Aldo Pini Movies

In this sword and sandal spectacle, a Roman journeys to Asia to oversee the building of an aqueduct. His main job is to replace the former slavemaster. Unlike him, the new overseer tries a gentler approach with the slaves. When he proves that his methods are more effective, the former supervisor gets angry and decides to get his revenge by inciting a revolt amongst the captives. He almost succeeds in that all the Romans but the new overseer are slaughtered. One slave helps the gentle Roman to hide. Meanwhile the chief rebels are captured and killed. This leads the kindly supervisor to be blamed, so he and his newfound friend steal out of the city and team up with another rebel. They all dress up as masked gladiators and then take on the Romans. Eventually, the three avengers successfully foil the plans of the Roman troublemaker just before he makes an attempt to take over the local government. As a reward for their courage, the slaves are freed, and the reputation of the soft-hearted supervisor remains unblemished. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this fantasy, Hercules and Ulysses end up marooned on an island when they lose a battle with a sea monster. On the island Hercules kills a lion with his hands and winds up being mistaken for Samson. To prove that he is really Hercules, he must battle with the real Samson. They grunt, groan, and draw some blood before the fight is called a draw. Later the three team up and defeat the Philistines. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this WW II drama, a captain attempts to navigate his Italian submarine through enemy waters. He is stalked by a British commander assigned to destroy the sub. The Italian captain somehow succeeds in getting into neutral waters and is granted permission to stay there a fortnight. The British commander also stays in Tangiers so he can monitor the Italian. During their stay, the two agree not to fight and gradually come to respect each other. Meanwhile an intelligence officer, tries to upset the careful balance between the men. He uses the Italian's lover to get him to make a move. It works, and the Italian accuses his girl of spying and leaves the safety of port. The British commander follows and ends up losing his ship to the Italian's torpedoes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this adventure set in 6th-century France, two warring tribes call a temporary truce so that the daughter of the Gepidaen king can marry the king of Lombard. Unfortunately, the willful princess doesn't want to marry the king because she is betrothed to another (she has also been impregnated by him, but that is her secret). Her fiancé is imprisoned until she finally agrees to marry the king. Treachery ensues and culminates in a terrible battle. The released prince proves himself a hero by bringing in badly needed troops to bring the Gepidaens to victory. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Steve Reeves' second (and last) film portrayal of Hercules is, in certain ways, better than his first. The plot this time is drawn from the legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes, which are most familiar to audiences through the Theban plays of Sophocles. The movie opens with Hercules, his new bride Iole (ylva Koscina), and the young Ulysses (Gabriel Antonini) travelling to Thebes following the end of the quest for the Golden Fleece (depicted in the previous movie, Hercules). Their journey is interrupted when Hercules must do battle with the giant Anteus (Primo Carnera), whose strength seems to exceed his own until he realizes that Anteus is the son of the earth goddess and can't be defeated on land. On their arrival in Thebes, the trio discovers that the kingdom is in the midst of civil war -- Oedipus (esare Fantoni), the old king, is dying, and his two sons, Polynices and Eteocles, are contending for the throne and threatening to destroy each other and the populace. Hercules must leave Iole in the hands of one side in order to try and settle the dispute between the two would-be kings. While en route between the two armed camps, however, he is put under the spell of Omphale (Sylvia Lopez), the Queen of Lydia, who casts out his memory and takes him as a lover, with Ulysses in tow pretending to be his deaf-mute servant. Ulysses must figure out how to keep himself alive, restore Hercules' memory, get them both out of Omphale's grasp before she tires of Hercules and has him killed (as she has her previous lovers), and get them both back to Thebes before the kingdom is burned to the ground. His solution arrives in the form of his father, Laertes, and Hercules' companions from his voyage for the Golden Fleece. They all escape Omphale's clutches and arrive at Thebes as war has broken out between the two brothers and their armies. In a spectacular denouement, Hercules brings his chariot into the middle of the pitched battle, knocking down assault towers and sweeping cavalry before him to halt the battle. Peace is finally restored on a bittersweet note as the two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, slay each other. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi