PEPLUM on Blu-Ray

Third update! I guess this is probably the most complete list of titles available on Blu-ray.

Second update! I’ve included the links where to purchase them. As for Canadians, you can switch to Amazon.ca for items I’ve listed here from Amazon.com.

Updated!

The number of PEPLUM titles available in HD is quite limited. I’m not including Hollywood productions which are all available on Blu-Ray discs. Titles like BEN-HUR (1959), THE VIKINGS (1958) or SPARTACUS (1960) can be found in the Blu-Ray format. What I’m writing about in this post are the European titles. Still missing are HERCULES (1958) or GOLIATH & THE BARBARIANS (1959). The list is endless. Here’s a short list of titles available on Blu-Ray.

THOR & THE AMAZON WOMEN (1963) starring Susy Andersen and Joe Robinson. Italian print.

ANTHAR THE INVINCIBLE (1964) starring Kirk Morris. Italian print.

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961) starring Reg Park. German print. English audio included.

ATOR THE AVENGING EAGLE (1982) starring Miles O’Keeffe. German print. English audio included.

Iron Warrior (1987) starring Miles O’Keeffe. US print.

REVOLT OF THE SLAVES (1960) starring Rhonda Fleming and Lang Jeffries. US print.

THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES (1960) starring Rory Calhoun and many others. US print.

The following titles were provided by Nick. Thanks.

SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS (1987) starring Lou Ferrigno. US print.

HERCULES (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno. US print.

THE ADVENTURES OF HERCULES (1985) starring Lou Ferrigno. US print.

BARABBAS (1961) starring Anthony Quinn. French print. English audio included.

MESSALINA (1960) starring Belinda Lee. French print. English audio included. According to reviews at Amazon the transfer is not really good.

SLAVE QUEEN OF BABYLON (1963) starring Yvonne Furneaux and John Ericson. German print. According to reviews at Amazon, the quality of the print is apparently poor.

THE GOLDEN ARROW (1962) starring Tab Hunter and Rossana Podesta. US print.

The following Blu-rays titles were provided by Joseph. Thanks!

KINO LORBER will be releasing the Blu-ray of HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961) starring Reg Park.

COLOSSUS OF RHODES (1960) starring Rory Calhoun and many others. German print which is much better image quality. I suspect the US one is a sort of up conversion from the previous release. You can compare the US and German versions here. No English audio though.

And drum roll…here are Blu-ray prints of these…

HERCULES (1958) starring Steve Reeves. Japanese print. In Italian with Japanese subs. Region A (which works in North America) but no English audio. The quality is apparently average.

HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) starring Steve Reeves. Same as above: Region A with no English audio. Only Italian with Japanese subs.

You can purchase both together in a box set.

I already purchased the two.

ULYSSES (1954) starring Kirk Douglas. German print with English audio included.

And suggested by Gary Smith, two Mario Bava flicks:

KNIVES OF THE AVENGER (1966) starring Cameron Mitchell. US print.

ERIK THE CONQUEROR (1961) starring Cameron Mitchell, George Ardisson and Joe Robinson. US print.

and this one as well,

LONG LIVE ROBIN HOOD (1971) starring Giuliano Gemma and Mark Damon. German print with English audio included.

Here are others I found:

THE BARBARIANS (1987) starring Peter Paul and David Paul. German print with English audio included.

And two Blu-ray editions of:

MARCO THE MAGNIFICENT (1965) starring Horst Buchholz. German edition. Suggested by Nick.

But there’s also this one:

MARCO THE MAGNIFICENT (1965) starring Horst Buchholz. Spanish print. Reading the reviews, this edition seems to be problematic.

THE BEASTMASTER (1983) starring Marc Singer and Tanya Roberts. Australian print. It doesn’t seem to be available.

THE BEASTMASTER (1983) starring Marc Singer and Tanya Roberts. Spanish print. English audio included.

THE BLACK TULIP (1964) starring Alan Delon and Virna Lisi. German print. All regions.

THE BLACK TULIP (1964) starring Alan Delon and Virna Lisi. French print.

