Adventure 10 Movie Pack [3 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Glen Morris stars in Tarzan’s Revenge, Gordon Scott stars in Tarzan and the Trappers, Rod Taylor stars in Colossus and the Amazon Queen, Steve Reeves stars in Hercules Unchained and more. 3 DVDs. Color-b&w/14 hrs/NR.

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 3
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Edward A. Kull, David Ross Lederman, Sandy Howard, H. Bruce Humberstone, Charles F. Haas, Giacomo Gentilomo, Vittorio Cottafavi, Vittorio Sala, Domenico Paolella, Pietro Francisci, Alvaro Mancori, Lewis Mann

• Producer:

  Sol Lesser, Luigi Mondello, Achille Piazzi, Bruno Vailati

• Book Author:

  Edgar Rice Burroughs

• Screenwriter:

  Robert Lee Johnson, Arpad de Riso, Nino Scolaro, Sandro Continenza, Vittorio Cottafavi, Duccio Tessari

• Screen Story:

  Archibald Zounds Jr.

• Screenwriter:

  Ennio de Concini, Pietro Francisci, Apollonious Rhodios, Gaoi Frattini

• Cinematographer:

  George B. Meehan, Oberdan Trojani, Carlo Carlini, Mario Bava

• Composer (Music Score):

  Abe Meyer

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Hugo Riesenfeld

• Composer (Music Score):

  Carlo Franci, Armando Trovajoli, Gordon Zahler, Gino Marinuzzi, Jr., Enzo Masetti

• Songwriter:

  Parrish Mitchell

• Editor:

  Gene Milford, Hugo Grimaldi, Maurizio Lucidi, Mario Serandrei

• Art Director:

  Amedeo Mellone, Franco Lolli

• Costume Designer:

  Vittorio Rossi

• Special Effects:

  Ugo Amadoro

• Choreography:

  Peter Van Der Sloot

• Short Story Author:

  Angelo Sangermano

REVIEWS:

• Hercules Unchained wasn't greeted with much more respect by the critics than was Steve Reeves' previous film, Hercules. In point of fact, both movies were better than reviewers acknowledged at the time -- a fact borne out by their spectacular success at the box office -- and had the effect of establishing a new film genre, the sword-and-sandal epic. It the wake of both movies, producers and directors in Italy began recruiting professional bodybuilders and commissioning scripts that put them into loincloths, battling hundreds (or, in more impoverished circumstances, dozens) of extras dressed as soldiers in some corner of the ancient world. The fact is, though, that few of the movies that followed could match the qualities that made Hercules Unchained so beguiling. Steve Reeves never cut a more commanding presence, and his only better film may have been The Trojan Horse, in which he had to do more acting and fewer feats of strength. The plot drew from the legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes, which are most familiar to modern audiences through the Theban plays of Sophocles. That story line, involving Oedipus the King of Thebes and his two sons, Polynices and Eteocles, opened up opportunities onscreen of which director Pietro Francisci and cinematographer Mario Bava took full advantage -- the scene in which Hercules meets Oedipus at the gates of Hades is a stunner (rumor had it for decades that Bava directed this scene himself), and the eventual battle between the two armies, with Hercules attacking both to stop the fighting and save the kingdom, is a spectacular action scene. Additionally, Sylvia Lopez's portrayal of the Lydian queen Omphale is memorable for its sensuality and passion -- alas, this proved to be her last role; Lopez died later that same year of leukemia. The film as a whole is filled with just enough of the strange, disconnected, episodic nature of the Greek myths, and a good measure of their brutality, so that it served as an introduction for millions of baby-boomer children to the original source material, fostering an interest in mythology that quickly manifested itself in popular culture not only in dozens of rival sword-and-sandal films but in creations such as Stan Lee's Mighty Thor comic book and The Mighty Hercules cartoon show. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
• One of the most intriguing of the Italian-made sword-and-sandal adventure films, Hercules and the Captive Women (as it is known in the United States) is well worth a look from anyone with even the slightest interest in the genre. The acting may be a little rough going (and difficult to take seriously once one has watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of this title), but the shooting and the effects are quite good, and they are put into the service of a genuinely fascinating plot. Where many of the movies in this genre throw together a few names, places, and story lines out of various myths and shake them up into a vaguely coherent plot, Hercules and the Captive Women has a script -- written by director Vittorio Cottafavi -- that actually betrays some thought, care, and inventiveness with its subject matter, as well as some knowledge of such source material as Hesiod's Theogeny. Queen Antinea has stumbled upon what we might call a meteor, but which the High Priest of the island identifies as a remnant of the gore that spilled from the god Uranus' wounds when he was castrated by his son Kronos; as a remnant of the body of a living god, it has the power to destroy and transmute all earthly matter, including human flesh, which is precisely how the queen uses it. While this may not sound impressive to modern viewers, it's an eerie example of a kind of ancient Greek version of science fiction that is perfectly suited to its subject. Additionally, the various plot developments and characterizations fit together in the manner of the Greek myths and legends, with all of the seeming jumps in logic and motivation that we perceive today. The movie's craftsmanship might not be on a par with Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts, but Hercules and the Captive Women is many cuts above the typical Italian muscle-man film. The major difficulty in seeing it on home video is its apparent public domain status -- meaning it is widely bootlegged -- and the fact that it was shot as a widescreen movie and ought to be mastered that way, fully letterboxed rather than cropped at its sides. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
• Nobody expects a movie with a title like Hercules Against the Moon Men to be good, but it's not out of the question to hope it will at least be fun. Unfortunately, Moon Men is much too dull to be fun. Oh, you can laugh for a while at the silliness of its plot or the lack of discernible acting skill among most of its cast. You can while away a bit of time wondering whether its phoniness or the flimsiness of its sets that is more amusing. You can even try to decide whether the "alien" costumes might possibly have found their way onto a half-remembered Lost in Space episode. But soon the simply dullness of Moon Men will overtake the little fun you've managed to build up. Even the bad acting doesn't create the giggles it should -- aside from Delia D'Alberti's evil queen, most of the acting is simply flat rather than amusing. As the titular hero (which, in Italy, was actually a different character by the name of Machiste rather than the retitled-for-America Hercules -- so much for depth of character), Sergio Ciani (a.k.a. Alan Steel) ambles his way through the film expressing much more dramatic depth by flexing his arm muscles than by any muscles on his face. The direction is lifeless, the script is ridiculous, and there's a sandstorm sequence that seems to last an eternity. Diehard fans of this action film subgenre are really the only audience for this entry. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi