A boatload of new HD prints from streaming services…

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.

THE ODYSSEY poster…

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.

How did PEPLUM movies got away with these scenes…

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?

CLASH OF STEEL (1962) now on Blu-ray…

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.

THE TYRANT OF CASTILE Blu-ray…

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!

THE GIANTS OF THESSALY (1960) in HD…

One of the most anticipated PEPLUM movies to be available in HD is Riccardo Freda’s THE GIANTS OF THESSALY! And it’s here! Yeah!

Seriously, it’s about time this great PEPLUM was transferred in HD but the gods had other plans. Why the long wait? I’ll never get it. The copy is apparently available in 4K but the one ripped is in regular HD. It was shown, of all places, at MoMA in New York city in December. Thanks for my contact in Europe for this.

As for the transfer, I’m happy of course. It’s extremely sharp compared to previous prints. The clarity is welcomed. But could it be better? Sorta yes. The Spanish DVD transfer was almost as pristine. This one is very good and the colours look dazzling but it looks more like the French DVD, which had a brown hue. The Spanish DVD had a more greyish hue with a slight yellow tint. I prefer this look over the overly brown one. I’ll make a comparison at the main blog.

Nadia Sanders, as Gaia, and Roland Carey as Jason.

BY THE GODS! magazine…new sale!

I know the blog has basically been all about the magazine…well, the blog was created for the magazine. The last information is sales in January 2026 were the second best selling month since the month the first issue was published. Truly amazing. Thanks to everyone who supported the magazine by buying it.

The magazine is currently on sale! It’s time to buy the latest issue or older ones.

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3205057