Hercules and the Queen of Lydia
Encyclopedia
Hercules Unchained is a 1959 Italian epic fantasy feature film
starring Steve Reeves
and Sylva Koscina
in a story about two warring brothers and Hercules' tribulations in the court of Queen Omphale. The film is the sequel
to the Reeves vehicle Hercules
(1958) and marks Reeves' last appearance as Hercules. The film's screenplay -- loosely based upon various Greek myths and dramas -- was written by Ennio De Concini
and Pietro Francisci
with Francisci directing and Bruno Vailati and Ferruccio De Martino producing the film. Hercules Unchained has been broadcast on American television, and is available in both VHS and DVD formats. The film's Italian
title means "Hercules and the Queen of Lydia". The film was also the subject of mockery in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
by Aeschylus
and Oedipus at Colonus
by Sophocles
. The tale of Hercules
and Queen Omphale
is taken from myth. Hercules' line "I wove the threads [of my memory] together" is the film's sole reference to his task of spinning thread and weaving with Omphale's attendants in the myth. The film widely deviates from the source material, haphazardly mixing events and featuring characterizations varying from those depicted in the sources.
) is asked to intervene in a quarrel between two brothers, Eteocles
and Polynices
, (Sergio Fantoni
and Mimmo Palmara) over who should rule Thebes
. Before he can complete this task, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and is hypnotized by a harem girl who dances the "Dance of Shiva", loses his memory and becomes the captive of Queen Omphale
of Lydia
(Sylvia Lopez
). The Queen keeps men until she tires of them, then has them made into statues. While young Ulysses
(Gabriel Antonini) tries to help him regain his memory, Hercules' wife, Iole
(Sylva Koscina
), finds herself in danger from Eteocles, current ruler of Thebes
, who plans on throwing her to the wild beasts in his entertainment arena. Hercules slays three tigers in succession and rescues his wife, then assists the Theban army in repelling mercenary attackers hired by Polynices. The two brothers ultimately fight one another for the throne and end up killing each other; the good high priest Creon
is elected by acclaim. Cast includes Fulvio Carrara as Castor
, Willi Colombini as Pollux
, Primo Carnera
as the giant Antaeus
, Gino Mattera as Orpheus
, Cesare Fantoni
as King Oedipus
, and Carlo D'Angelo as High Priest Creon.
Colleen Bennett was the prima ballerina, who danced "The Dance of Shiva" which was used to hypontize Hercules as he drank the waters of forgetfulness.
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
starring Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
and Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina was an Italian actress.-Biography:...
in a story about two warring brothers and Hercules' tribulations in the court of Queen Omphale. The film is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the Reeves vehicle Hercules
Hercules (1958 film)
Hercules is a 1958 Italian epic fantasy feature film based upon the Hercules myths and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The film stars Steve Reeves as the titular hero and Sylva Koscina as his love interest Princess Iole. Hercules was directed by Pietro Francisci and produced by Federico Teti...
(1958) and marks Reeves' last appearance as Hercules. The film's screenplay -- loosely based upon various Greek myths and dramas -- was written by Ennio De Concini
Ennio de Concini
Ennio De Concini was an Italian screenwriter and film director, winning the Academy Award in 1962 for the "Best Original Screenplay" for Divorce, Italian Style.-Life and career:...
and Pietro Francisci
Pietro Francisci
Pietro Francisci was an Italian film director, best remembered for the film Hercules which inspired the sword and sandal boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in Rome, his career took a distinct turn for the worse after he directed the science-fiction film 2+5 Missione Hydra, released in...
with Francisci directing and Bruno Vailati and Ferruccio De Martino producing the film. Hercules Unchained has been broadcast on American television, and is available in both VHS and DVD formats. The film's Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
title means "Hercules and the Queen of Lydia". The film was also the subject of mockery in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Source material
The plot draws character names from a mishmash of various Greek legends and plays, notably The Seven Against ThebesSeven Against Thebes
The Seven against Thebes is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won...
by Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
and Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus is one of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles...
by Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
. The tale of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
and Queen Omphale
Omphale
In Greek mythology, Omphale was a daughter of Iardanus, either a king of Lydia, or a river-god. Omphale was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor; according to Bibliotheke she was the wife of Tmolus, the oak-clad mountain king of Lydia; after he was gored to death by a bull, she continued...
is taken from myth. Hercules' line "I wove the threads [of my memory] together" is the film's sole reference to his task of spinning thread and weaving with Omphale's attendants in the myth. The film widely deviates from the source material, haphazardly mixing events and featuring characterizations varying from those depicted in the sources.
