''Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis'' ( it, Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide, lit=Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis) is a 1961 film directed by

Vittorio Cottafavi Vittorio Cottafavi (30 January 1914 – 14 December 1998) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1943 and 1985. His film '' Il diavolo sulle colline'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at th ...

and starring

Reg Park Roy "Reg" Park (7 June 1928 – 22 November 2007) was an English bodybuilder, businessman, and actor. His first title was Mr Britain in 1949. He then won the Mr Universe in 1951, 1958 and 1965. He also starred in five films, four featured as ...

in his film debut as Ercole/

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

. It was originally released in Super Technirama 70. The film is also known as ''Hercules Conquers Atlantis'' in the United Kingdom, and ''Hercules and the Captive Women'' in the United States where the film was not only retitled but edited, rescored and given a title design by

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...

Plot

When strange atmospheric events occur in the disunited

city state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

s of Ancient Greece, a forum debates what action to take. As there is no agreement, Androcles King of Thebes seeks the assistance of his friend, the legendary

. Hercules, now married to

Deianira Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira (; Ancient Greek: Δηϊάνειρα, ''Dēiáneira'', or , ''Dēáneira'', ), also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her hu ...

with a son named

Hylas In classical mythology, Hylas () was a youth who served as Heracles's (Roman Hercules) companion and servant. His abduction by water nymphs was a theme of ancient art, and has been an enduring subject for Western art in the classical tradition ...

, does not wish to leave the comfort of his family, though Hylas is keen for adventure. Androcles takes matters into his own hands by drugging and kidnapping Hercules and placing him aboard a ship manned by a disreputable collection of former slaves and criminals. The only members of the expedition Androcles can trust are his

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

, Timoteo the

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

and Hylas who has to hide below deck from Hercules lest he face his wrath for leaving home. Rather than being angry, Hercules merely lazes away on deck without offering any assistance. When the supply of fresh water is sabotaged, the ship lands on an island to replenish their supply. The crew

mutinies Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

by attacking Androcles but Hercules turns the tide. The crew is left stranded on the island, however, Hercules discovers Hylas on board. Continuing their voyage, a storm wrecks the ship and separates all of them. Hercules sees a vision of Androcles begging for his help. Coming ashore on a mist-shrouded island he sees a woman held captive: not only chained to a cliff but gradually becoming a part of the rock formation. When he rescues her he has to fight

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') is an early prophetic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" ''(hálios gérôn)''. ...

a god able to change form into various creatures. Defeating Proteus, Hercules discovers the woman he rescued is Princess Ismene, daughter of Antinea, the Queen of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

, where he has landed. Hercules soon discovers his son Hylas and Timoteo and bring the rescued Princess to Antinea. Though welcomed at first, Ismene discovers that she has been selected for sacrifice: a prophecy foretells that if she is not killed Atlantis and its population will be destroyed. The death of Proteus has already stripped Atlantis of its protective fog that keeps it unseen by the outside world. Ismene is recaptured and taken for execution. Antinea denies all knowledge of Androcles; his memory has been taken away and he is hidden from his friends. During a celebration, Hercules discovers that children are selected and taken away from their parents for an unknown reason. Things fall into place when Hercules and his companions not only rescue Ismene but a large group of prisoners in a pit. The rescued prisoners explain that children are taken to a special stone that either transforms them either into blond supermen or disfigures the weak ones who are then placed in the pit. A priest explains that the stone is made from the blood of

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars (mythology), Mars), grandfather ...

. The power of Uranus's stone has created Antinea an invincible army of black-uniformed blond supermen with which she plans to conquer the world. The rescued prisoners attack Antinea's palace but all are killed by her army. Hercules confronts Antinea and begins battling with her soldiers, but he falls into a pit where he is reunited with Hylas. Hercules and Hylas escape, and Hercules tells his son to flee the island while Hercules attempts to destroy the stone of Uranus. Hylas finds Timoteo, who says Ismene and Androcles are to be sacrificed by being tied to a ship that will be sent ablaze then adrift. Hylas and Timoteo stop the soldiers and save Ismene and Androcles as the four of them flee the island on the same ship. The high priest of Uranus tells Hercules the stone can be destroyed by the rays of the sun. Hercules smashes a hole into the top of the stone's cave and flees. Hercules swims out to the ship, as the sun's rays finally strike the stone, causing Atlantis to erupt in explosions and be destroyed.

