I’ve mentioned many times in my task of promoting films of Science Fiction and Fantasy that I grew up in an era wherein most households enjoyed only a handful of television channels, much less an abundance of home entertainment choices. Home video – aka Beta, VHS machines, and laserdiscs – were at least a decade away, maybe a bit more depending upon the household’s disposable income; and so I really had to make do with what was available in small Midwestern television markets wherein cheaply syndicated films from the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s were the soup du jour.
These films were – ahem – certainly not the cream of the crop. These weren’t award-winners by any stretch of the imagination; and if they came from Hollywood (or a close facsimile) then they were likely B-pictures or low-budget fare that came-and-went from the box office quicker than a sneeze. This meant that my Friday nights and Saturday mornings and afternoons were largely spent with Abbott and Costello pictures, forgettable Westerns, monster movies, Science Fiction features produced on an Ed Wood budget or a bit extra (some of them coming from Japan), and a number of swords-and-sandals motion pictures (most of these coming from Italy).
And because my options were limited (very limited), I learned to not only stick with watching a less-than-captivating feature but also (dare I say?) find some reason to like it. After all, the Sunday newspaper edition TV guide showed the film scheduled for two hours: if I were to give it two hours of my young life, then I may as well make the best of it.
Sure, much of it was schlock. Much of it was cheaply made. Much of it would be forgotten once I turned the TV off and climbed into bed. But while it was on, I learned to give it my undivided attention and make the best of it. (Mind you, this was the quality of entertainment those merry knuckleheads at MST3K spent a few seasons lampooning to solid effect. I learned to laugh at these flicks as those comics did.)
So there’s no doubt in my mind that I probably took in Hercules And The Captive Women as a young’un. Now that I’m older and (allegedly) wiser, I’m glad to have rediscovered it on Blu-ray as it’s exactly the kind of feature this old dog enjoys.
These films were – ahem – certainly not the cream of the crop. These weren’t award-winners by any stretch of the imagination; and if they came from Hollywood (or a close facsimile) then they were likely B-pictures or low-budget fare that came-and-went from the box office quicker than a sneeze. This meant that my Friday nights and Saturday mornings and afternoons were largely spent with Abbott and Costello pictures, forgettable Westerns, monster movies, Science Fiction features produced on an Ed Wood budget or a bit extra (some of them coming from Japan), and a number of swords-and-sandals motion pictures (most of these coming from Italy).
And because my options were limited (very limited), I learned to not only stick with watching a less-than-captivating feature but also (dare I say?) find some reason to like it. After all, the Sunday newspaper edition TV guide showed the film scheduled for two hours: if I were to give it two hours of my young life, then I may as well make the best of it.
Sure, much of it was schlock. Much of it was cheaply made. Much of it would be forgotten once I turned the TV off and climbed into bed. But while it was on, I learned to give it my undivided attention and make the best of it. (Mind you, this was the quality of entertainment those merry knuckleheads at MST3K spent a few seasons lampooning to solid effect. I learned to laugh at these flicks as those comics did.)
So there’s no doubt in my mind that I probably took in Hercules And The Captive Women as a young’un. Now that I’m older and (allegedly) wiser, I’m glad to have rediscovered it on Blu-ray as it’s exactly the kind of feature this old dog enjoys.
(NOTE: The following review will include spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of person who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to my last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging: “The bold and daring Hercules encounters Ismene when he must save her from a shape-shifting creature – and that’s just the beginning! Ismene then brings Hercules to Atlantis where they come face to face with the evil Queen Antinea, Ismene’s mother, and try to prevent her dreams of world conquest. Will Hercules prevail?”
While there are differing versions of mythology regarding Hercules’ origin, the most commonly accepted throughout Western civilization is that the god Zeus seduced the mortal Alcmene by disguising himself as her husband. After three nights of wild sex, the Earthly woman was properly impregnated. Hera – Zeus’s sister and wife (yes, you read that right) – learned of her husband’s dalliance, and she spends many of her days generally making life difficult for young hero. This is why the half-human, half-immortal’s life is perfectly suited for filmdom: he spent most of his days trying to halt the larger-than-life shenanigans unleashed by the gods on his brothers and sisters across mankind. Think of Hercules as the original Superman, set down on Earth by the gods instead of the distant Krypton, imbued with the task of putting wrong things right, and you get the picture.
