‘Everyone knows he could pay a horrible price for a stupid story like this one.’
An expedition sponsored by the Czar of all Russia discovers a legendary warrior buried in a mountain tomb. Bringing him back to life, they return home, where intrigue is brewing at court and rebellion in the city streets…
Late-era Peplum adventure finds muscleman Maciste in a familiar tale in unfamiliar surroundings. Director Tanio Boccia rounds up some of the usual suspects for his cast, which includes Kirk Morris, Massimo Serato, Ombretta Colli and Gloria Milland.
Czar Nicola Nicolajevic (Serato) rules his country with an iron fist, taxing the population to the point of starvation and imprisoning those who oppose him. When archaeologist Hakim (Tom Felleghy) uncovers documents about a lost civilisation in the Ural Valley, Serato is happy to back the expedition, believing he will find a fabulous treasure. However, the tyrant has also made up his mind that the riches will belong to him alone and orders chief adviser Igor (Giulio Donnini) to have Felleghy’s caravan ambushed on the way home and everybody killed. After a week of fruitless digging in the underground caves, the expedition uncovers the expected treasure and makes another exciting discovery. In an adjoining chamber, they find an iron sarcophagus containing the perfectly preserved body of a man. An enclosed parchment and a jar of oil provide the means of resurrection, and strongman Maciste (Morris) returns to life.
As arranged by Donnini, the expedition is attacked on the way home, apparently by ferocious brigands led by their Chief (Howard Ross). Morris chases them off almost single-handedly, and the caravan reaches Serato’s court without further incident. There, Morris finds himself chosen to be an unwitting pawn in the Czar’s schemes to put down the intended rebellion, but it’s not long before he’s made aware of the actual situation. Sonia (Colli) and Nadia (Milland, completely wasted in a nothing role) have been allowed to stay at court despite their father losing his place as Donnini’s predecessor and being sent to the dungeons. They have secretly aligned themselves with the rebels and realise that Morris will be an invaluable asset to their cause. Serato dictates that Morris perform a potentially fatal trial of strength in public to get him out of the picture, but the legendary hero has other ideas.
By 1964, the craze of sword and sandal films and muscleman shenanigans had passed its peak of box office popularity. Even the name ‘Hercules’ (a golden ticket since the late 1950s) seems to have been insufficient to tempt U.S. audiences this time, with Morris’ Maciste getting tagged as ‘Atlas’ for stateside release. This new name is confirmed by a title card which awkwardly states that Morris is appearing as ‘The legendary Atlas, now known as Maciste’. Apparently, no distributor was interested in re-dubbing the relevant namedrops in the dialogue; I guess the title card was the cheaper option. The re-naming may have been a sad attempt to link the project with Roger Corman’s low-budget ‘Atlas’ (1961) which may afforded a little name recognition at the box office.
Surprisingly, Boccia’s film does not reflect the waning popularity of the Peplum in its early stages. Senato’s throne room may not be a spectacular set, but it’s large enough to house most of the film’s principals and a decent crowd. The Lost Kingdom Dancing Girls tick another civilisation off their endless gig list, although they seem shy of a few members on this occasion. Most of the girls just spin around a bit and then (unconvincingly) play tom-toms while one brunette solos in front of the throne. Standard stuff, to be sure, but the warning bells start to ring when Ross and his men attack the caravan. Morris beats them off by chucking a few polystyrene rocks their way while horsemen bash their swords together in the background. It’s a brief sequence and feeble at best.
That battle is a definite letdown after the business at the archaeological dig. Although the location doesn’t particularly impress, Felleghy’s talk of a lost people and the hints about them in the old documents he has uncovered certainly sound intriguing. Maciste’s huge iron coffin is also quite striking, although his resurrection via a jar of oil and a piece of parchment is handled in the most prosaic way possible. He has no memory of his previous life and no idea how he ended up in Imperial Russia and (apparently) speaks and understands the language. The film never answers these questions, of course, but at least one of the characters does ask them in passing, which is a refreshing change.
Despite these unusual developments in the story, many of the usual Peplum clichés are firmly in place. Serato is the typical tyrant (‘What do I care? I’m all powerful!’), with Donnini as the slimy power behind the throne. Morris and Colli fall in love, but the big man’s muscles have attracted the amorous attention of Serato’s consort, the redheaded Lady Katia (Dada Gallotti). Despite being suspicious of it, Morris drinks the usual cup of poisoned wine, and there’s the obligatory ‘trial of strength’ in the arena. However, the production could only afford a parade ground. The test involves the usual business of being pulled apart by horses, but they move in a circle this time, which I guess is slightly different. Morris’ dialogue is kept to a minimum, which was probably a wise decision given previous acting performances, although he doesn’t appear as stiff as in previous outings.
Where things fall apart, though, is at the woeful climax. It’s the usual face-off between the rebels and the tyrant’s men, but here, it’s over in a flash and mainly involves a brief wrestling match between some extras. Morris half-heartedly throws a few guards to the ground, breaks into the throne room and dispatches the rest of Serato’s forces by throwing a heavy table at them. Although the lack of budget hasn’t been too noticeable up until then, the inability to mount even a sniff of a grandstand finish verges on the embarrassing. The magic, inventions, and strange rites of the lost civilisation mentioned earlier by Felleghy are also missing in action, but I guess that’s not too much of a surprise. Sadly, the film feels a lot like a conveyor-belt exercise, hammered out to a tired formula without anyone involved trying all that hard, although Serato gets points for his usual bad-guy charisma.
Boccia was born in Potenza in Southern Italy in 1911 and had an undistinguished career in low-budget features in his homeland. He debuted as writer-director of the obscure drama ‘Dramma sul Tevere’ (1952) and fulfilled the same roles in a handful of features until the historical drama ‘Il conquistatore d’Oriente’ (1960). Afterwards, he adopted the pseudonym Amerigo Anton, which he used for the rest of his career. His first subsequent project teamed him with Morris, who was making his acting debut in ‘The Triumph of Maciste/Il trionfo di Maciste’ (1961). The duo paired for five more Peplum adventures before the cycle ran its course. Boccia briefly hopped on the Eurospy bandwagon with the tatty ‘Agente X 1-7 operazione Oceano’ (1965) and delivered a quarter of Spaghetti Westerns, including the underwhelming ‘Kill or Be Killed/Uccidi o muori’ (1966), and one that starred Morris. His only project after the early 1970s was the war drama ‘La guerra sul fronte Est’ (1981), and he passed away a year later.
Despite the unusual location and a smattering of fresh elements, the film is undone by a sorry lack of spectacle.