floor and she looks down and 1366 01:12:33,720 --> 01:12:37,680 Speaker 1: we see Uncle Leco's we see Christopher Lee's reflection in 1367 01:12:37,720 --> 01:12:38,519 Speaker 1: the blood puddle. 1368 01:12:38,840 --> 01:12:43,479 Speaker 3: Yes, oh beautiful, excellent. Yeah, and now she knows, now, 1369 01:12:43,520 --> 01:12:46,400 Speaker 3: she knows it was him all along. Meanwhile, we got 1370 01:12:46,439 --> 01:12:51,439 Speaker 3: Hercules confronting Theseus. You know. Theseus confesses to Hercules about 1371 01:12:51,479 --> 01:12:55,040 Speaker 3: who his lover is. Yep, she's a goddess. Yeah, Pluto's 1372 01:12:55,080 --> 01:12:57,040 Speaker 3: really mad at us, and we're going to be cursed 1373 01:12:57,400 --> 01:12:59,800 Speaker 3: until she goes back. But I will not give up 1374 01:12:59,840 --> 01:13:02,240 Speaker 3: my love for her. She's staying here with me. And 1375 01:13:02,280 --> 01:13:04,960 Speaker 3: they argue, and Theseus draws his sword. He's like, I 1376 01:13:05,040 --> 01:13:08,160 Speaker 3: will fight you to the death over this, and they fight, 1377 01:13:08,280 --> 01:13:11,400 Speaker 3: but Hercules refuses to kill him. Of course, Hercules is 1378 01:13:11,400 --> 01:13:13,760 Speaker 3: going to win the fight. So Theseus is kind of 1379 01:13:13,840 --> 01:13:16,720 Speaker 3: knocked unconscious, and then the goddess comes to him and 1380 01:13:16,760 --> 01:13:20,080 Speaker 3: she says, Hercules, this was all a bad idea. I'm 1381 01:13:20,120 --> 01:13:20,880 Speaker 3: gonna peace out. 1382 01:13:21,240 --> 01:13:24,760 Speaker 1: Wow, isn't it like the gods and goddesses. They're just 1383 01:13:24,840 --> 01:13:29,439 Speaker 1: kind of like waltzing through human affairs, causing absolute chaos, 1384 01:13:29,560 --> 01:13:32,080 Speaker 1: and then they're just like I'm done, I'm out. 1385 01:13:32,640 --> 01:13:36,040 Speaker 3: Yes, But she also does do a kindness to Hercules 1386 01:13:36,080 --> 01:13:38,360 Speaker 3: before she leaves, she fills him in. She's like, by 1387 01:13:38,400 --> 01:13:40,920 Speaker 3: the way, that the king Leco, who you think is 1388 01:13:40,960 --> 01:13:44,800 Speaker 3: really great, who's like watching your fiance right now, he's bad. 1389 01:13:44,960 --> 01:13:46,680 Speaker 3: He's the one behind the curse. 1390 01:13:46,760 --> 01:13:49,080 Speaker 1: Not Leco, like he's shocked through his course. 1391 01:13:49,280 --> 01:13:52,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and Herk is like, oh wow, thanks for the info. 1392 01:13:53,920 --> 01:13:56,519 Speaker 3: So this leads to the final showdown. Herk has got 1393 01:13:56,560 --> 01:13:59,800 Speaker 3: to go rescue Danira from Leco. He goes down into 1394 01:13:59,840 --> 01:14:04,920 Speaker 3: Leo's secret passageways. I think Leko's getting ready to do 1395 01:14:05,000 --> 01:14:07,960 Speaker 3: some kind of ritual sacrifice of Danira to usher in 1396 01:14:08,040 --> 01:14:09,719 Speaker 3: a great age of evil and darkness. 1397 01:14:09,920 --> 01:14:12,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, his dark masters told him that he needs to 1398 01:14:12,840 --> 01:14:15,400 Speaker 1: drink her blood, and his blood needs to be in 1399 01:14:15,439 --> 01:14:18,360 Speaker 1: her like some sort of like you know, typical vampire 1400 01:14:18,400 --> 01:14:20,680 Speaker 1: shenanigans need to take place, and then he'll get to 1401 01:14:20,840 --> 01:14:23,640 Speaker 1: live forever and rule over a world of darkness. 1402 01:14:23,840 --> 01:14:27,200 Speaker 3: Right. But when Hercules goes down into the catacombs, he 1403 01:14:27,280 --> 01:14:30,360 Speaker 3: gets attacked by zombies. And here's where it really becomes 1404 01:14:30,360 --> 01:14:33,400 Speaker 3: peplam horror for a while. I love these zombies. They're 1405 01:14:33,439 --> 01:14:36,320 Speaker 3: not super we don't really get a close look at 1406 01:14:36,320 --> 01:14:39,439 Speaker 3: their flesh. They're kind of coming in and out and 1407 01:14:39,520 --> 01:14:42,200 Speaker 3: kind of obscured. But I really like their design anyway. 