List of films based on classical mythology

This is a list of films based on classical mythology (Greek and Roman mythology).

Amazons[edit]

Title Release date Notes
La Regina delle Amazzoni 1960 a.k.a. Colossus and the Amazon Queen
Le Gladiatrici 1963
Le Amazzoni - donne d'amore e di guerra 1973
The Amazons 1973
Dschungelmädchen für zwei Halunken [de] 1974
Gold of the Amazon Women 1979 TV film
Hercules and the Amazon Women 1994 TV film
Wonder Woman 2008
Wonder Woman 2017
Wonder Woman 1984 2020

Atlantis[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend 2011
Atlantis 2013–2015 TV series

Centaurs[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Fantasia 1940 The Pastoral Symphony segment by Ludwig van Beethoven of the film features centaurs courting Centaurides/"centaurettes".

Hercules / Heracles[edit]

Italian film series[edit]

The Sword-and-sandal series (1957-1965) includes numerous films depicting Hercules that go by various titles depending by country of release. Below is a list (chronological order) that begins with the film's U.S.-release title, followed by the original Italian title and translation:[i]

Title Release date Notes
Hercules 1958 Italian: Le Fatiche di Ercole, lit.'The Labors of Hercules', starring Steve Reeves.
Hercules Unchained 1959 Italian: Ercole e la regina di Lidia, lit.'Hercules and the Queen of Lydia' starring Steve Reeves.
Goliath and the Dragon 1960 Italian: La Vendetta di Ercole, lit.'The Revenge of Hercules'
Hercules vs The Hydra 1960 Italian: Gli Amori di Ercole, lit.'The Loves of Hercules'
Hercules and the Captive Women 1961 Italian: Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide, lit.'Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis'; UK: Hercules Conquers Atlantis
Hercules in the Haunted World 1961 Italian: Ercole al centro della terra, lit.'Hercules at the Center of the Earth'
Hercules in the Valley of Woe 1961 Italian: Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai, lit.'Maciste vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe'
Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules 1962 Italian: Ulisse contro Ercole, lit.'Ulysses vs. Hercules'
The Fury of Hercules 1962 Italian: La Furia di Ercole
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses 1963 Italian: Ercole sfida Sansone, lit.'Hercules Challenges Samson'
Hercules Vs. the Moloch 1963 Italian: Ercole contro Molock; a.k.a. Conquest of Mycene, starring Gordon Scott
Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness 1964 Italian: Ercole l'invincibile, lit.'Hercules, the Invincible' starring Dan Vadis
Hercules vs. The Giant Warrior 1964 Italian: il Trionfo di Ercole, lit.'The Triumph of Hercules'; a.k.a. Hercules and the Ten Avengers starring Dan Vadis
Hercules Against Rome 1964 Italian: Ercole contro Roma
Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun 1964 Italian: Ercole contro i figli del sole
Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon 1964 Italian: Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia
Samson and His Mighty Challenge 1964 Italian: Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus, gli invincibili, lit.'Hercules, Samson, Maciste, and Ursus: the Invincibles'
Hercules and the Princess of Troy 1965 a.k.a. "Hercules vs. the Sea Monster" starring Gordon Scott
Hercules, the Avenger 1965 Italian: Sfida dei giganti, lit.'Challenge of the Giants'

Other Hercules-related films[edit]

Title Release date Notes
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules 1962
Hercules 1964 Indian Hindi-language adventure film by Shriram in the style of the Italian peplums, starring Dara Singh in the titular role of the hero.[1][2]
Son of Hercules 1964 another Indian film in Hindi by Sultan. It follows the story of Hercules' son and his fight with a dragon.[3]
Tarzan Aur Hercules 1964 Indian Hindi-language action film by Mahmood, featuring a character based on Hercules who helps Tarzan win a princess.[4][2]
Sheba and Hercules 1967 Indian Hindi-language action film by B. S. Chowdhary. It features characters with allusions to Hercules and the Queen of Sheba.[5]
The Return from Olympus 1969 Russian: Возвращение с Олимпа [USSR], animated film by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya
Hercules in New York 1969 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hercules 1983 starring Lou Ferrigno
Hercules 2 1985 Italian: Le Avventure dell'incredibile Ercole starring Lou Ferrigno
Heracles and Admetus 1986 [USSR] animated film by Anatoly Petrov
Hercules and the Amazon Women 1994
Hercules and the Circle of Fire 1994
Hercules and the Lost Kingdom 1994
Hercules in the Underworld 1994
Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur 1994
Hercules 1997 animated Disney film
Young Hercules 1998 direct-to-video
Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus 1998 direct-to-video
The Legend of Hercules 2014
Hercules 2014