Honestly, very little of the strongman’s origin is necessary to appreciate the character presented in Captive Women. Here, Hercules is already a man of note: his legendary triumphs make him a natural hero for the people of Thebes … so when some supernatural force warns of impending doom for all of Greece, it’s perfectly natural for King Androcles to enlist the son of Zeus on a journey to uncover the threat and make the world safe again.
From the product packaging: “The bold and daring Hercules encounters Ismene when he must save her from a shape-shifting creature – and that’s just the beginning! Ismene then brings Hercules to Atlantis where they come face to face with the evil Queen Antinea, Ismene’s mother, and try to prevent her dreams of world conquest. Will Hercules prevail?”
While there are differing versions of mythology regarding Hercules’ origin, the most commonly accepted throughout Western civilization is that the god Zeus seduced the mortal Alcmene by disguising himself as her husband. After three nights of wild sex, the Earthly woman was properly impregnated. Hera – Zeus’s sister and wife (yes, you read that right) – learned of her husband’s dalliance, and she spends many of her days generally making life difficult for young hero. This is why the half-human, half-immortal’s life is perfectly suited for filmdom: he spent most of his days trying to halt the larger-than-life shenanigans unleashed by the gods on his brothers and sisters across mankind. Think of Hercules as the original Superman, set down on Earth by the gods instead of the distant Krypton, imbued with the task of putting wrong things right, and you get the picture.
Honestly, very little of the strongman’s origin is necessary to appreciate the character presented in Captive Women. Here, Hercules is already a man of note: his legendary triumphs make him a natural hero for the people of Thebes … so when some supernatural force warns of impending doom for all of Greece, it’s perfectly natural for King Androcles to enlist the son of Zeus on a journey to uncover the threat and make the world safe again.
Director Vittorio Cottafavi shared screenwriting credits with a few others (Sandro Continenza and Duccio Tessari), and I’m honestly not certain the three of them working together knew how to effectively set-up this adventure as the script as presented meanders a bit too much from point A to point B to point C in its early stages. Rather than having Hercules fully engaged to wage war against an enemy, Cottafavi’s picture presents him as a man content to while away his days under the care of his loving wife and son Hylas. In fact, Hercules spends most of the film’s set-up pre-occupied with napping (???), giving up valuable screen time to the less interesting Androcles, Hylas, and Timoteo (a dwarf and the feature’s sole comic relief). However, once circumstances present themselves wherein this crew is broken up and fully requiring Herc’s attention to “right the ship,” Captive Woman dutifully becomes a picture of note, if only one of minor status. This turn of events leads the strongman to the shores of Atlantis, where Queen Antinea has set her sights on ruling the world, and such nefarious colonialism is a mission of which Hercules won’t abide.
A more tightly constructed set-up would be necessary to elevate Captive Women to the level of being a must-see picture of the swords-and-sandals era of filmmaking, but Cottafavi still delivers the goods in the second half. Hercules unravels the mystery behind Antinea’s hidden island, and it involves a level of deception that perhaps even the gods wouldn’t have attempted: genetic alteration means our hero will face a veritable army of his muscular equals!
For the record, this performance was athlete-turned-actor Reg Park’s inaugural picture as Hercules. (I’ve read he starred in four films for the studio.) Though he mumbles his way through some of the dialogue, he certainly looks the part when the script gives him the opportunity to flex his way into the proper exploits. What he lacks in charisma he makes up in sheer determination here, even when the script and visual trickery isn’t quite up to the Herculean task. By the end, he shows these ‘Captive Women’ who’s boss, and the picture is better for his contribution.
What is worthy of note for the film is the production detail, particularly the Atlantean interiors and some of the external shooting locations. While I’ve lamented in reviews about how modern pictures rely all too much of CGI creations to convey the sense of scale and scope of distant worlds, Captive Women presents a veritable castle that was built with the blood, sweat, and tears of studio craftsmen. The costumes of the Atlantean army are both dynamic and threatening – Stormtroopers for the age of barbarians – just as a domineering force would and should be. Costumes and set décor complete the visual aesthetics, and the film demonstrates why this reviewer still prefers reviewing pictures of old as opposed to the modern era: they just feel more authentic than a bunch of colorful pixels rendered in post-production.
