The Hero of Babylon [L’eroe di Babilonia] ** (1963, Gordon Scott, Moira Orfei, Geneviève Grad, Piero Lulli, Andrea Scotti) – Classic Movie Review 9091

‘Slave girls sacrificed at the whim of a ruthless king!’

Director Siro Marcellini’s 1963 sword and sandal (peplum) adventure The Hero of Babylon [L’eroe di Babilonia] [Goliath, King of Slaves] [The Beast of Babylon Against the Son of Hercules] stars Gordon Scott, who had found fleeting fame in America as Tarzan, but now comes to Italy, joins a crowd of unknown Euro actors and finds himself embroiled as The Hero of Babylon, aka Goliath, King of Slaves, in a brightly coloured, reasonably well-concocted escapist Europudding.

Lowbrow but popular and lively action adventure entertainment, it still has its moments, particularly when the talking ends and the fighting begins. If you like stories of slaves, dungeons, sword fights, and Greco Roman wrestling, this is for you.

Also in the cast are Moira Orfei as Ura, Geneviève Grad as Tamira, Piero Lulli  as Balthazar, Andrea Scotti  as Namar, Célina Cély as Agar, Andrea Aureli as Anarsi, Giuseppe Addobbati  as Licardius, Harold Bradley as Mursuk, Mario Petri as Zairus, Oreste Lionello, Consalvo Dell’Arti and Renato Malavasi.

The Hero of Babylon is also known as L’eroe di Babilonia, Goliath, King of Slaves, and on VHS and DVD in the US as The Beast of Babylon Against the Son of Hercules.

Scott shocked his Tarzan fans by showing his chest hair!

The Hero of Babylon [L’eroe di Babilonia] is directed by Siro Marcellini, runs 98 minutes, is made by Compagnia Internazionale Realizzazioni Artistiche Cinematografiche (CIRAC), Films Internazionali Artistici (FIA) and Gladiator Film, is released by Embassy Pictures (US) (dubbed), is written by Gian Paolo Callegari, Albert Valentin and Siro Marcellini, is shot in Eastmancolor and widescreen by Pier Ludovico Pavoni [Pierludovico Pavoni], is produced by Albino Morandini, is scored by Carlo Franci and is designed by Pier Vittorio Marchi [Vittorio Marchi].

Moira Orfei (21 December 1931 – 15 November 2015) was known for her many sword-and-sandal (peplum) films, acting in over 40 films, including comedies and Italian crime films, as well as being the queen of the Italian circus, founding The Circus Moira Orfei in 1960.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9091

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