Pietro Francisci (9 September 1906 – 1977) was an Italian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, best remembered for the film ''

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 ...

'' (1958) which inspired 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 ...

boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, his career took a distinct turn for the worse after he directed the 1966 science-fiction film ''2+5 Missione Hydra'', released in the U.S. in 1977 as ''

Star Pilot ''Star Pilot'' ( it, 2+5: Missione Hydra) is a 1966 Italian science-fiction film directed by Pietro Francisci. It stars Leonora Ruffo as Chaena Plot Chaena is the commander of a spaceship from the constellation Hydra, which has crashed on the ...

''.

Selected filmography

* ''

I Met You in Naples ''I Met You in Naples'' (Italian: ''Io t'ho incontrata a Napoli'') is a 1946 Italian musical melodrama film directed by Pietro Francisci and starring Anna Nievo, Leo Dale and Peppino De Filippo. The film takes its name from a popular song of the ...

'' (1946) * ''

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...

'' (1949) *''

Le Meravigliose avventure di Guerrin Meschino ''The Wonderful Adventures of Guerrin Meschino'' ( it, Le Meravigliose avventure di Guerrin Meschino) is a 1952 Italian adventure film directed by Pietro Francisci. It is based in part on the 1410 chivalric romance '' Il Guerrin Meschino''. Cast ...

'' (1951) *''

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...

'' (1954) *''

'' (1958) *''

Hercules and the Queen of Lydia ''Hercules Unchained'' ( it, Ercole e la regina di Lidia , "Hercules and the Queen of Lydia") is a 1959 Italian-French High fantasy, epic fantasy feature film starring Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina in a story about two warring brothers and Hercu ...

'' (1959) aka ''Hercules Unchained'' *'' Siege of Syracuse'' (1960) * ''

The Warrior Empress ''The Warrior Empress'' (Italian: ''Saffo - Venere di Lesbo'') is a 1960 Italian-French peplum film directed by Pietro Francisci and starring Kerwin Mathews, Tina Louise Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress wi ...

'' (1960) * ''

Hercules, Samson and Ulysses ''Hercules, Samson and Ulysses'', ( it, Ercole sfida Sansone) is a 1963 Italian Metrocolor ''peplum'' film directed by Pietro Francisci. The costume designers for this movie used re-purposed Nazi helmets for the Philistine headgear. Plot In Ith ...

'' (1960) *''2+5 Missione Hydra'' (1966) aka ''Star Pilot'' * ''

Sinbad and the Caliph of Baghdad ''Sinbad and the Caliph of Baghdad'' (Italian: ''Simbad e il califfo di Bagdad'') is a 1973 Italian adventure film directed by Pietro Francisci and starring Robert Malcolm, Sonia Wilson, Luigi Bonos and Arturo DominiciMoliterno p.136 Based on th ...

'' (1973)

External links

* 1906 births 1977 deaths Film directors from Rome {{Italy-film-director-stub