So, yes, whereas other critics might dismiss the feature as cinema fodder, I liked it plenty. While some of this enjoyment might be the effect nostalgia has on these old bones, I’d argue that there’s still a legitimate amount of magic captured in these 95 minutes. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks is true, and if I like mine with a bit of camp there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that … gods be praised!
A more tightly constructed set-up would be necessary to elevate Captive Women to the level of being a must-see picture of the swords-and-sandals era of filmmaking, but Cottafavi still delivers the goods in the second half. Hercules unravels the mystery behind Antinea’s hidden island, and it involves a level of deception that perhaps even the gods wouldn’t have attempted: genetic alteration means our hero will face a veritable army of his muscular equals!
For the record, this performance was athlete-turned-actor Reg Park’s inaugural picture as Hercules. (I’ve read he starred in four films for the studio.) Though he mumbles his way through some of the dialogue, he certainly looks the part when the script gives him the opportunity to flex his way into the proper exploits. What he lacks in charisma he makes up in sheer determination here, even when the script and visual trickery isn’t quite up to the Herculean task. By the end, he shows these ‘Captive Women’ who’s boss, and the picture is better for his contribution.
What is worthy of note for the film is the production detail, particularly the Atlantean interiors and some of the external shooting locations. While I’ve lamented in reviews about how modern pictures rely all too much of CGI creations to convey the sense of scale and scope of distant worlds, Captive Women presents a veritable castle that was built with the blood, sweat, and tears of studio craftsmen. The costumes of the Atlantean army are both dynamic and threatening – Stormtroopers for the age of barbarians – just as a domineering force would and should be. Costumes and set décor complete the visual aesthetics, and the film demonstrates why this reviewer still prefers reviewing pictures of old as opposed to the modern era: they just feel more authentic than a bunch of colorful pixels rendered in post-production.
So, yes, whereas other critics might dismiss the feature as cinema fodder, I liked it plenty. While some of this enjoyment might be the effect nostalgia has on these old bones, I’d argue that there’s still a legitimate amount of magic captured in these 95 minutes. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks is true, and if I like mine with a bit of camp there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that … gods be praised!
Hercules And The Captive Women (1961) was produced by Comptoir Français du Film Production. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by The Film Detective. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no technical expert, I thought most of this 4K restoration looked pretty fabulous – there are some mild color-changes during a few sequences early on, and the film’s set-up events lose a bit of cohesion due to some trickery turning everything an overexposed red; sound is excellent, though it does dip occasionally as well as struggles with the occasionally ‘tinny’ quality common with older recordings. As for the special features? Interested viewers are in for a treat as the disc boasts an audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas, a documentary exploring the history of Hercules on film, the 1992 MST3K broadcast version of the flick, and an essay by film historian C. Courtney Joyner also looking at three men who played Hercules at the height of the Italian movie craze (circa 1955-1965). It’s a fabulous package, one that can keep viewers invested for a few hours of entertainment.
Recommended. This Hercules was clearly made at a time when motion picture production was simpler – not so many special effects and visual hoopla was necessary to convey the story – and perhaps aptly demonstrates what the whole swords-and-sandals era of filmmaking was about. Performances might not be perfect all around, but peplum pictures – not an insult so far as this writer is concerned – were a bit more focused on the spectacle than they were the spectacular. Lastly, the film sports some incredible set production value in its latter half, and that alone managed to keep my interest when some of the pacing lagged.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at The Film Detective provided me with a Blu-ray of Hercules And The Captive Women by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Recommended. This Hercules was clearly made at a time when motion picture production was simpler – not so many special effects and visual hoopla was necessary to convey the story – and perhaps aptly demonstrates what the whole swords-and-sandals era of filmmaking was about. Performances might not be perfect all around, but peplum pictures – not an insult so far as this writer is concerned – were a bit more focused on the spectacle than they were the spectacular. Lastly, the film sports some incredible set production value in its latter half, and that alone managed to keep my interest when some of the pacing lagged.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at The Film Detective provided me with a Blu-ray of Hercules And The Captive Women by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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