List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology
This is a list of movies based on Greek and Roman mythology.
Amazons
- La Regina delle Amazzoni (1960) a.k.a. Colossus and the Amazon Queen
- Le Gladiatrici (1963)
- Le Amazzoni - donne d'amore e di guerra (1973)
- The Amazons (1973)
- Dschungelmädchen für zwei Halunken (1974)
- Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) (TV)
- Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994) (TV)
- Wonder Woman (2008)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Centaurs
- Fantasia (1940): the Pastoral Symphony segment by Ludwig Van Beethoven of the film features centaurs courting Centaurides/"centaurettes".
Hercules / Heracles
Italian film series
The Sword-and-sandal series (1957-1965) includes numerous films depicting Hercules that go by various titles depending by country of release. Below is a list (chronological order) that begins with the film's U.S.-release title, followed by the original Italian title and translation:[lower-roman 1]
- Hercules (1958; Italian: Le Fatiche di Ercole, lit. 'The Labors of Hercules'), starring Steve Reeves.
- Hercules Unchained (1959; Italian: Ercole e la regina di Lidia, lit. 'Hercules and the Queen of Lydia') starring Steve Reeves
- Goliath and the Dragon (1960; Italian: La Vendetta di Ercole, lit. 'The Revenge of Hercules')
- Hercules vs The Hydra (1960; Italian: Gli Amori di Ercole, lit. 'The Loves of Hercules')
- Hercules and the Captive Women (1961; Italian: Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide, lit. 'Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis'; UK: Hercules Conquers Atlantis)
- Hercules in the Haunted World (1961; Italian: Ercole al centro della terra, lit. 'Hercules at the Center of the Earth')
- Hercules in the Valley of Woe (1961; Italian: Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai, lit. 'Maciste vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe')
- Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules (1962; Italian: Ulisse contro Ercole, lit. 'Ulysses vs. Hercules')
- The Fury of Hercules (1962; Italian: La Furia di Ercole)
- Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963; Italian: Ercole sfida Sansone, lit. 'Hercules Challenges Samson')
- Hercules Vs. the Moloch (1963; Italian: Ercole contro Molock; a.k.a. Conquest of Mycene), starring Gordon Scott
- Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (1964; Italian: Ercole l'invincibile, lit. 'Hercules, the Invincible') starring Dan Vadis
- Hercules vs. The Giant Warrior (1964; Italian: il Trionfo di Ercole, lit. 'The Triumph of Hercules'; a.k.a. Hercules and the Ten Avengers) starring Dan Vadis
- Hercules Against Rome (1964; Italian: Ercole contro Roma)
- Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (1964; Italian: Ercole contro i figli del sole)
- Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (1964; Italian: Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia)
- Samson and His Mighty Challenge (1964; Italian: Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus, gli invincibili, lit. 'Hercules, Samson, Maciste, and Ursus: the Invincibles')
- Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965; a.k.a. "Hercules vs. the Sea Monster") starring Gordon Scott
- Hercules, the Avenger (1965; Italian: Sfida dei giganti, lit. 'Challenge of the Giants')
Other Hercules-related films
- The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962)
- The Return from Olympus (1969; Russian: Возвращение с Олимпа) [USSR], animated film by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya
- Hercules in New York (1969) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Hercules (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno
- Hercules 2 (1985; Italian: Le Avventure dell'incredibile Ercole) starring Lou Ferrigno
- Heracles and Admetus (1986) [USSR] animated film by Anatoly Petrov
- Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994)
- Hercules and the Circle of Fire (1994)
- Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994)
- Hercules in the Underworld (1994)
- Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur (1994)
