★ 4 / 10
Good movie if you're involved in something else
R T
Good movie if you're involved in something else and need moving wallpaper. Obviously much was shot in Egypt. The dubbing was pretty awful but it sort of…
Good movie if you're involved in something else and need moving wallpaper. Obviously much was shot in Egypt. The dubbing was pretty awful but it sort of matched the soundtrack and scene transition. Don't go out of your way for this one. Yet, if you want an old school Italian historical flick, there probably aren't many better.
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★ 7 / 10
âGoliath and the Barbariansâ director Carlo Campogalliani...
R T
âGoliath and the Barbariansâ director Carlo Campogallianiâs âSon of Samsonâ ranks as an above-average peplum about palace intrigue in 11th century BC…
âGoliath and the Barbariansâ director Carlo Campogallianiâs âSon of Samsonâ ranks as an above-average peplum about palace intrigue in 11th century BC Egypt, with beefy Mark Forest as Maciste flexing his oily pectorals and biceps in several displays of monumental strength as he topples a tyrant and sets enslaved men and women free. Our heroâs hand-to-hand combat scenes with a lion and a crocodile are far from convincing. Mind you, the fight with the lion tops the ephemeral water struggle with an ersatz looking crocodile. Nevertheless, the exotic setting of Egypt with its historic pyramids, our heroâs brawls with the Queenâs army, a stone cell that nearly crushes him, the obelisk erection scene, a supernatural necklace, and a minor surprise or two make this sword and sandal saga a better-than-average entry. Campogalliani and scenarists Oreste Biancoli of "Atlas Against the Cyclops" and Ennio De Concini of Romulus and Remus donât deviate from the usual formula. The Queen is treacherous beyond comparison and she tries to enchant our brawny champion. Of course, everybody here including Brooklyn born Lou Degni has been dubbed but thatâs part of the charm of these Italian produced spectacles. Surprisingly, the violence appear rather graphic with weapons piercing bodies and bright red blood splashed across the bodies. "Hercules vs. the Hydraâ composer Carlo Innocenzi contributes an atmospheric orchestral soundtrack, particularly so during the suspenseful moments. Lenser Riccardo Pallottini was no stranger to the genre; he would later photograph the Gordon Scott movie "Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World" as well as the Gordon Mitchell peplum "Atlas Against the Cyclops." Chelo Alonso makes a villainous queen and her scene where she throws herself to the crocodile rather than being "branded to ashes" is neat.
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★ 4 / 10
Inauspicious debut for Maciste
michael-3204
Maciste was very useful for the Peplum genre since the Italian folk hero wasn't rooted in any particular mythological tradition. He could turn up anywhere…
Maciste was very useful for the Peplum genre since the Italian folk hero wasn't rooted in any particular mythological tradition. He could turn up anywhere, "born of the rock," as Maciste (Italian American bodybuilder Mark Forest, who also played Hercules this same year) explains in the first Maciste entry of the Peplum revival that began in the late 1950s. Here, he turns up in ancient Egypt, which is being overrun with Persian marauders aided by the evil Queen Smedes (Chelo Alonso), who in the first few minutes has her uncooperative Pharoah husband assassinated. A chance encounter has Maciste befriending the Pharoah's hapless son, who is eventually bewitched by the beguiling Alonso, but at least Maciste knows that the guy is basically okay.
There is the usual amount of double-crossing and mistaken ideas about various characters motivations, and most of the requite Peplum tropes, including the hero defeating lions and alligators and soldiers. Maciste gets several opportunities to perform feats of strength and Forest acquits himself well through all of it, flexing and looking strong. But this isn't one of the more engaging or entertaining entries in the genre, which was kicking into high gear. It's not as interesting as Forest's other 1960 Peplum, "Goliath and the Dragon" a.k.a. "The Revenge of Hercules." It largely wastes Alonso, who normally can be a dynamic presence in these films. She gets one decent dance number and has moderate fun trying to seduce Maciste, and of course she looks great and has good costumes. But the film could have done more with her, and suffers for not doing so.
The English-language version was retitled "Son of Samson," with some dialogue added about Maciste maybe being a son of Samson. It's unnecessary, doesn't make much sense, and doesn't really matter. Maciste was largely unfamiliar to non-Italian audiences, so most of the Maciste films were retitled with other heroes and often the character was called someone else. Here, at least, he gets to keep the name if not the title.
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50%
AUDIENCE
5.1/10
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