''Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops'' (Italian: ''Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi'') is a 1961 Italian Gothic horror film starring

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder who made about 200 B movies. Biography Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in hi ...

and

Chelo Alonso Chelo Alonso (born Isabel Apolonia García Hernández, 10 April 1933 – 20 February 2019) was a Cuban actress who became a star in Italian cinema, and ultimately a 1960s cult film heroine and sex symbol in the U.S. She was well known for pla ...

Plot

Queen Capys is doomed to a life of slavery by the Powers of Darkness until the last descendant of

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

is put to death to please the

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

. This is almost accomplished in a raid on a village by the Queen's soldiers where a descendant of Ulysses is killed and his wife enslaved; however, their infant son is taken away to be protected by

Maciste Maciste () is one of the oldest recurring characters of cinema, created by Gabriele d'Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. He is featured throughout the history of the cinema of Italy from the 1910s to the mid-1960s. He is usually depicted as a Hercu ...

Cast

as Queen Capys *

Vira Silenti Vira Silenti (16 April 1931 – 1 November 2014) was an Italian actress. Career Born in Naples as Elvira Giovene, Silenti debuted as child actress at ten years old in ''Una notte dopo l’opera'' (1942). She studied law at the university and ...

as Queen Penope *

Dante DiPaolo Dante Cesare DiPaolo (February 18, 1926 – September 4, 2013) was an American dancer and actor. Sometimes, he also appeared under the name of Dante De Paulo, Dante D' Paulo, and Dante Di Paola. Biography The son of an immigrant miner from Italy, ...

as Ifito *

Aldo Bufi Landi Aldo Bufi Landi (7 April 1923 – 2 February 2016) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1947 and 2013. Selected filmography * '' Malaspina'' (1947) * '' Madunnella'' (1948) * '' Assunta Spina'' (1948) * ''L ...

as Sirone * Giotto Tempestini as Aronio *

Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), better known as Raffaella Carrà (), was an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, actress and model. She was well known in Europe and Latin America as a result of her many ...

as Eber *

Paul Wynter Paul Wynter was a competitive bodybuilder and sometimes film actor. He is best known for his two wins in the Mr. Universe competition. A native of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean, he was reported to be 68 years old in 2003. Born on October 2 ...

as Mumba *

Massimo Righi Massimo, also Massimino, and Massimine () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist * Massimo A ...

as Efros * Aldo Pedinotti as

Release

'' Atlas Against the Cyclops'' was released in Italy on March 29, 1961 with a 90-minute running time. It was released in the United States on April 14, 1963 with a 100-minute running time.

Reception

It has been objected that in spite of the original title there is no "Atlas" to be found in either the Italian nor the English dubbed film version.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* *

External links

* * 1961 films 1960s fantasy films Italian fantasy films Peplum films Maciste films 1961 drama films Sword and sandal Sword and sandal films 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-film-stub