Hercules (1983 film)

Hercules

Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by Lewis Coates
Produced by Yoram Globus
Written by Lewis Coates
Starring
Music by Pino Donaggio
Cinematography Alberto Spagnoli
Edited by
  • James Beshears
  • Sergio Montanari
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 12 August 1983 (1983-08-12)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
Country Italy
United States
Language
  • Italian
  • English
Box office $11 million (USA)[2]

Hercules is a 1983 Italian-American science fiction-fantasy adventure film written and directed by Luigi Cozzi (credited as Lewis Coates) and starring Lou Ferrigno. The film is based on Greek mythology and follows the exploits of Hercules.

Part of the adventure finds Hercules battling giant robots brought to life by stop motion animation. The musical score was provided by Pino Donaggio.

Despite not being a critical or box office hit, the film has become something of a cult favorite. A sequel called The Adventures of Hercules (also starring Ferrigno and written and directed by Cozzi) was released in 1985.

Plot

The film is a retelling of the story of Hercules (Lou Ferrigno) battling the wizard Minos (William Berger), who uses "science" in an attempt to take over the world. Hercules must stop him and rescue his princess love in the process.

Cast

Production

Filmed back-to-back with The Seven Magnificent Gladiators in Italy in the summer of 1982. The Seven Magnificent Gladiators was filmed first, followed by the shooting of Hercules, which began on 12 July 1982.[3]

Release

Box office

Hercules opened theatrically in Italy on 12 August 1983 and in the United States on 26 August 1983. The film ranked fourth in the United States box office in its opening weekend, earning $3,473,635.[4] The film ultimately grossed $11 million.[2]

Critical reception

The film received largely negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 14% rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 2.2/10.[5]

Accolades

Award Category Subject Result
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actor Lou Ferrigno Nominated
Worst New Star Won
Worst Supporting Actress Sybil Danning Won
Worst Screenplay Luigi Cozzi Nominated
Worst Picture Yoram Globus Nominated

References

  1. "HERCULES (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 29 July 1983. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 Andrew Yule, Hollywood a Go-Go: The True Story of the Cannon Film Empire, Sphere Books, 1987 p47
  3. http://www.varietyultimate.com/search/?search=Gladiators+Hercules+Ferrigno&startYear=1982&endYear=1982
  4. "Weekend Box Office Results for August 26-28, 1983". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. 29 August 1983. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. "Hercules (1983)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 9 January 2016.

External links

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