Cast

as Ercole (Hercules) *

Fay Spain Lona Fay Spain (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television. Early years Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Fay Spain was the younger of two daughters born to Robert C. Spain and Arminta Frances "Mick ...

as Queen Antinea of Atlantis *

Ettore Manni Ettore Manni (6 May 1927 – 27 July 1979) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1952 and 1979. Life and career Born in Rome, Manni debuted as an actor in 1952, when in spite of his acting inexperience he wa ...

as Androclo, Re di Tebe *

Luciano Marin Luciano Marin (9 December 1931 – 12 November 2019) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than twenty films since 1957. Filmography References External links * 1931 births 2019 deaths Italian male film actors {{Italy-f ...

as Illo * Laura Efrikian as Ismene *

Enrico Maria Salerno Enrico Maria Salerno (September 18, 1926 – February 28, 1994) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film director. He was also the voice of Clint Eastwood in the Italian version of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy films, and the voice of Ch ...

as Re di Megara *

Ivo Garrani Ivo Garrani (6 February 1924 – 25 March 2015) was an Italian actor and voice actor. In films since 1952, Garrani is possibly best known for his role as Prince Vajda in Mario Bava's '' Black Sunday'' (1960). Biography Born in Introdacqua, ...

as Re di Megalia *

Gian Maria Volonté Gian Maria Volonté (9 April 1933 – 6 December 1994) was an Italian actor, including roles in four Spaghetti Western films: Ramón Rojo in Sergio Leone's ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) and El Indio in Leone's '' For a Few Dollars More'' ( ...

as Re di Sparta *

Mimmo Palmara Domenico "Mimmo" Palmara (25 July 1928 – 10 June 2016) was an Italian actor. Biography Born in Cagliari, Palmara made his film debut in 1952 as a character actor in drama films by eminent directors such as Luchino Visconti, Mario Monicelli and ...

as Astor *

Mario Petri Mario Petri (21 January 1922 – 26 January 1985) was an Italian operatic bass-baritone particularly associated with Mozart and Rossini roles. Life and career Petri was born in Perugia and began his career after World War II, making his stage d ...

as Zenith, prete di Urano *

Mino Doro Mino Doro (6 May 1903 – 13 April 1992) was an Italian actor who appeared in more than a hundred films between 1932 and 1970. Doro generally played supporting and character roles. He appeared as a blackshirt in the 1934 Fascist propaganda fi ...

as Oraclo *

Salvatore Furnari Salvatore may refer to: * Salvatore (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name * "Salvatore" (song), by Lana Del Rey, 2015 * Salvatore (band), a Norwegian instrumental rock band * '' Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams' ...

as Timoteo *

Alessandro Sperli Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

Mario Valdemarin is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...

as Gabor *

Luciana Angiolillo Luciana Angiolillo (22 December 1925 – 30 November 2014) was an Italian actress and model, known for her career in peplum classic films. Life and career Born Luciana Nevi in Rome, Angiolillo started her career as a runway model. She made he ...

as Deianira * Maurizio Coffarelli as Proteus the Monster * Nicola Sperli as Dyanaris * Leon Selznick as Narrator of the U.S. Version *

Nazzareno Zamperla Nazzareno Zamperla (25 April 1937 – 19 March 2020) was an Italian actor and stuntman. Career Born in Treviso into a circus family, Zamperla came to Rome in 1949 and worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s as a stunt performer. His focus was on ...

as Man in Tavern Fight (uncredited)

Release

''Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis'' was released in Italy with a 101-minute running time on 19 April 1961. It was released in the United States on 15 April 1963.

Reception

Describing it as "an imaginative entry in the

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget H ...

genre," Cottafavi called it "Neo-Mythology".

Christopher Frayling Sir Christopher John Frayling (born 25 December 1946) is a British educationalist and writer, known for his study of popular culture. Early life and education Christopher Frayling was born in Hampton, a suburb of London, in affluent circumstance ...

noted the film's slapstick violence at the beginning as a link to the

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

; Frank Burke in an essay in the book ''Popular Italian Cinema'' noted the film's depiction of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the

atomic age The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the ''Trinity'' test in New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, during World War II. Although nuclear chain reactio ...

pp. 39–42 Burke, Frank "The Italian Sword and Sandal Film from Fabiola to Hercules and the Captive Women" in ''Popular Italian Cinema: Culture and Politics in a Postwar Society,'' Brizio-Skov, Flavia, Editor, I.B.Tauris, 22 November 2011 and Park's depiction of the Italian quality of "

sprezzatura ''Sprezzatura'' () is an Italian word that first appears in Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 ''The Book of the Courtier'', where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear ...

" in his portrayal of Hercules.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis 1960s fantasy films French fantasy films Italian fantasy films Peplum films Italian independent films Films set in Atlantis Films based on Atlantida Films about Heracles French independent films Italian disaster films Films directed by Vittorio Cottafavi Films scored by Armando Trovajoli Sword and sandal films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films