The ANGELIQUE series is available on Blu-ray in French or German.

WHOM THE GODS WISH TO DESTROY (1966) starring Karin Dor and Terence Hill. No English audio. The silent version is also available on Blu-ray.

Another Blu-ray release:

MESSALINA (1960) starring Belinda Lee. Spanish print. English audio included. Thanks, Gary.

—-

I’ve updated the list thanks to input from others. More than before but still missing major titles, mainly in English. In light of this, a great source of PEPLUM titles in HD are from TV broadcasts. None of them in English though.

If you have any additional titles to add, leave a comment. I’ll add them to this list.

12 thoughts on “PEPLUM on Blu-Ray”

  1. Japanese editions of the Steve Reeves Hercules films:

    https://t.co/fVA8GZzZJ4
    https://t.co/3s7q7jZ5M9
    https://t.co/oR2vcSNeFC (box with both films, includes eight lobby card repros)

    Quality is apparently not so hot.

    German edition of Colossus of Rhodes, Italian cut with Italian and German audio:
    https://www.amazon.de/Koloss-von-Rhodos-Anniversary-Blu-ray/dp/B005PMNOBK
    Compared to the Warner Archive US version: https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=12151&d2=12152&c=4785

    Kino Lorber will be releasing HAUNTED WORLD in the US this October:
    https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=25506

    1. Thanks Joseph. I just purchased the HERCULES blu-rays even if there’s no English audio. The German version of COLOSSUS OF RHODES looks so much better (even if a bit darker) but there’s no English audio.

      Thanks for all the info.

      1. You’re welcome. I forgot that Ulysses (1954) is also on Blu in Germany also:
        https://www.amazon.de/Die-Fahrten-Odysseus-Ulysses-Blu-ray/dp/B0778YCTFF/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=ODYSSEUS&qid=1568250518&s=gateway&sr=8-1

        Based on a 4k restoration from the camera negative, it has English, German, and Italian audio, with English and German subtitles. Also includes a DVD of an extended pre-released cut of the film, taken from a used print.

        https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=11514&d2=11513&s1=113369&s2=113381&i=3&l=0

  2. I have the German Blu-ray of Slave Queen of Babylon and it looks very good to my eyes. I also have the German Colossus of Rhodes which is uncut and is far better looking than the Warner
    Blu-ray. One title that isn’t really Peplum but should be on the list is the German Blu-ray of Long Live Robin Hood with Giuliano Gemma…and it has an English language track. And there are U.S. Blu-rays of Bava’s Erik the Conqueror and Knives of the Avenger.

  3. Messalina has just been released on Blu-ray in Spain and has an English language option. I sent for it but who knows what the quality will be like. Good I hope.

  4. I just got the Spanish Blu-ray of Messalina in the mail and took a quick look at it. The quality appears to be excellent. It has an English language track. On the downside it is a burned disc rather than a pressed one as many Spanish DVDs and Blu-rays are.

  5. There seem to be very limited numbers for companies to release Peplum on Blu Ray.
    They recon there is no market for them so that is way they releasing Euro-Crime, Gallo, Horror and Spaghetti Westerns.
    You should open a lobby group seems your knowledgeable of all Peplum History of Filmaking.
    I heard that there is a US small company that are working to release the 2 Hercules movies with Steve Reeves as well as Morgan the Pirate and The Thief of Baghdad for the English market.
    Does any one know were to get the uncut English language of Adventures of Ulysse with Bekhim Fehmiu , Irene Papas and Barbara Bach and Directed by Mario Bava?
    that lunched the Odissea Miniseries in Italy back in 1968?
    It is the best adaptation to date a realistically made that is an art a fimmaking that captured the essence of Homer Odyssey to the core., a real masterpiece by Bava.
    I used to have it on VHS that was aired in the 80’s on TV that I’ve recorded from TV fully uncut and in English, but i’m afraid i no longer have those tapes.
    Since DVD pop up i got rid of the VHS tapes in recycling depot.
    It is perhaps even better if we can lobby at Paramount to release Adventures of Ulysses with English language version print on Blu ray?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *