INVINCIBLE GLADIATORS, THE

Aka Gli Invincibili Fratelli Maciste (I), Les Invincibles Freres Maciste (Fr), The Invincible Brothers Maciste (Export), Der Untergang des Leopardenreiches (WG)
1964
Italy
I.F.E.S.A. (Interscambio Film Europa Sud America )
Director: Roberto Mauri
Story & screenplay: Eduardo Mulargia, Roberto Mauri
Cinematography: Romolo Garrone {Eastmancolor}
Music: Felice De Stefano
Editor: Enzo Alabiso
Art director: Giuseppe Ranieri
Release details: Italy (registered 09.12.64, first shown 18.12.64, 90 mins), Germany (24.05.74, 85 mins)
Filmed at: NCIR De Paolis studios
Italian takings: 143.000.000 lire
Cast: Richard Lloyd (Maciste), Claudie Lange (Queen Thaliade), Anthony Freeman [Mario Novelli] (Maciste #2), Gia Sandri (Nicé), Antonio De Teffè (Prince Akim), Ursula Davis (Jana), Ferruccio Viotti, Franco Visconti, Ruth von Hagen, Michel Dumas, Ste Lang

Aah, all is happy in the land of the Romans. Pleasing horn melodies and chirpy flute solos accompany a succession of pastoral scenes before we are introduced to the leading characters. Prince Akim (Antonio De Teffè) and his beloved Diana are instructed by an oracle to build a temple to the Gods before they marry. Helping them in this task are the Maciste brothers, for the purposes of this review henceforth identified as Maciste #1 (Richard Lloyd) and Maciste #2 (Mario Novelli).

Construction is interrupted when the foundations collapse into a secret underground cavern. Upon further investigation, Akim and his muscular aides discover a bizarre sculpted icon and they all recall legends of a mysterious race of underground dwellers that lived in the area. Coincidentally enough, at this very time Diana is being kidnapped by some of these subterranean bozos who, by dint of their leopardskin boots, nappies and mittens, seem to glorify in the rather hopeful supposition that they are in fact 'Leopard Men'. They take her to the heart of their underground world, where she meets their Queen Taliana, who sounds as though she's been gulping Quaaludes by the handful.

Maciste #1 manages to follow in their trail but, confounded by the reverberating sci-fi soundtrack, is imprisoned and forced to work at turning the 'Big Wheel' - a primitive machine that must be kept moving or the whole kingdom will collapse. Thanks to his superhuman strength (well, it sure ain't his towering intellect) he soon manages to become the Queen's favourite. However, she has her eyes set on bigger things. Knowing that the only way that the Gods will let her escape to the outside world is by marrying a good prince, she drugs Diana into obeying her every command and sends her to fetch Akim. Suffice to say that her plans don't work out too well, the two Macistes get to beat crap out of each other - as well as several hundred spindly 'Leopard Men' - and everything ends with lots of extras running around waving their hands in the air whilst large bits of polystyrene are dropped on them.

Roberto Mauri is a hugely enjoyable filmmaker who tends to pick-n-mix ideas from as many other movies as possible and reassemble them all without any discernible talent or budget. However they end up being so hokey and harmless that you can't help but be sucked in by their left-of-centre charm. In that way his closest compatriot is the legendary Demofilo Fidani (of The Jungle Master (Karzan, il favoloso uomo della giungla, 72), One Damned Day at Dawn (Quel maledetto giorno d'inverno... Django e Sartana all'ultimo, 70) and many, oh so many, more). I do have to say, however, that Mauri isn't really incompetent in the same sense. He merely operates in the same lower echelons of the proverbial barrel with some definite distinction.

The most memorable features here are the strange underground sets (that bring to mind early Dr. Who), most especially the Boschian landscape that houses 'The Big Wheel'. This contraption, generally weighed down by the bodies of naughty captives being keelhauled, is really quite impressive. I'm also quite taken with the fact that the normal peplum 'dancing girl' sequence has been abandoned in favour of a hugely awful display of conceptual dance.

Acting wise, Claudie Lange, as the wicked Queen, most definitely wins out. She manages to bring some sympathy to her role as opposed to being the usual raven-haired villainess. She also utters the classy line 'Here I possess everything; my slaves and men who are mute!' - a declaration that would win sympathy among several females of my acquaintance. She's far preferable to the utterly wet Princess Diana (now there's a strange thing, a drippy royal called.).

On the male side, this is a definite leading role for De Teffè - despite being credited after Richard Lloyd (who spends most of the running time being useless) - and he's quite effective. Interestingly, this was an early scripting assignment for Edoardo Mulargia, with whom he would collaborate on several projects in later years. Mario Novelli, who plays Maciste #2, later turned up under the pseudonym Anthony Freeman in several films throughout the sixties and seventies (Texas Addio (66), Calibre 9 (Milano calibre 9, 72) and Delta Force Commando (88) for example). It's quite surprising to see that he was actually quite a well-built chap, as this never really comes across in his other roles.

Matt Blake