''Hercules the Invincible'' (Italian: ''Ercole l'invincibile'') is a 1964 Italian

Sword and Sandal 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 Holly ...

film directed by

Alvaro Mancori Alvaro Mancori (1923–2011) was an Italian cinematographer.Klossner p.47 He also directed two films, and acted as producer on several others. Selected filmography * '' The Accusation'' (1950) * ''Auguri e figli maschi!'' (1951) * '' Tragic Retu ...

and Lewis Mann and starring

Dan Vadis Dan Vadis (born Constantine Daniel Vafiadis, January 3, 1938 – June 11, 1987) was a Chinese-born American actor, of Greek descent, famous for his lead roles in many Italian films made in the 1960s. Biography Vadis was of Greek descent, wit ...

. It is the first of two directing credits for cinematographer Alvaro Mancori. The film was later released to American television retitled ''Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness'' as part of the '' Sons of Hercules'' TV syndication package.

Plot

Hercules saves a woman named Telca from a lion and arrives in triumph in her village. Telca's father King Tedaeo offers Hercules Telca's hand in marriage, if he brings back the tooth of a dragon. Hercules seeks help from a witch who gives him a spear that will kill the dragon but wants the same tooth as her reward. As Hercules has promised the tooth to King Tedaeo the witch warns him that the magic of the tooth will only work once. In Hercules' absence Telca's village has been pillaged and all the survivors –save Babar, the

comedy relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make the ...

– are taken as prisoners to the Demulus, a tribe that lives inside a mountain and eats the hearts of their prisoners.

Cast

as Ercole (Argolese) * Spela Rozin as Telca *

Carla Calò Carla Calò (21 September 1926 – 29 December 2019) was an Italian actress. Life and career Born in Palermo, Calò started her career on stage, notably starring in Luigi Squarzina's ''Il berretto a sonagli'', and also being active in dialec ...

as Ella, Queen of the Demulus * Ken Clark as Kabol, Melissia's Father *Jon Simons as Babar *

Maria Fiore Maria Fiore (1 October 1935 – 28 October 2004) was an Italian film and television actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1952 and 1999. Life and career Born Jolanda Di Fiori in Rome, in spite of a non-professional acting background, sh ...

(billed as Jannette Barton) as Etel *

Ugo Sasso Ugo Sasso, born Domenico Pasquale Giuseppe Sasso (23 March 1910 - 21 July 1981), was an Italian film and television actor. Life and career Born in Turin, in the early 1930s Sasso moved to Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografi ...

as King Tedaeo, Telca's Father * Howard Ross as Telca's Brother *

Olga Solbelli Olga Solbelli (11 May 1898 – 8 September 1976) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 81 films between 1939 and 1967. She was born in Verghereto and died in Bologna. Selected filmography * '' The Anonymous Roylott'' (1936) * '' Th ...

as The Oracle *Alberto Cevenini as Capt. of the Guard *

Rosemarie Lindt Rosemarie Lindt is a German actress and ballet dancer who was known to the wider audience for her appearances in '' Frau Wirtin'' series in the late 1960s and in Italian exploitation cinema of the 1970s. Ballet career Lindt studied at Folkwang U ...

as Slave Girl *Kriss Moss as Guard *Jannette Le Roy as Slave Girl *Sara Laurier as Slave Girl *Christine Mathius as Slave Girl

Reception

From contemporary reviews, an anonymous review in ''

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 ...

'' noted that "the sloth-like hero belongs to the more dim-witted school of muscle-men, so that it takes a companion, in the shape of a comically cowardly assistant to demonstrate by contrast the heroic stature of Hercules." The review noted "there is some modestly colourful spectacle in the scenes of the underground city and its destruction by lava."

References

External links

* * (dubbed in English) 1964 films 1960s fantasy films Italian fantasy adventure films 1960s fantasy adventure films 1960s Italian-language films Films scored by Francesco De Masi Sword-and-sandal films {{fantasy-film-stub