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| Jayne Mansfield |
THE LOVES OF HERCULES (aka
Hercules vs. the Hydra/aka
Gli amori di Ercole/1960). Director: Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia.
Hercules (Mickey Hargitay of
Bloody Pit of Horror) learns that his wife and child were murdered by the King of Ecalia. What he doesn't know is that the actual murderer was Licos (Massimo Serato of
The Killer Nun), who goes so far as to murder the king to cover up the crime. Hercules goes to Ecalia to confront the king's daughter, Queen Delanira (Jayne Mansfield of
The Burglar), who goes through a strange, violent ceremony to prove she had no part in the death of Hercules' family. For his part, Hercules seems to forget all about his slain wife and falls in love with Delanira in a trice. When the queen's fiance is found murdered, Hercules is blamed and is forced to go on the run, where he encounters the Amazons, whose Queen Hippolyta is fond of turning her lovers into trees and develops a dangerous hankering for the son of Jupiter. Will Hercules and his new beloved Delanira manage to triumph over the evil schemes of both Licos and Hippolyta and finally be reunited?
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| The three-headed hydra |
Hungarian body-builder Hargitay and his wife Mansfield were two years into their six-year marriage (resulting in three chidren, including the very gifted Mariska Hargitay of
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) when they went to Italy to make this "spectacle," which does feature a few impressive settings as well as the out-sized physiques of the briefly-married couple. As their voices are dubbed it's hard to judge their performances, but one can safely say there were no Oscar contenders in the cast, at least not in this production. The film is briefly and minimally enlivened by the appearances of a huge bull that Mickey wrestles to the ground, an 8-foot-tall caveman, and a full-scale Hydra which is like a funhouse prop, but is very well-designed, has three fire-breathing heads, and looks good despite its limited movement. In the second half of the film Hippolyta transforms herself into Delanira, so Mansfield is given a dual role. The men-turned-into-trees business is a macabre touch.
Verdict: Hardly anything spectacular here but more watchable than you might imagine. **1/2.
Oh, I have read about this for years but now I must see. Mansfield and Hargitay in all their tacky glory! OK, their vocal performances are dubbed, but we still get the pleasures of the ultimate male and female Bodies Beautiful in a fantastic costume epic! You make it sound like so much fun, Bill, I look forward!
ReplyDelete-Chris
Okay, the movie is fun albeit in a limited way, so you've been warned. A poor print of this on youtube' a much better one on Amazon Prime. Apparently there is a version of this where you can hear the stars' real voices, and Hercules becomes Hungarian! They both had well-developed bodies but Hargitay didn't have the handsome face of, say, a Steve Reeves, which may be why his film appearances were limited. Or not.
ReplyDeleteDans ce film, Jayne MANSFIELD expose sa grosse poitrine devant tous les hommes muets d’admiration et toutes les femmes envieuses, jalouses et humiliées par tant de talents dévoilés. Les robes de Jayne MANSFIELD sont tendues à l’extrême par des seins gonflés à l’hélium, prêts à se déchirer à chaque respiration que Jayne ne manque pas de faire le plus souvent possible. Les seins pointent à l’horizontale et la loi de la gravitation n’existe plus. Jayne est bien la reine, aucune femme ne peut se confronter à elle, car ses seins écrasent toutes ses rivales. Les hommes ne voient que Jayne MANSFIELD, que sa poitrine, tellement elle crève l’écran, fière et arrogante d’une telle beauté.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you comments but I need a translator!
ReplyDelete