The Giants of Thessaly
| The Giants of Thessaly | |
|---|---|
| File:The Giants of Thessaly poster.JPG | |
| Directed by | Riccardo Freda |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by | Virgilio De Blasi[2] |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Otello Colangeli[2] |
| Music by | Carlo Rustichelli[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmar |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Box office | ₤408 million |
The Giants of Thessaly (Italian: I giganti della Tessaglia (Gli Argonauti), French: Le Géant de Thessalie, released in the UK as Jason and the Golden Fleece) is a 1960 Italian-French adventure-fantasy film directed by Riccardo Freda. It is loosely based on the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius.[3]
Plot
Thessaly, overrun with barbarian invaders and beset with natural disasters, sends King Jason and his Argonauts on a search for the fabled Golden Fleece. Meanwhile, back home, his scheming cohort is plotting to get his hands on the kingdom and the queen.
 | This article needs a plot summary. (June 2016) |
Cast
- Roland Carey as Jason
- Ziva Rodann as Creusa
- Massimo Girotti as Orfeo
- Alberto Farnese as Adrasto
- Nadine Sanders as Queen Gaia
- Luciano Marin as Euristeo
- Cathia Caro as Aglaia
- Alfredo Varelli as Argo
- Maria Teresa Vianello as Gaia's Sister
- Nando Tamberlani as Aglaia's Father
- Alberto Sorrentino as Licaone
- Paolo Gozlino as Laerte
- Raf Baldassarre as Antinoo
Release
The Giants of Thessaly was released in Italy on 6 December 1960 where it was distributed by Filmar.[2] It grossed a total of 408 million Italian lire domestically.[2]
Reception
In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin noted that the script "owes very little to the legend, instead stringing together a series of action highlights, settings and characters which, if anything, have even less consistency than the strip-cartoon formula to which they owe their inspiration."[4] The review noted that the "scaling of the colossal statue is moderately spectacular, too. The rest, including the filtered colour, is sub-Bava, let down by indifferent acting, irrelevance (what on earth is Orpheus doing in the film?) unimpressive trick-work (the island monster) and abysmal dubbing."[4]
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e Curti 2017, p. 315.
- ^ a b c d e Curti 2017, p. 316.
- ^ Roberto Poppi, Mario Pecorari. Dizionario del cinema italiano. I film. Gremese Editore, 2007. ISBN 8884405033.
- ^ a b "Giants of Thessaly, The "(I Giganti della Tessaglia)"". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 30, no. 348. British Film Institute. 1963. p. 146. ISSN 0027-0407.
Sources
- Curti, Roberto (2017). Riccardo Freda: The Life and Works of a Born Filmmaker. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476628387.
External links
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- 1960s fantasy adventure films
- French historical fantasy films
- French fantasy adventure films
- Italian historical films
- Italian fantasy adventure films
- 1960s historical fantasy films
- Films directed by Riccardo Freda
- Peplum films
- Films based on the Jason-Medea myth
- Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli
- Films set in ancient Greece
- Films set in the Mediterranean Sea
- Sword and sandal films
- Works based on the Argonautica
- 1960s French films
- 1960s Italian films
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