1408 01:14:42,200 --> 01:14:45,280 Speaker 3: I think they look great. It's implied that they're gross. 1409 01:14:45,320 --> 01:14:48,360 Speaker 3: They're covered in these rags, and they're actually pretty scary, 1410 01:14:48,400 --> 01:14:50,840 Speaker 3: and some of them can fly. They're like zombies that 1411 01:14:50,920 --> 01:14:54,240 Speaker 3: without legs, that are just upper bodies that fly through 1412 01:14:54,240 --> 01:14:54,599 Speaker 3: the air. 1413 01:14:55,080 --> 01:14:58,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, they look great. We don't get a close enough 1414 01:14:58,439 --> 01:15:00,280 Speaker 1: look at them to really tell, like, his this a 1415 01:15:00,320 --> 01:15:03,160 Speaker 1: grave shroud or is this like some sort of a 1416 01:15:03,200 --> 01:15:07,439 Speaker 1: weird birth call over them? Like everything is like, you know, 1417 01:15:07,600 --> 01:15:11,120 Speaker 1: lit to the nines. It looks amazing. I was. I 1418 01:15:11,160 --> 01:15:13,320 Speaker 1: was totally in on all of these Bava zombies. 1419 01:15:13,760 --> 01:15:18,000 Speaker 3: Yes, yes, absolutely. And then there's this one sequence that's 1420 01:15:18,080 --> 01:15:19,800 Speaker 3: so strange. I don't know what to make of this, 1421 01:15:19,880 --> 01:15:22,720 Speaker 3: but it's great. It's like Herk is fighting the zombies 1422 01:15:22,760 --> 01:15:25,040 Speaker 3: inside a stone trash compactor. 1423 01:15:25,479 --> 01:15:29,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, like the walls start closing in and he's and 1424 01:15:29,400 --> 01:15:33,400 Speaker 1: and he's moving towards us, towards the camera with the 1425 01:15:33,560 --> 01:15:37,719 Speaker 1: you know, the walls closing zombies in inside that tunnel 1426 01:15:37,760 --> 01:15:41,519 Speaker 1: with him trying to slow him down and cause him 1427 01:15:41,520 --> 01:15:44,520 Speaker 1: to be crushed by the rocks. But of course it's Hercules. 1428 01:15:44,600 --> 01:15:46,640 Speaker 1: He manages to get out, but just just in the 1429 01:15:46,680 --> 01:15:47,479 Speaker 1: nick of time. 1430 01:15:47,520 --> 01:15:50,479 Speaker 3: Right just in time to stop Leko from from stabbing 1431 01:15:50,560 --> 01:15:55,200 Speaker 3: dayani Era with this like bone hand dagger. It's like 1432 01:15:55,240 --> 01:15:57,280 Speaker 3: a skeleton's hand as a dagger. 1433 01:15:57,880 --> 01:15:59,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's it's it's pretty gnarly. 1434 01:16:00,200 --> 01:16:03,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. So Herk comes to the rescue, and then this 1435 01:16:03,880 --> 01:16:07,639 Speaker 3: kind of surprised me. It's a physical fight, and Leko 1436 01:16:08,040 --> 01:16:10,320 Speaker 3: is sort of able to hold his own for a 1437 01:16:10,360 --> 01:16:12,520 Speaker 3: while in physically fighting Hercules. 1438 01:16:13,000 --> 01:16:16,599 Speaker 1: Yeah, without any obvious nods to him having some sort 1439 01:16:16,600 --> 01:16:19,240 Speaker 1: of enhanced supernatural powers here, it's just more of like 1440 01:16:19,520 --> 01:16:22,040 Speaker 1: a straight up brawl. I mean, the end's not really 1441 01:16:22,040 --> 01:16:22,840 Speaker 1: in question, but. 1442 01:16:22,960 --> 01:16:25,760 Speaker 3: You know, yeah, of course Herk wins. Hey, do you 1443 01:16:25,800 --> 01:16:28,840 Speaker 3: want to guess how Hercules defeats the evil Wizard King 1444 01:16:28,880 --> 01:16:29,360 Speaker 3: in the end. 1445 01:16:29,720 --> 01:16:33,000 Speaker 1: Oh, let's give everyone out there a second to consider 1446 01:16:33,000 --> 01:16:33,840 Speaker 1: the possibilities. 