The Giants of Thessaly
The Giants of Thessaly (Italian: I giganti della Tessaglia (Gli Argonauti), French: Le Géant de Thessalie, released in the UK as Jason and the Golden Fleece) is a 1960 Italian-French adventure-fantasy film directed by Riccardo Freda. It is loosely based on the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius.[3]
| The Giants of Thessaly | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Riccardo Freda |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by | Virgilio De Blasi[2] |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Otello Colangeli[2] |
| Music by | Carlo Rustichelli[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmar |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Box office | ₤408 million |
Plot
Thessaly, overrun with barbarian invaders and beset with natural disasters, sends King Jason and his Argonauts on a search for the fabled Golden Fleece. Meanwhile, back home, his scheming cohort is plotting to get his hands on the kingdom and the queen.
Cast
- Roland Carey as Jason
- Ziva Rodann as Creusa
- Massimo Girotti as Orfeo
- Alberto Farnese as Adrasto
- Nadine Sanders as Queen Gaia
- Luciano Marin as Euristeo
- Cathia Caro as Aglaia
- Alfredo Varelli as Argo
- Maria Teresa Vianello as Gaia's Sister
- Nando Tamberlani as Aglaia's Father
- Alberto Sorrentino as Licaone
- Paolo Gozlino as Laerte
- Raf Baldassarre as Antinoo
Release
The Giants of Thessaly was released in Italy on 6 December 1960 where it was distributed by Filmar.[2] It grossed a total of 408 million Italian lire domestically.[2]
Reception
In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin noted that the script "owes very little to the legend, instead stringing together a series of action highlights, settings and characters which, if anything, have even less consistency than the strip-cartoon formula to which they owe their inspiration."[4] The review noted that the "scaling of the colossal statue is moderately spectacular, too. The rest, including the filtered colour, is sub-Bava, let down by indifferent acting, irrelevance (what on earth is Orpheus doing in the film?) unimpressive trick-work (the island monster) and abysmal dubbing."[4]
References
Footnotes
- Curti 2017, p. 315.
- Curti 2017, p. 316.
- Roberto Poppi, Mario Pecorari. Dizionario del cinema italiano. I film. Gremese Editore, 2007. ISBN 8884405033.
- "Giants of Thessaly, The "(I Giganti della Tessaglia)"". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 30, no. 348. British Film Institute. 1963. p. 146. ISSN 0027-0407.