- Hercules (1997) animated Disney film
- Young Hercules (1998) direct-to-video
- Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998), direct-to-video
- The Legend of Hercules (2014)
- Hercules (2014)
TV series'
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–99)
- Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001; spinoff of Legendary Journeys)
- Young Hercules (1998–99)
- Himcules (1998–99) animated
- Hercules (2005) miniseries
Sons of Hercules
Sons of Hercules was a syndicated television show that aired in the US in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 Italian sword-and-sandal films by giving them a memorable theme song and a standard intro relating the lead character in each film to the Greek demigod Hercules any way they could. The first title listed for each film was its American television title, followed by the original Italian title in parentheses:
- Mole Men versus the Son of Hercules (Maciste, The Strongest Man in the World) starring Mark Forest as Maciste
- The Terror of Rome versus the Son of Hercules (Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta) starring Mark Forest
- Fire Monsters Against The Son Of Hercules (Maciste Vs. The Monsters) starring Reg Lewis as Maciste
- Triumph Of The Son Of Hercules (The Triumph Of Maciste) starring Kirk Morris as Maciste
- Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Darkness (Hercules The Invincible) starring Dan Vadis as Hercules
- Ulysses Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Ulysses Against Hercules) starring Mike Lane as Hercules
- Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Fire (Ursus In The Land Of Fire) starring Ed Fury as Ursus
- Ursus, Son Of Hercules (a.k.a. Ursus, a.k.a. Mighty Ursus) starring Ed Fury
- The Tyrant Of Lydia Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Goliath and the Rebel Slave) starring Gordon Scott as Goliath
- Messalina Against the Son Of Hercules (The Last Gladiator) starring Richard Harrison as Glaucus
- Devil Of The Desert Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Anthar The Invincible) starring Kirk Morris as Anthar
- Medusa Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Perseus The Invincible) starring Richard Harrison as Perseus
- Beast Of Babylon Versus The Son Of Hercules (Hero Of Babylon) starring Gordon Scott as Prince Nippur
- Venus Against The Son Of Hercules (Mars, God Of War) starring Roger Browne as Mars
Homer and Troy
- Helena (1924)
- Helen of Troy (1956)
- The Trojan Horse (1961; Italian: La Guerra di Troia)
- Electra (1962 film) [Greece]
- The Trojan Women (1971) [UK, USA, Greece]
- Iphigenia (1977 film) [Greece]
- Les Troyens (1984) [US] - TV movie
- Helen of Troy (2003) - TV miniseries
- Troy (2004)
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters (2013)
Aeneas
- The Avenger (1962; Italian: La Leggenda di Enea, lit. 'The Legend of Aeneas')
- Eneide (1971) [Yugoslavia/Italy] - TV miniseries
- Dido & Aeneas (1995) [UK] - TV movie
- Dido and Aeneas (1995) [Canada] - filmed production of the opera
Odysseus/Ulysses
- The Island of Calypso: Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus (1905; French: L'Île de Calypso: Ulysse et le géant Polyphème)
- Odissea (1911)
- Ulysses (1955)
- L'Odissea (1968) Italy - TV mini-series
- The Return of Ulysses to His Homeland (1973) [UK] - TV movie
- Uliisses (1982) Germany
- Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (1985) [Austria] - filmed production of the original opera
- Nostos: The Return (1989) [Italy]
- The Odyssey (1997) - TV miniseries
- The Animated Odyssey (2000) [US] - animated TV movie
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - based on the Odyssey
- L'Odyssée (2003) [Canada] - TV movie
Jason and the Argonauts
- Argonauts (1971; Russian: Аргонавты) [USSR] - animated film
- Hercules (1958; Italian: Le Fatiche di Ercole, lit. 'The Labors of Hercules') starring Steve Reeves
- Jason and the Argonauts (1963) [US]
- Argonavtebi, or, a Merry Chronicle of a Dangerous Journey (1986) [USSR] - TV movie
- Jason and the Argonauts (2000) [US] - TV miniseries
- The Spirit (2008) [US] - features the Golden Fleece and the blood of Heracles.
