Mark Forest Movies

In this sword-and-sandal fantasy, Goliath must rescue twenty-four virgins who are being sent as a tribute to an evil conqueror. First the hero liberates one of the women. He then teams up with two other titans to save the rest. Action, adventure, and romance ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this sword and sandal fantasy, Poseidon must battle a gladiator quartet in ancient Rome. If he wins, the son of Hercules will have his life and anything else he wants. Sure enough, he wins and asks that the life of a Christian girl be spared. But the girl refuses her liberty until all of her fellow believers are also released. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This is an interesting entry in the Italian muscleman genre of the early '60s. Set in the wake of the destruction of Troy, Lion of Thebes tells of Helen's flight from the vengeance of the Greeks, in the company of her loyal protector Arion (Mark Forest). She falls into the hands of the pharaoh Ramses, who sits on the throne of Thebes and is opposed by the aging pharaoh Menophis. Ramses plans to marry Helen, but he is murdered by his jealous councilor. Arion must save her life when she is accused of the murder and sentenced to death. The plot intricacies intersect with elements of Land of the Pharaohs, with its court intrigue and treachery, but the presence of Forest adds an element of excitement to go with the exoticism of the settings and story, with his taciturn demeanor and always-at-the-ready muscleman heroics. Also interesting is Yvonne Furneaux's portrayal of Helen as a woman who genuinely regrets her beauty and the mistakes to which it has driven men, as well as King Menelaus as a man torn by vengeful passion and greed. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

In this adventurous sword and sandal epic, the muscle-bound offspring of the famous strongman tries to stop the wicked Egyptian queen from continuing to terrorize her subjects. She does this as she prepares to turn her country over to the Persians. She is also trying to force her handsome stepson, a good friend of Samson, Jr., to marry her. Samson gets involved after he comes to her city to search for his pal. Using his extraordinary strength, the young hero manages to defeat the queen's troops. This leads the queen to use her seductive powers on the man, but he is not interested. Angered, the queen throws him into a dungeon. Fortunately, he escapes and leads a slave revolt. Mayhem ensues until the wicked ruler tumbles into a deep pit filled with hungry crocodiles. This leaves the step-son to assume the throne. Peace and justice ensue as Samson returns to his home. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

On the heels of muscleman Steve Reeves' low-budget Italian sword and sandal epics comes this unintentionally hilarious knock-off that is largely comprised of footage from an Italian mythic epic in which a brawny hero ("Maciste" in Italy and "Goliath" in the US) takes on wicked King Eurystheus' cheesy monsters that included a three headed fire belching dog, a gigantic, murderous bat (both of which appeared in the original film) and a ludicrously unscary dragon (in some scenes, only the huge head shows, while for long-shots the filmmakers used stop animation from Jim Danforth). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A powerful gladiator in Rome's fourth century discovers a plan to put a beautiful princess in prison, which he thwarts by exposing a sinister duke as a traitor. ~ Rovi