1447 01:16:47,160 --> 01:16:49,439 Speaker 3: It's a good old rock toss, perhaps one of the 1448 01:16:49,479 --> 01:16:53,080 Speaker 3: standing stones, and it's just he's hirk smash. He smashes 1449 01:16:53,160 --> 01:16:56,479 Speaker 3: him with the rock. Oh, it's so good. Oh. And 1450 01:16:56,520 --> 01:16:57,920 Speaker 3: then after that, do you want to guess how he 1451 01:16:57,960 --> 01:17:00,600 Speaker 3: defeats the waves of zombies that continue rushing in the 1452 01:17:00,600 --> 01:17:03,519 Speaker 3: altar he throws another boulder, and then he throws another boulder, 1453 01:17:03,560 --> 01:17:04,639 Speaker 3: and then another boulder. 1454 01:17:04,880 --> 01:17:08,760 Speaker 1: He uproots all of the stones one by one at 1455 01:17:08,760 --> 01:17:12,479 Speaker 1: this ancient but probably on holy site. Yeah, and just 1456 01:17:12,600 --> 01:17:15,639 Speaker 1: keeps yeating them into the zombies, one after the other, 1457 01:17:15,840 --> 01:17:16,639 Speaker 1: just smashing them. 1458 01:17:16,880 --> 01:17:19,240 Speaker 3: And then the eclipse ends. Oh there's all this talk 1459 01:17:19,280 --> 01:17:22,439 Speaker 3: about like a great dragon devouring the sun or the moon, 1460 01:17:22,680 --> 01:17:25,640 Speaker 3: maybe devouring the moon. I think this is imagery of 1461 01:17:25,680 --> 01:17:29,439 Speaker 3: an eclipse. It ends, and then Leco catches on fire 1462 01:17:29,520 --> 01:17:30,320 Speaker 3: and disappears. 1463 01:17:30,800 --> 01:17:34,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, simply like to by modern standards, I guess, a 1464 01:17:34,320 --> 01:17:38,040 Speaker 1: simple effect, but perfectly executed right. Like so many things 1465 01:17:38,040 --> 01:17:40,080 Speaker 1: in this movie, and I think other Bava films, it's 1466 01:17:40,120 --> 01:17:44,800 Speaker 1: like it's just like everything is carried off, carried out seamlessly. 1467 01:17:44,600 --> 01:17:47,400 Speaker 3: Mm hmm. And then we get a very happy ending 1468 01:17:47,439 --> 01:17:50,160 Speaker 3: for everybody. So Danira is say she and herk are 1469 01:17:50,320 --> 01:17:52,640 Speaker 3: reunited and happy. I guess they're married at the end, 1470 01:17:52,760 --> 01:17:55,880 Speaker 3: or they're gonna get married, and so they're happy. Hercules 1471 01:17:55,880 --> 01:17:57,960 Speaker 3: also makes up with his friend. He goes to Theseus, 1472 01:17:58,320 --> 01:18:01,479 Speaker 3: and Theseus only vaguely remembers his time with the woman 1473 01:18:01,520 --> 01:18:04,080 Speaker 3: from Hell. He remembers it as if it's a dream 1474 01:18:04,520 --> 01:18:07,040 Speaker 3: and he's finally back together with Jocasta, which is great 1475 01:18:07,040 --> 01:18:09,120 Speaker 3: beause they're a great couple. I feel kind of bad 1476 01:18:09,160 --> 01:18:11,519 Speaker 3: for Jocasta just being left behind all this time, and 1477 01:18:11,640 --> 01:18:13,040 Speaker 3: oh they see they seem great together. 1478 01:18:13,240 --> 01:18:16,160 Speaker 1: But she initially shows up with Telemachus and he's like, hey, 1479 01:18:16,240 --> 01:18:19,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna marry her. And then she's like like, actually, no, 1480 01:18:19,600 --> 01:18:21,320 Speaker 1: now I see theseus. I'm gonna go to him. 1481 01:18:21,600 --> 01:18:24,160 Speaker 3: Yeah. So they're back together, and then and then we 1482 01:18:24,200 --> 01:18:27,120 Speaker 3: get some some platitudes about love to play us out. 1483 01:18:27,800 --> 01:18:32,160 Speaker 1: That's right. Love is passionate, says Hercules, but often inconsistent. 1484 01:18:32,560 --> 01:18:36,760 Speaker 3: Hmm, think on that one. Yeah. Anyway, Hercules and the 1485 01:18:36,760 --> 01:18:40,240 Speaker 3: Haunted World a thumbs up from me six six bowlders up. 1486 01:18:40,640 --> 01:18:43,320 Speaker 1: Absolutely. Yeah, this one was a lot of fun. I've 1487 01:18:43,360 --> 01:18:46,400 Speaker 1: watched a lot of Hercules movies and Hercules adjacent movies 1488 01:18:46,439 --> 01:18:49,200 Speaker 1: over the years, and I think this one may be 1489 01:18:49,360 --> 01:18:52,080 Speaker 1: the most visually appealing, though. I also really liked the 1490 01:18:52,920 --> 01:18:56,280 Speaker 1: visual flare of the Lufarigno Hercules movie that we watched 1491 01:18:56,479 --> 01:18:57,839 Speaker 1: earlier on Weird House Cinema. 1492 01:18:58,000 --> 01:19:00,400 Speaker 3: Mm. Yeah, that one felt less like the product of 1493 01:19:00,439 --> 01:19:02,200 Speaker 3: a single director's artistic vision. 1494 01:19:02,200 --> 01:19:05,000 Speaker 1: I would oh, absolutely. I remember it having some very 1495 01:19:05,120 --> 01:19:09,040 Speaker 1: yanky stop motion effects in it, but also some very 1496 01:19:09,080 --> 01:19:11,120 Speaker 1: like spacey lights at times. 1497 01:19:11,360 --> 01:19:12,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, but was very fun. 1498 01:19:12,880 --> 01:19:17,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, this one is definitely more like structurally complete. Yeah, 1499 01:19:17,680 --> 01:19:22,200 Speaker 1: all right, Hercules in the Hunted World. Hey, everyone out there, 1500 01:19:22,439 --> 01:19:24,799 Speaker 1: if you've seen this movie, or if you have thoughts 1501 01:19:24,840 --> 01:19:28,560 Speaker 1: about various other Pepplam movies, we've talked about here Hercules 1502 01:19:28,600 --> 01:19:33,200 Speaker 1: movies and their many derivatives right in. We would love 1503 01:19:33,240 --> 01:19:36,080 Speaker 1: to hear what you have to say will remind you 1504 01:19:36,160 --> 01:19:39,120 Speaker 1: that Weird House Cinema. This is the Friday episode in 1505 01:19:39,160 --> 01:19:41,000 Speaker 1: the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed are core 1506 01:19:41,080 --> 01:19:43,439 Speaker 1: science and culture episodes acre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but 1507 01:19:43,479 --> 01:19:46,240 Speaker 1: on Fridays we set aside most serious concerns to just 1508 01:19:46,280 --> 01:19:48,240 Speaker 1: talk about a weird film. If you want to see 1509 01:19:48,240 --> 01:19:50,400 Speaker 1: a long list of the movies that we have done 1510 01:19:50,400 --> 01:19:52,400 Speaker 1: over the years for Weird House Cinema, go to letterbox 1511 01:19:52,439 --> 01:19:54,080 Speaker 1: dot com. It's L E T T E R B 1512 01:19:54,160 --> 01:19:56,880 Speaker 1: O x D dot com. You'll find our username there 1513 01:19:56,880 --> 01:19:59,760 Speaker 1: it's weird House, and on our profile page there's the 1514 01:20:00,160 --> 01:20:02,000 Speaker 1: to check it out see what we've been up to, 1515 01:20:02,320 --> 01:20:05,280 Speaker 1: and sometimes there'll be a hint or more than a hint, 1516 01:20:05,320 --> 01:20:07,679 Speaker 1: I guess just there's the post. Here there's a listing 1517 01:20:08,000 --> 01:20:09,799 Speaker 1: of the movie that we're covering next. 1518 01:20:10,240 --> 01:20:13,800 Speaker 3: Huge thanks as always to our excellent audio producer JJ Posway. 1519 01:20:14,120 --> 01:20:15,720 Speaker 3: If you would like to get in touch with us 1520 01:20:15,720 --> 01:20:18,200 Speaker 3: with feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest 1521 01:20:18,240 --> 01:20:20,160 Speaker 3: a topic for the future, or just to say hello, 1522 01:20:20,240 --> 01:20:22,719 Speaker 3: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 1523 01:20:22,760 --> 01:20:30,560 Speaker 3: your Mind dot com. 1524 01:20:30,720 --> 01:20:33,640 Speaker 2: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For 1525 01:20:33,720 --> 01:20:36,519 Speaker 2: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 1526 01:20:36,680 --> 01:20:39,920 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.