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…including the new issue 5. Get all of them!
NEW Issue 5
WITH FIRE & SWORD
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3388773
Issue 4
DISASTER HITS
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3205057
Issue 3
TROJAN TALES
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2963938
Issue 2
PEPLUM MOVIES PRIMER
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2740217
Issue 1
WHAT MADE HERCULES A HIT!
Issue 5 of BY THE GODS! magazine is now for sale. It’s all about Swashbucklers and pirates and much more. 56 pages fully illustrated. Click the link below to purchase it.
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3388773
I got the German Blu-ray of THE GIANT OF MARATHON (1959) starring Steve Reeves, Mylene Demongeot and Albeto Lupo last week. It’s a beautiful print…with some issues.
The first issue I noticed with the English audio is that it was out of sync in some spots. I noticed this during a quick scan of the HD print. I examined the same scene with the US public domain print and the editing is slightly different so that could explain the out of sync English audio on the German / European print.
The other issue is the movie is cropped. Like HERCULES UNCHAINED (1959) HD print, which is zoomed in or cropped, this copy suffers from the same fate. The Spanish streaming print is more correct. The print is still gorgeous but why can’t we get perfect prints for PEPLUM movies?
Anyway, great film!
Steve Reeves
Mylène Demongeot
Alberto Lupo and Steve Reeves
I recently got at least 29 new HD prints of PEPLUM movies, of all sorts, from two of my sources. The prints are generally stunning and the English dub was added to them. I’m very grateful to have these prints, which, imo, should be made available on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, they’re only available from a couple of streaming services in Europe.
Titles include:
ATTACK OF THE NORMANS (1962) starring Genevieve Grad, Ettore Manni and Philppe Hersent.
THE SARACENS (1963) starring Richard Harrison. This print is so clear it’s stunning.
Other titles: COLUMNA (1968), HERCULES VS MACISTE IN THE VALE OF WOE (1961), PIA OF PTOLEMY (1958), a stunning new print of DUEL OF THE TITANS (1961) that’s much better than the German Blu-ray. HERCULES AGAINST ROME (1964) and GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS (1961) both are stunning. There’s much more. I’ll update the blog with new screenshots from these prints.
In one month or so, the German Blu-ray version will be shipped. I already have it pre-ordered. It does include the English audio! I can’t wait to see it even though the HD version has been available on streaming for a while now.
This is one of the many posters of THE ODYSSEY (2026). I’ve already stated that I have little interest in seeing it but this poster really makes me wonder what they’re selling. It’s obvious Oscar© bait, in regards to the casting, but this poster makes it look like a Marvel release. People will like it because people are starving to watch anything at the movies but in hindsight, they’ll regret liking it. It’s always the same thing these days.
It reminds me of the elaborate poster campaign for IMMORTAL (2011), which was the complete opposite of what people saw in the final film.
With PEPLUM movies, HD is revealing things that were not clearly visible in low resolution copies. Take this odd scene in VULCAN – SON OF JUPITER (1962), Bella Cortez, as Aetna, is unaware of the man and his fingers down there. In the old prints, it was hard to see what he was doing (top image) but now with a clearer HD print (bottom image), we see what’s going on.
Again, how did PEPLUM movies got away with these scenes?
There are very few Blu-ray releases these days which explains the lack of articles. Fortunately, a new box set is now available in Germany
CLASH OF STEEL and its sequel, THE GALLANT MUSKETEER (1964), are now available on Blu-ray in Germany. I’m definitely going to get this one. CLASH OF STELL is the US title of THE KNIGHT OF PARDAILLAN.
The first title has a great cast that includes Gerard Barray, Gianna Maria Canale, and Kirk Morris. See photos below.
There aren’t that many Blu-rays on the horizon so there’s very little to look forward to. A Blu-ray of THE TYRANT OF CASTILE was released in January in Germany. It has the English audio subs. But the steep price has made me say no. Unless it goes down in price, I’ll skip this one. The movie is not bad but not that memorable. I have 5 different versions of this film starring Mark Damon and Rada Rassimov (below).
$44 + shipping? Wow!
Here’s a preview of the cover of the new BY THE GODS! magazine. Should be available in a couple of months.