TV series[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys 1995–99
Xena: Warrior Princess 1995–2001 spinoff of Legendary Journeys
Young Hercules 1998–99
Himcules 1998–99 animated
Hercules 2005 miniseries

Sons of Hercules[edit]

Sons of Hercules was a syndicated television show that aired in the US in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 Italian sword-and-sandal films by giving them a memorable theme song and a standard intro relating the lead character in each film to the Greek demigod Hercules any way they could. The first title listed for each film was its American television title, followed by the original Italian title in parentheses:

Title Notes
Mole Men versus the Son of Hercules (Maciste, The Strongest Man in the World) starring Mark Forest as Maciste
The Terror of Rome versus the Son of Hercules (Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta) starring Mark Forest
Fire Monsters Against The Son Of Hercules (Maciste Vs. The Monsters) starring Reg Lewis as Maciste
Triumph Of The Son Of Hercules (The Triumph Of Maciste) starring Kirk Morris as Maciste
Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Darkness (Hercules The Invincible) starring Dan Vadis as Hercules
Ulysses Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Ulysses Against Hercules) starring Mike Lane as Hercules
Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Fire (Ursus In The Land Of Fire) starring Ed Fury as Ursus
Ursus, Son Of Hercules (a.k.a. Ursus, a.k.a. Mighty Ursus) starring Ed Fury
The Tyrant Of Lydia Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Goliath and the Rebel Slave) starring Gordon Scott as Goliath
Messalina Against the Son Of Hercules (The Last Gladiator) starring Richard Harrison as Glaucus
Devil Of The Desert Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Anthar The Invincible) starring Kirk Morris as Anthar
Medusa Vs. The Son Of Hercules (Perseus The Invincible) starring Richard Harrison as Perseus
Beast Of Babylon Versus The Son Of Hercules (Hero Of Babylon) starring Gordon Scott as Prince Nippur
Venus Against The Son Of Hercules (Mars, God Of War) starring Roger Browne as Mars

Homer and Troy[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Helena 1924
Helen of Troy 1956 Set in western Anatolia during the Trojan War, largely based on the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey by Homer.
The Trojan Horse 1961 Italian: La Guerra di Troia
Electra 1962 [Greece]
The Trojan Women 1971 [UK, USA, Greece]
Iphigenia 1977 [Greece] - Set in the port town of Aulis, Greece immediately before the Greek expeditionary force set sails to attack Troy. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, king Agamemnon of Mycenae offers his daughter Iphigenia as a human sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. The film is based on the theatrical play Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides.
Les Troyens 1984 [US] - TV movie
Helen of Troy 2003 TV miniseries set in western Anatolia during the Trojan War, loosely based on the epic poem Iliad by Homer.
Troy 2004
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief 2010
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters 2013

Aeneas[edit]

Title Release date Notes
The Avenger 1962 Italian: La Leggenda di Enea, lit.'The Legend of Aeneas'
Eneide 1971 [Yugoslavia/Italy] - TV miniseries
Dido & Aeneas 1995 [UK] - TV movie
Dido and Aeneas 1995 [Canada] - filmed production of the opera

Odysseus/Ulysses[edit]

Title Release date Notes
The Island of Calypso: Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus 1905 French: L'Île de Calypso: Ulysse et le géant Polyphème
Odissea 1911
Ulysses 1955
L'Odissea 1968 Italy - TV mini-series
The Return of Ulysses to His Homeland 1973 [UK] - TV movie
Uliisses 1982 Germany
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria 1985 [Austria] - filmed production of the original opera
Nostos: The Return 1989 [Italy]
The Odyssey 1997 TV miniseries
The Animated Odyssey 2000 [US] - animated TV movie
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000 based on the Odyssey
L'Odyssée 2003 [Canada] - TV movie

Jason and the Argonauts[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Hercules 1958 Italian: Le Fatiche di Ercole, lit.'The Labors of Hercules' starring Steve Reeves
Jason and the Argonauts 1963 US film - The story of Jason and Argonauts, a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece.
Argonauts 1971 Russian: Аргонавты USSR - animated film
Argonavtebi, or, a Merry Chronicle of a Dangerous Journey 1986 USSR - TV movie
Jason and the Argonauts 2000 US - TV miniseries
The Spirit 2008 US - features the Golden Fleece and the blood of Heracles.

