Hercules
Hercules is a 1958 film from Spain and Italy, directed by Pietro Francisci, running 90 minutes. reelscum files it under peplum.
- Year
- 1958 · 1950s films
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Director
- Pietro Francisci
- Updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Obscurity
- known (20/100)
- Also known as
- Hercules - Mighty Saga Of The World's Mightiest Man!
Defined in the glossary: Peplum
Steve Reeves, a Mr Universe title, and the start of the Italian genre machine.
The film that started the Italian genre machine. Steve Reeves, an American bodybuilder with a Mr Universe title and little acting experience, plays Hercules through a loose blend of Greek myths, and the distributor Joseph E. Levine bought the US rights cheap, spent a fortune on advertising, and made a fortune. Three hundred peplum films followed.
It is stiff and creaky now, but its commercial impact built the infrastructure, the studios, the stunt crews, the imported-star model, that the giallo and spaghetti western would inherit. Reeves became an international star overnight.
More important than good, and the foundation of the whole Italian genre boom.
Trailer
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Where to watch
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Filed alongside
The Colossus of Rhodes
Leone's actual debut, three years before the westerns.
Hercules Unchained
The sequel that turned one Hercules hit into an entire industry.
Hercules in the Haunted World
Bava shoots Hades in gel colours. Looks like nothing else in the cycle.
The Giant of Marathon
Reeves again, with underwater battle scenes Bava shot uncredited.
Goliath and the Vampires
Maciste renamed again, fighting a shapeshifter. Cheerfully incoherent.
Maciste in Hell
A muscleman drops into a full gothic hell. Peplum crossbred with a haunted-castle picture, and it looks it.