The short burst of 1960s ‘Sandokan’ films, based on Emilio Salgari’s most famous literary character, commenced with Umberto Lenzi’s Sandokan the Great (Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem) in 1963. It proved enough of a moneymaker to spawn two unofficial sequels, produced by Ottavio Poggi for Liber Films and directed by Luigi Capuano, the first of which was Sandokan Fights Back.