STEVE REEVES' HERCULES (1959)/HERCULES UNCHAINED (1960) (1 Viewer)

[moviefanatic1979]

Here's some snap shots from the Italian DVD of E la regina di Lidia:

 

[moviefanatic1979]

Here's a few from the French DVD of Hercules (Les travaux d'Hercule)

The cropping looks a bit tight on the sides of the waterfall pictures.

 

[Konstantinos]

Konstantinos: The DVDbeaver review is for another movie, Hercules (1958). Thank you for the screenshots

Oh, hadn't realised that!

Pity..

 

[Jobla]

Does the French DVD (TRAVAUX DE HERCULES) have any English, either audio or subtitles? Many French DVDs don't.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

Does the French DVD (TRAVAUX DE HERCULES) have any English, either audio or subtitles? Many French DVDs don't.

I've had this for years and I love it, very nice image indeed. There is an English option and a without subs option, so no worries. The only thing odd is that it has the British dub, that is with another, shall we say, more soft-spoken Hercules than the one we may be used to. Sure wish someone would do a 4K scan of this lovely print and get us a blu-ray one of these days.

 

[moviefanatic1979]

I received the German DVD of Hercules Unchained today:
Here's some screen caps from it:

As previously noted, the image is dark and the beautiful lighting of Mario Bava is drab when it should sparkle with color. The image ratio looks quite right though.

To my surprise the disc also includes the letterbox transfer of the Italian dvd with the same audio options. It looks like this:

Perhaps a bit overkill, but I like those images.

 

[JeffT.]

Those Euro widescreen video transfers look superb! At least far better than the faded public domain pan-and-scan abominations do to be sure.

This just adds gravitus to expectations for a stateside blu-ray release.

The Italian actresses in those epic costume films were really solidly built! I guess they'd have to be for a muscle-bound mythical character like Hercules.

It's too bad that great Steve Reeves couldn't have made more of them.

Jeff T.

 

[skylark68]

Sorry to resurrect an old(er) thread, but I sure hope that some good Region 1 releases come out soon of these great films. I've been watching the free versions on Amazon Prime lately (unfortunately not the first Steve Reeves Hercules), and they are all fun films. Right now I'm watching the Trojan Horse with Reeves playing Aeneas. I also enjoy Mark Forest's films in the genre as well. Mole Men vs. the Sons of Hercules was a good one, as well as Lion of Thebes. A really awesome boxset would be most excellent. I bought one of those 50 film collections just to have them in my library but they are all pan and scan lo-res versions. Not completely unwatchable, but not the greatest.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Sorry to resurrect an old(er) thread, but I sure hope that some good Region 1 releases come out soon of these great films. I've been watching the free versions on Amazon Prime lately (unfortunately not the first Steve Reeves Hercules), and they are all fun films. Right now I'm watching the Trojan Horse with Reeves playing Aeneas. I also enjoy Mark Forest's films in the genre as well. Mole Men vs. the Sons of Hercules was a good one, as well as Lion of Thebes. A really awesome boxset would be most excellent. I bought one of those 50 film collections just to have them in my library but they are all pan and scan lo-res versions. Not completely unwatchable, but not the greatest.

I don't remember the Mole Men meeting up with the Sons of Hercules

 

[Jobla]

The son of Hercules did battle the mole men, but it wasn't the Universal-International mole men.

 

[Konstantinos]

Hercules and Hercules unchained are being released in japan in Bluray, but i'm not sure if it will be true HD or upscaled.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/Steve-Reeves-Collection-Box-Blu-ray/dp/B07NR8BQQ2

 

[Andy Bow]

Just joined HTF. I have many sword&sandal movies on DVD. These include what I call sword&strength (Hercules) movies, to differentiate from the other Rome/Greek adventure movies that don't involve superhuman strength.

