Hercules Unchained

Hercules Unchained ( , "Hercules and the Queen of Lydia") is a 1959 Italian-French epic fantasy feature film starring Steve Reeves and Sylva Koscina in a story about two warring brothers and Hercules' tribulations in the court of Queen Omphale. The film is the sequel to the Reeves vehicle Hercules (1958) and marks Reeves' second – and last – appearance as Hercules. The film's screenplay, loosely based upon various Greek mythology and plays by Aeschylus and Sophocles, was written by Ennio De Concini and Pietro Francisci with Francisci directing and Bruno Vailati and Ferruccio De Martino producing the film. Plot While travelling, Hercules is asked to intervene in a quarrel between two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, over who should rule Thebes. Before he can complete this task, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and is hypnotized by a harem girl who dances the "Dance of Shiva", loses his memory and becomes the captive of Queen Omphale of Lydia. The Queen keeps men until she tires of them, then has them made into statues. While young Ulysses tries to help him regain his memory, Hercules' wife, Iole, finds herself in danger from Eteocles, current ruler of Thebes, who plans on throwing her to the wild beasts in his entertainment arena. Hercules slays three tigers in succession and rescues his wife, then assists the Theban army in repelling mercenary attackers hired by Polynices. The two brothers ultimately fight one another for the throne and end up killing each other; the good high priest Creon is elected by acclaim. Cast Steve Reeves as Hercules Sylvia Lopez as Queen Omphale of Lydia Sylva Koscina as Iole Sergio Fantoni as Eteocles Mimmo Palmara as Polynices Gabriele Antonini as Ulysses Fulvio Carrara as Castor Willi Colombini as Pollux Gian Paolo Rosmino as Aesculapius Gino Mattera as Orpheus Primo Carnera as Antaeus Cesare Fantoni as King Oedipus Daniele Vargas as Amphiaraus Carlo D'Angelo as High Priest Creon Gianni Loti as Sandone Fulvia Franco as Anticlea Colleen Bennett as the prima ballerina Nando Cicero as Lastene Production The tale of Hercules and Queen Omphale is taken from the ancient Greek myth, of which there are several variations throughout history. Character names are drawn from a mixture of various Greek legends and plays, notably The Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus and Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles.