''Hercules vs. Moloch'' (, , also released as Conquest of Mycenae) is a 1963 Italian/French

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

peplum film Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (: pepla), 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 Holl ...

written and directed by

Giorgio Ferroni Giorgio Ferroni (12 April 1908 – 17 August 1981) was an Italian film director. Life and career Giorgio Ferroni was born in Perugia on 12 April 1908. Ferroni began his career in film with short documentaries during World War II. He directed his ...

and starring

Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...

.Michele Giordano. ''Giganti buoni''. Gremese Editore, 1998. . The film reuses battle scenes from Ferroni's 1961 film ''

The Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending befor ...

''.

Plot

The

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 throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; ; or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines, Greece, Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos; and sou ...

is able to dominate the rest of the nearby city-states due to its impregnable fortress. Led by a facially deformed King who believes himself

Moloch Moloch, Molech, or Molek is a word which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the Book of Leviticus. The Greek Septuagint translates many of these instances as "their king", but maintains the word or name ''Moloch'' in others, ...

incarnated, the madman demands slaves as tribute, where he tortures and kills a selected few. Prince Glaucus from

Tiryns Tiryns ( or ; Ancient Greek: Τίρυνς; Modern Greek: Τίρυνθα) is a Mycenaean archaeological site in Argolis in the Peloponnese, and the location from which the mythical hero Heracles was said to have performed his Twelve Labours. It ...

has an idea to seize and destroy Mycenae from within. Using the name of Hercules, he poses as one of the slaves given to Mycenae in tribute. He becomes a gladiator, but he secretly plots to lead a revolution and destroy the creature that has enslaved the people.

Cast

as Prince Glaucus a.k.a. Hercules *

Alessandra Panaro Alessandra Panaro (14 December 1939 – 1 May 2019) was an Italian film actress of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Panaro is best known for her films in the early 1960s, notably Luchino Visconti's crime drama ''Rocco and His Brothers'' in 1960. ...

as Medea, Princess of Mycenae *

Rosalba Neri Rosalba Neri (born 19 June 1938) is a retired Italian actress. Early life Born in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Neri was regarded for her beauty even in youth, winning a beauty pageant when she was still young. Eventually pursuing an acting ...

as Demetra, Queen of Mycenae *

Arturo Dominici Arturo Dominici (2 January 1916 – 7 September 1992) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Palermo, Dominici became best known for his many villainous roles in horror and fantasy films. He is best remembered f ...

as Penthius, General of Mycenae *

Michel Lemoine Michel Lemoine (1922–2013) was a French actor and film director.Senn p.202 Selected filmography Actor * '' After Love'' (1948) * '' Julie de Carneilhan'' (1950) * '' The Treasure of Cantenac'' (1950) * ''The Adventurers of the Air'' (1950) * ' ...

as Euneos *

Jany Clair Jany Clair (born 2 September 1938) is a retired French actress. Early life Clair was born Jany Guillaume in Lille, France. Career Clair starred in a number of B-grade films in the 1950s and 1960s, in particular in a number of sword and san ...

as Deianira *

Nerio Bernardi Nerino "Nerio" Bernardi (23 July 1899 – 12 January 1971) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1970. Life and career Born in Bologna, Bernardi started his acting career in 1918 with a loc ...

as Asterion, the High Priest *

Giovanni Pazzafini Giovanni "Nello" Pazzafini (15 May 1933 – 9 January 1996) was an Italian actor who appeared in a very large number of Peplum movies, Spaghetti Westerns and Poliziotteschi. Life and career Born in Rome from parents originally from Ferrara, a ...

as Archepolos *

Geneviève Grad Geneviève Gabrielle Grad (; 5 July 1944 – 7 November 2024) was a French actress. Career Grad played Nicole Cruchot, the daughter of police officer Ludovic Cruchot (Louis de Funès) in the first three films of the Gendarme of Saint-Tropez s ...

as Pasifaë * Pietro Marascalchi as Moloch

Release

''Hercules vs. Moloch'' was released in Italy on December 21, 1963. It was released in the United States by December 15, 1965.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' reviewed a 91 minute dubbed version. The film stated that the plot was "completely routine" and its ending was "over-extravagant", the "Herculean hero is at least credited with a distinct measure of intelligence" noting that "the question of sheer physical strength is related ambigulously ..There is no penny-pinching in the staging; hundreds of extras are used for the big battle scenes, which really do succeed in giving the effect of an army and not merely a platoon."

References

Sources

External links

*
''Hercules vs. Moloch''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

1963 adventure films French historical adventure films Films directed by Giorgio Ferroni Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli Films set in ancient Greece Sword-and-sandal films 1960s Italian films Moloch in literature and popular culture {{1960s-adventure-film-stub