HERCULES UNCHAINED

Reeves, Koscina, Antonini

HERCULES UNCHAINED (Ercole e la regina di Lidia/1959). Director: Pietro Francisci.

After the events of Hercules, Hercules (Steve Reeves) has returned to his homeland of Greece with his new bride, Iole (Sylva Koscina), and several of his friends, including Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini). The three of them decide to return to Thebes, but Hercules learns that there have been many changes in his absence. Oedipus the King has given his throne to his two sons with the understanding that they each rule a year and trade off, but Etocles (Sergio Fantoni) refuses to leave Thebes while his brother Polinices (Mimmo Palmara) has gathered together an army of ruthless foreigners to help him take over the city. Hercules agrees  to mediate a peace between the two men, but before he can do so he is kidnapped to the island of Lidia after accidentally partaking of the "waters of forgetfulness."

Evil queen: Reeves with Lopez

On Lidia Queen Omphale (Sylvia Lopez) tries to turn Hercules into the latest in her long line of lovers, all of whom have been preserved, quite dead, in a special underground gallery (this reminds one of developments in Jayne Mansfield's Loves of Hercules). The climax of the film actually brings us back to Thebes, where total war has broken out, but in one of the film's best sequences, the two brothers fight a vivid dual to the literal death with swords. 

Sergio Fantoni with Reeves

Hercules Unchained is a notch above Hercules, with a better story and more action. The dubbed performances all seem adept enough, and cinematographer Mario Bava's often garish color schemes -- reminding one more of neon-lit Las Vegas than ancient Greece --  are as wild as ever. Hercules also has an interesting fight with a creep named Anteo, played by boxer-actor-strongman Primo Carnera. The film includes a ballet, and if that weren't enough, a ditty is sung by Iole as Hercules takes a nap in the back of their wagon. Aside from the waters of forgetfulness, the film has no fantastic elements to speak of. 

Verdict: Surprisingly entertaining bit of "peplum." ***.