Oedipus
- The Man Who Smiles (1937)
- Oedipus Rex (1957)
- Antigone (1961)
- Oedipus Rex (1967)
- Oedipus the King (1968)
- Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
- Night Warning (1982)
- Edipo Alcalde (1996)
- Oldboy (2003) and remake Oldboy (2013)
Orpheus
- Orphée (1949) France
- Black Orpheus (1959; Portuguese: Orfeu Negro) [Brazil]
- Evrydiki BA 2O37 (1975) [Greece]
- Orfeu (1999) [Brazil]
- Moulin Rouge! (2001)[1] - set in 1899
- Orpheus (2005)
Perseus
- Perseo l'invincibile (1963) (a.k.a. Medusa vs The Son of Hercules)
- Perseus (1973) [USSR]
- Clash of the Titans (1981)
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
- Clash of the Titans (2010)
- Wrath of the Titans (2012)
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)
Pygmalion
- Pygmalion (1937)
- Weird Science (1985)
- Mannequin (1987)
- Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Roman Kingdom and Romulus & Remus
- Romolo e Remo (1961) starring Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott as the two brothers.
- Duel of Champions (1961) - about the Roman legend of the Horatii
- Romulus and the Sabines (1961) starring Roger Moore as Romulus.
- The Rape of the Sabine Women (1962) starring Wolf Ruvinskis as Romulus.
- Romulus & Remus: The First King (2019) starring Alessandro Borghi and Alessio Lapice.
Sirens
- My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks: 2014 film, featuring the sirens of Greco-Roman mythology in a modern setting.
Theseus and the Minotaur of Crete
- Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete, a 1960 Italian film starring Bob Mathias, loosely based on the mythological story
- Labyrinth (1971; Russian: Лабиринт) [USSR]
- Minotaur (2006)
- Immortals (2011)
The Titans and Prometheus
- Arrivano i titani, a 1962 Italian comedy including the mythological characters Cadmus and the Titans, starring Giuliano Gemma and Pedro Armendáriz.
- Prometheus (1974) [USSR]
- The Lighthouse (2019) - takes on themes from the story of Prometheus
Twelve Olympians / Dii Consentes
- Artémis, cœur d'artichaut (2013) [France]
- Uchu Sentai Kyuranger the Movie: Gase Indaver Strikes Back (2017) [Japan]
- Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad (2018)
- Lupinranger VS Patranger VS Kyuranger (2019) [Japan]
Ursus
Ursus is a super-human pseudo-Biblical/Roman character who is the hero in a series of Italian films made in the 1960s. There were a total of 9 Italian sword-and-sandal films that featured Ursus as the main character, as follows:
- Ursus (1961; a.k.a. Mighty Ursus and Ursus, Son of Hercules) starring Ed Fury
- La Vendetta di Ursus (1961; The Revenge of Ursus) starring Samson Burke
- Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara (1961; Ursus and the Tartar Princess; a.k.a. Ursus and the Tartar Girl and The Tartar Invasion) starring Joe Robinson
- Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni (1962; Ursus in the Valley of the Lions; a.k.a. Valley of the Lions) starring Ed Fury
- Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco (1963; Ursus in the Land of Fire; a.k.a. Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire) starring Ed Fury
- Ursus il Gladiatore Rebelle (1963; Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator) starring Dan Vadis
- Ursus, il terrore dei Kirghisi (1964; Ursus, the Terror of the Kirghiz; a.k.a. Hercules, Prisoner of Evil) starring Reg Park
- Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus, gli invincibili (1964; Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles; a.k.a. Samson and the Mighty Challenge and Combate dei gigantes) starring Yan Larvor as Ursus
- Gli Invincibili Tre (1964; The Invincible Three, a.k.a. The Three Avengers) Ursus is the lead hero, played by Alan Steel
References
Notes
- A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their title were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators: Hercules, Prisoner of Evil was actually a retitled Ursus film; Hercules and the Black Pirate and Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both retitled Samson movies; Hercules and the Masked Rider was actually a retitled Goliath movie; and the films Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongols, and Hercules of the Desert were all originally Maciste films. Likewise, most of the Sons of Hercules movies shown on American TV in the 1960s had nothing to do with Hercules in their original Italian incarnations.
See also
- Swords-and-sandals
- Lists of movie source material
- List of films based on Greek drama
- List of films based on Germanic mythology
- List of films based on Slavic mythology
- List of films set in ancient Rome
- Gods of Egypt (film) - Film based on Egypt mythology