Plot and cast
While travelling, Hercules (Steve ReevesSteve Reeves
Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.-Childhood:...
) is asked to intervene in a quarrel between two brothers, Eteocles
Eteocles
In Greek mythology, Eteocles was a king of Thebes, the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia. The name is from earlier *Etewoklewes , meaning "truly glorious". Tawaglawas is thought to be the Hittite rendition of the name. Oedipus killed his father Laius and married his mother without...
and Polynices
Polynices
In Greek mythology, Polynices or Polyneices was the son of Oedipus and Jocasta. His wife was Argea. His father, Oedipus, was discovered to have killed his father and married his mother, and was expelled from Thebes, leaving his sons Eteocles and Polynices to rule...
, (Sergio Fantoni
Sergio Fantoni
Sergio Fantoni, is an Italian actor.He was born in Rome, the son of actor Cesare Fantoni . In films from the late 1940s, he has worked mainly in his own country but made several appearances in American films in the 1960s, most notably opposite Frank Sinatra in the war film Von Ryan's Express,...
and Mimmo Palmara) over who should rule Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
. Before he can complete this task, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and is hypnotized by a harem girl who dances the "Dance of Shiva", loses his memory and becomes the captive of Queen Omphale
Omphale
In Greek mythology, Omphale was a daughter of Iardanus, either a king of Lydia, or a river-god. Omphale was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor; according to Bibliotheke she was the wife of Tmolus, the oak-clad mountain king of Lydia; after he was gored to death by a bull, she continued...
of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
(Sylvia Lopez
Sylvia Lopez
Sylvia Lopez was a French model and actress.Born Tatjana Bernt, she was raised in Paris, where she began a career in modelling. Eventually she modeled for couturier Jacques Fath, the first French fashion designer to export his creations to the United States...
). The Queen keeps men until she tires of them, then has them made into statues. While young Ulysses
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
(Gabriel Antonini) tries to help him regain his memory, Hercules' wife, Iole
Iole
In Greek mythology, Iolë was the daughter of Eurytus, king of the city Oechalia. According to the brief epitome by the so-called Apollodorus, Eurytus had a beautiful young daughter named Iole who was eligible for marriage. Iole was claimed by Heracles for a bride, but Eurytus refused her hand in...
(Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina
Sylva Koscina was an Italian actress.-Biography:...
), finds herself in danger from Eteocles, current ruler of Thebes
Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)
See Thebes, Greece for the modern city built on the ancient ruins.Ancient Thebes was a Boeotian city-state , situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain...
, who plans on throwing her to the wild beasts in his entertainment arena. Hercules slays three tigers in succession and rescues his wife, then assists the Theban army in repelling mercenary attackers hired by Polynices. The two brothers ultimately fight one another for the throne and end up killing each other; the good high priest Creon
Creon
Creon is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes in the legend of Oedipus. He had two children with his wife, Eurydice: Megareus and Haemon...
is elected by acclaim. Cast includes Fulvio Carrara as Castor
Castor and Pollux
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, Willi Colombini as Pollux
Castor and Pollux
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera was an Italian boxer, nicknamed the Ambling Alp, who became the world heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
as the giant Antaeus
Antaeus
Antaeus in Greek and Berber mythology was a half-giant, the son of Poseidon and Gaia, whose wife was Tinjis. Antaeus had a daughter named Alceis or Barce.-Mythology:...
, Gino Mattera as Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
, Cesare Fantoni
Cesare Fantoni
Cesare Fantoni was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 73 films between 1939 and 1962.He was born in Bologna, Italy and died in Rome, Italy...
as King Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
, and Carlo D'Angelo as High Priest Creon.
Colleen Bennett was the prima ballerina, who danced "The Dance of Shiva" which was used to hypontize Hercules as he drank the waters of forgetfulness.