Oedipus[edit]

Title Release date Notes
The Man Who Smiles 1937
Oedipus Rex 1957
Antigone 1961
Oedipus Rex 1967
Oedipus the King 1968
Funeral Parade of Roses 1969
Night Warning 1982
Oedipus Wrecks 1989
Edipo Alcalde 1996
Oldboy 2003
Oldboy 2013 Remake of the 2003 Oldboy
Music 2023

Orpheus[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Orphée 1950 France
Black Orpheus 1959 Portuguese: Orfeu Negro) [Brazil]
Evrydiki BA 2O37 1975 [Greece]
Metamorphoses / Winds of Change (1978-79 Sanrio film) 1978 [USA]
Orfeu 1999 [Brazil]
Moulin Rouge! [6] 2001 Set in 1899
Orpheus 2005
The Book of Life 2014

Perseus[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Perseo l'invincibile 1963 a.k.a. Medusa vs The Son of Hercules
Perseus 1973 [USSR]
Metamorphoses / Winds of Change (1978-79 Sanrio film) 1978
Clash of the Titans 1981
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief 2010
Clash of the Titans 2010
Wrath of the Titans 2012
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters 2013

Pygmalion[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Pygmalion 1937
My Fair Lady 1964
Weird Science 1985
Mannequin 1987
Mighty Aphrodite 1995

Roman Kingdom and Romulus & Remus[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Romolo e Remo 1961 starring Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott as the two brothers.
Duel of Champions 1961 about the Roman legend of the Horatii
Romulus and the Sabines 1961 starring Roger Moore as Romulus.
The Rape of the Sabine Women 1962 starring Wolf Ruvinskis as Romulus.
Romulus & Remus: The First King 2019 starring Alessandro Borghi and Alessio Lapice.

Sirens and harpies[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Harpya 1979 Belgian short film
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks 2014 featuring the sirens of Greco-Roman mythology in a modern setting.

Theseus and the Minotaur of Crete[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete 1960 Italian film starring Bob Mathias, loosely based on the mythological story
Labyrinth 1971 Russian: Лабиринт Soviet animated film by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya
Minotaur 2006
Immortals 2011 Loosely based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Titanomachy.

The Titans and Prometheus[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Arrivano i titani 1962 Italian comedy including the mythological characters Cadmus and the Titans, starring Giuliano Gemma and Pedro Armendáriz.
Prometheus 1974 Soviet animated film by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya
The Lighthouse 2019 takes on themes from the story of Prometheus

Twelve Olympians / Dii Consentes[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Artémis, cœur d'artichaut 2013 [France]
Uchu Sentai Kyuranger the Movie: Gase Indaver Strikes Back 2017 [Japan]
Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad 2018 [Japan]
Lupinranger VS Patranger VS Kyuranger 2019 [Japan]

Ursus[edit]

Ursus is a super-human pseudo-Biblical/Roman character who is the hero in a series of Italian films made in the 1960s. There were a total of 9 Italian sword-and-sandal films that featured Ursus as the main character, as follows:

Title Release date Notes
Ursus 1961 a.k.a. Mighty Ursus and Ursus, Son of Hercules starring Ed Fury
La Vendetta di Ursus 1961 The Revenge of Ursus starring Samson Burke
Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara 1961 Ursus and the Tartar Princess; a.k.a. Ursus and the Tartar Girl and The Tartar Invasion starring Joe Robinson
Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni 1962 Ursus in the Valley of the Lions; a.k.a. Valley of the Lions starring Ed Fury
Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco 1963 Ursus in the Land of Fire; a.k.a. Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire starring Ed Fury
Ursus il Gladiatore Rebelle 1963 Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator starring Dan Vadis
Ursus, il terrore dei Kirghisi 1964 Ursus, the Terror of the Kirghiz; a.k.a. Hercules, Prisoner of Evil starring Reg Park
Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus, gli invincibili 1964 Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles; a.k.a. Samson and the Mighty Challenge and Combate dei gigantes starring Yan Larvor as Ursus
Gli Invincibili Tre 1964 The Invincible Three, a.k.a. The Three Avengers Ursus is the lead hero, played by Alan Steel

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their title were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators: Hercules, Prisoner of Evil was actually a retitled Ursus film; Hercules and the Black Pirate and Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both retitled Samson movies; Hercules and the Masked Rider was actually a retitled Goliath movie; and the films Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongols, and Hercules of the Desert were all originally Maciste films. Likewise, most of the Sons of Hercules movies shown on American TV in the 1960s had nothing to do with Hercules in their original Italian incarnations.[citation needed]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Ernest Mathijs; Jamie Sexton (22 November 2019). The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema. Taylor & Francis. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-317-36223-4.
  2. ^ a b Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Son of Hercules (1964)". Indiancine.ma.
  4. ^ Lupton, Robert Allen. "Tarzan and Hercules". ERBzine.
  5. ^ Barnum, Mike (28 July 2018). "SHEBA AND HERCULES (1967)". Cinema Jadoo.
  6. ^ Billboard 113(49) Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 18, 2001. p. 79. Retrieved April 18, 2020.