Il Colosso do Rodi

Il Colosso di Rodi
LABEL: Raro VideoMHE
ZONE: 2 PAL
LENGTH: 137'
ASPECT RATIO: 2.35:1 (16/9) Anamorphic
LANGUAGES: Italian
SUBTITLES: No
EXTRAS: The era of Sergio Leone
STARS: Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari
DIRECTOR: Sergio Leone

(the DVD cover may look slightly different to this picture)

A Greek military hero named Darios visits his uncle in Rhodes in the year 280 BC. Rhodes has just finished constructing an enormous colossus of Apollo to guard its harbor and is planning an alliance with Phoenicia which would be hostile to Greece. Darios flirts with the beautiful Diala, daughter of the statue's mastermind, while becoming involved with a group of rebels headed by Peliocles. These rebels seek to overthrow the tyrannical King Serse as does Serse's evil second-in-command, Thar. The rebels' revolt seems to fail, with Peliocles and his men being captured and forced to provide amusement in the local arena, but an earthquake eventually upsets, not only the Colossus in the harbor, but the balance of power in Rhodes as well.

Review One:
"Colossus of Rhodes" is a wonderful action thriller with the added elements of a Hitchcock film. Rory Calhoun is terrific as the lusty Greek playboy visiting the island who finds himself literally in the middle of a sinister conspiracy. His villa is invaded at night by mysterious marauders and a very exciting fight ensues with Calhoun outnumbered and desperately fighting until he's downed... It seems the noble young lady he's been chasing (Lea Massari) is also in it up to her pretty neck. As Calhoun gets more drawn in, his safety is compromised and he has to take a side. The duel he fights inside and outside the colossal statue is an unforgettable piece of cinema. It's a pleasure to see Calhoun in this role which suits him, the devil-may-care playboy reluctantly forced into violent action to risk his own skin and stand up for what's right. He was an underrated actor who deserved more roles than the many westerns to which he was mainly relegated. This is one of the few times he got to break the mold and it's a winner. Great action, good plot, outstanding costumes and sets add to the enjoyment of seeing this film.

or (another angle):
In "Airplane," when Captain Oveur asks young Joey, "Do you like gladiator movies?" he is slyly and salaciously referring to films like "The Colossus of Rhodes." While technically not a gladiator movie, Sergio Leone's directorial debut is rife with scantily clad men whose rippling muscles and impeccable abs are fully exposed while they wrestle with each other or undergo whippings, torture, and bondage. The national pastime of Rhodes must have been doing crunches and lifting weights, because even the mature men have flat tight stomachs and bulging biceps. Meanwhile, the women, while lovely of face, remain chastely clothed and relegated to the sidelines. The homo-erotic visuals of this tale of ancient Rhodes call into question the film's intended audience. Were there enough closeted gays in the early 1960's to make a success of mediocre movies such as this?