Notizie

Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina in "Hercules Unchained", as featured in the latest issue of Cinema Retro (#30).

The latest issue of "Cinema Retro" is out and what do I see, but an article about films that are dear to my heart. As a child of the Sixties, the sword and sandal movies (aka peplum) meant a lot to me. Specifically the films of Hercules, himself; none other than Steve Reeves. Interestingly enough, while these movies were made to get people out of their houses and into the theatres, here in the Us in the early Sixties they made a bigger splash when they were released to television. I was a little too young to see Steve Reeves’ "Hercules" when it was released in theatres, but when it was released to TV; that's when the avalanche began. For those of us watching the boob tube in the early Sixties, Hercules and his brethren were our heroes.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the Italian genre films from the 1960s through the 1970s still remain the gold standard, the Golden Age, the yardstick to measure bigger-than-life greatness in low budget international cult cinema. Rivaled only by the Japanese in the same time period for sheer jaw-dropping wildness, the Italian moviemakers toiled in the salt mines of debased genres - giallo (sexy suspense) thrillers, sword and sandal adventures, spaghetti sagebrush sagas, gothic horror, nunsploitation and, last but not least, polizioteschi or the action-packed crime film. That said, before delving further back in time, the American Cinematheque in L.A. is kicking off a "Grindhouse" film series with a double bill from the 1980s-'90s - Dario Argento's "Opera" and Michele Soavi's "Cemetery Man" July 9. Also screening are two sexy jet-set, giallo mindbenders with Carroll Baker (Paranoia and A Quiet Place To Kill); a peplum double bill...