I, too, would like to see a remastered widescreen version of the original Steve Reeves Hercules movie. I do happen to have a widescreen version with English dubs, though. This might be the only copy obtained in the following way. Back in the 90s, I believe it was, the tv channel AMC broadcasted many pre-70s movies, like TCM does now. I literally recorded an AMC showing of Hercules, widescreen and English dubs, onto my VHS tape recorder. Later, I got a VHS-to-DVD recorder and copied the VHS tape onto a DVD. And that's what I still have today. The AMC showing had an intro by a host, who gave a little history of how Joseph E. Levin was such a good promoter, which started the Hercules-type move boom. My copy has the "red carpet" credits intro. It does have a pretty good picture, considering how it got here today.

Nowadays, AMC seems to be broadcasting new series and post-80s movies instead of pre-70s movies. I wonder what happened to all their old movies, including Hercules.

 

[Robin9]

Just joined HTF. I have many sword&sandal movies on DVD. These include what I call sword&strength (Hercules) movies, to differentiate from the other Rome/Greek adventure movies that don't involve superhuman strength.

I, too, would like to see a remastered widescreen version of the original Steve Reeves Hercules movie. I do happen to have a widescreen version with English dubs, though. This might be the only copy obtained in the following way. Back in the 90s, I believe it was, the tv channel AMC broadcasted many pre-70s movies, like TCM does now. I literally recorded an AMC showing of Hercules, widescreen and English dubs, onto my VHS tape recorder. Later, I got a VHS-to-DVD recorder and copied the VHS tape onto a DVD. And that's what I still have today. The AMC showing had an intro by a host, who gave a little history of how Joseph E. Levin was such a good promoter, which started the Hercules-type move boom. My copy has the "red carpet" credits intro. It does have a pretty good picture, considering how it got here today.

Nowadays, AMC seems to be broadcasting new series and post-80s movies instead of pre-70s movies. I wonder what happened to all their old movies, including Hercules.

Welcome aboard!

 

[RobertMG]

Heard somewhere a company in Italy owns the original negs etc does anyone know who owns the rights?

 

[Joseph Goodman]

The two Reeves Hercules films are listed in the catalog of Cristaldifilm, owners of the Lux Film library. Cristaldifilm is also credited as the licensor on the Japanese Blu-ray set released in 2019. Where things get weird is that a totally different company (Movietime SRL) is credited as the source on an upcoming French release by Artus Films. What the actual rights situation is, and how it's divided up between territories, is unknown.

 

[skylark68]

Thanks for the information. Very interesting regarding the the various releases. Those French releases look very attractively packaged. Hopefully an English friendly release will come out soon. I imagine that even with some difficult licensing issues a third party might decide its worth it. I think there are enough fans of these films that it would make some money.

 

[RobertMG]

The two Reeves Hercules films are listed in the catalog of Cristaldifilm, owners of the Lux Film library. Cristaldifilm is also credited as the licensor on the Japanese Blu-ray set released in 2019. Where things get weird is that a totally different company (Movietime SRL) is credited as the source on an upcoming French release by Artus Films. What the actual rights situation is, and how it's divided up between territories, is unknown.

Got an e-mail today from Cristaldi they say USA rights are not available - so does a different firm have them??

 

[Joseph Goodman]

The Kino insider once stated that they tried to get these films, but there were "rights issues". Some folks on the Classic Horror Film Board were speculating that VCI tried to get ahold of these films, but ran in to rights issues, as well. Who knows what the actual situation is?

 

[RobertMG]

The Kino insider once stated that they tried to get these films, but there were "rights issues". Some folks on the Classic Horror Film Board were speculating that VCI tried to get ahold of these films, but ran in to rights issues, as well. Who knows what the actual situation is?

Seems NO one knows who owns the USA rights? Here is the e-mail I rec'vd from Cristaldi

Dear Mr G
sorry is to inform you that the rights for USA are not available.
Best regards,

CRISTALDIFILM
Piazza Ungheria, 6
00198 Roma

ph. n. +39.06. 85355509 – 85357116 fax n. +39.06.8841006
e-mail : [email protected]
visit us at: www.cristaldifilm.com

 

[skylark68]

Sad news. Wonder what the issue is?