Directed by | Pietro Francisci
Produced by | Bruno Vailati
Ferruccio De Martino
Written by | Ennio De Concini
Pietro Francisci
Starring | Steve Reeves
Sylva Koscina
Sylvia Lopez
Music by | Enzo Masetti
Cinematography | Mario Bava
Editing by | Mario Serandrei
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) | 14 February 1959
Running time | 105 min
Country | Italy
France
Spain
Language | Italian
Preceded by | Hercules
Followed by | La Vendetta di Ercole

Hercules and the Queen of Lydia, known in the U.S. as Hercules Unchained (1959) (Ercole e la regina di Lidia) is the sequel to Hercules (1958) that helped inspire the popularity of the 1960s sword and sandal craze. Steve Reeves returns as Hercules and Sylva Koscina plays his wife Iole.

Plot Summary
While travelling, Hercules is asked to intervene in a quarrel between two brothers over who should rule Thebes, Greece. Before he can complete this task, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and loses his memory. He spends most of the movie in Queen Omphale of Lydia's pleasure gardens. While young Ulysses tries to help him regain his memory, Hercules' wife, Iole, finds herself in danger from the ruler of Thebes.

The plot draws names from a mishmash of various Greek legends and plays, notably The Seven Against Thebes for the dispute between the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices in Thebes. The movie widely deviates from the source material, though, haphazardly mixing times and featuring characterizations different than those portrayed in the myths.

External links

* New York Times Review by Howard Thompson, July 14, 1960

Trivia

* Hercules Unchained was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show which mocked bad movies.
* This movie features the final film appearance of boxer Primo Carnera, who appears in the opening as the giant Antaeus, who dares to fight Hercules for Iole.
* Hercules Unchained was also seen on Steve Smith's Playhouse under the name "Hercules Unchanged," with Steve Smith taking over the dialogue of Hercules.

The article "Hercules and the Queen of Lydia" is part of the Wikipedia encyclopedia. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU FDL.

modified: 2007-12-23 04:19:51