Though top-billed, Alan Steel -- he of the muscular chest -- has little to do in this modest swashbuckler which has the novelty of being set in post-medieval Spain. (The "Hercules" in the title was obviously added for American and other audiences who might still be interested in the sword-and-sandal cycle.) Basically this is a Zorro or Robin Hood adventure pitting the band of common folk, led by a charismatic hero, against the entrenched forces of the villain. It's efficiently done but offers little in the way of style or flair and is likely to fade from the memory quickly and without regret. Mimmo Palmara plays the hero and one of the movie's few "highlights" is his bare-chested knife-fight with Alan Steel. Steel's big "beefcake" scene comes when he engages in a tug-of-war with six men, three men pulling on a rope attached to each of his outstretched arms. Rather than being snapped like a wishbone, Steel manages to pull the men together, just as Steve Reeves mastered those charging horses in a somewhat similar scene in "Goliath and the Barbarians." Worth noting is the presence here of Ettore Manni who died young and in troubled circumstances but who left behind a number of notable performances.
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dinky-48 May 2009
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nowyat29 May 2001The real hero of this story is a Zorro type fellow, played, I think, by Ettore Manni. A soldier, Ettore, attacked by rebels, becomes their friend when he stands up to Hercules, Alan Steel, in a knife fight. How Hercules, (ancient Greece), took up with a band on Conquistador bandits, (they have those helmets), was never explained to my satisfaction. He should have been long dead. O.K., O.K. Then, this soldier, in order to save his ladylove from an unwanted marriage, dons a red mask and some frilly black ruffles. Not a toga in site. Also, numerous subplot romances.
Alan Steel, in the minor role of Hercules, lesser, secondary, sidekick to Zorro, does get five minutes of screen time or so. He throws a few people up into a tree, and also tears down a hangman's scaffold, so all was not lost. Anyway, if anyone can explain this movie to me, I'd love to hear... Possibly, I simply didn't pay enough attention to the dialogue. Also, Ettore Manni, Zorro imitator, accidently shot himself to death later in life. Divine justice, one hesitates to suggest?
P.S. I can't find 'Golia' in my Italian/English dictionary, although "and the Masked Rider", translates pretty easily. What's Golia? Goliath? What's the relation between Goliath and Hercules. I'm just so... confused. -
wes-connors7 February 2010"Everybody's favorite Greek strongman is back and this time he's helping the innocent people of Spain in their battle against some evil Dons and their loyal conquistadors. Hercules teams up with a masked avenger, who hopes to free the people of the tyrannical rule of the wealthy Dons and lead them into a life of peace and prosperity for all. With Hercules' mighty muscles and the daring skills of the Masked Rider, the two men wage a war against overwhelming forces," according to the DVD sleeve description.
Re-titled "Hercules and the Masked Rider" for American consumption.
Alan Steel as "Hercules" turns out not to be the star of this Spanish swordplay. Arguably, it's Mimmo Palmara as "Don Juan" alias "The Masked Rider" (think "Zorro!"). Naturally, they have a shirtless (knife) battle, then become chums. The sexy women are led by busty blonde José Greci (as Blanca) and beautiful red-haired Pilar Cansino (as Estella). The ladies keep their shirts on, firmly. By the end of the picture, Ettore Manni (as Blasco) co-stars. Villainous Arturo Dominici (as Ramiro) is most impressive.
**** Golia e il cavaliere mascherato (11/17/63) Piero Pierotti ~ Mimmo Palmara, Ettore Manni, Alan Steel, Arturo Dominici -
This is indeed a Zorro film (spelled Zoro on a wanted poster at one point in the picture); the strong man is really Goliath, which is partly a reference to the legendary giant, but is really merely a signifier for "big strong guy."
Overwrought formula actioner. The film-making is by the numbers, the acting is competent at best. The plot is confusing, the action okay but nothing special; but the real problem, obviously, is that the filmmakers don't know what kind of movie they want to make.
Saturday afternoon hangover fodder. May give you something to do if you have nothing to do. Otherwise, ho hum when not just bad. -
bkoganbing27 November 2010No one should be misled by this title. The story is about a Zorro like character who goes around righting some wrongs done in 16th century Spain. Hercules as played by Alan Steel is one of gang of gypsies who help out the Zorro guy who wears a red mask instead of basic black. He must have had one of the George Hamiltons as a wardrobe consultant.
The plot such as it is has the evil Don Ramiro with designs on both Don Francisco's land and Don Francisco's daughter Blanca. Her kissing cousin off in Flanders fighting one of King Philip II's wars doesn't approve because he likes her and she likes him. But dad wants peace in the valley even if it means giving up her daughter to the villain.
So the cousin dons the red mask and joins up with both gypsies and soldiers of his former regiment and if you know how Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power did it in their Zorro films you know how it comes out. Some bits from Robin Hood are tossed into the mix as well.
But if you like those sword and sandal epics, plenty of swords, no sandals here though. Not a chariot in sight. -
Wizard-88 January 2017Although the title of this movie is "Hercules and the Masked Rider", a more appropriate title would be "The Masked Rider and Hercules", since the masked rider character appears a heck of a lot more in the movie than Hercules does! Also, while there is a character named "Hercules" in the movie, a muscular fellow, this particular Hercules does not seem to possess the god-like strength one usually associates with the character in other sword and sandal movies. Also, the movie's setting appears to be medieval Spain instead of Hercules' usual stomping grounds. Obviously the American distributor of this movie pulled a baitand switch on its audience during the translation process. That didn't really concern me - I was looking for action and spectacle in whatever form the movie chose. However, the action is just okay at its best. And the production values, while not cheap, are not more than the bare minimum needed. Not a terrible movie, but it is instantly forgettable right after watching it, and would only probably be of interest to fans of European genre movies of the early 1960s.
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"Giant of Evil Island" director Piero Pierotti's "Hercules and the Masked Rider" is another of those cheaply produced but entertaining Italian peplums that take place outside the standard Greek or Roman setting of the ancient world. Mind you, when American International released this 86-minute Eastman color epic, the hero was named Goliath. Italian body-builder Sergio Ciani plays Hercules with his usual gusto. Presumably, the studio altered the title because Anglo-Saxon audiences remember Goliath as more of a villain than a hero based on his Biblical exploits. Specifically, this one occurs in Medieval Spain with our hero passing through town with a gang of gypsies. The eponymous "Masked Rider" is none other than a Zorro knock-off sporting a scarlet mask! Appropriately enough, Don Juan is a frustrated suitor who joins a renegade band of gypsies to break-up an impending marriage between the chief villain, Don Ramiro and his bride. Of course, things are complicated because Don Juan and the bride are distant relatives. They don't let these problematical genetics befuddle their thinking. Meanwhile, Pierotti and scenarists Arpad DeRiso, Ernesto Gastaldi, and Luciano Martino knew what they were doing when they cross-bred genres to make "Hercules and the Masked Rider." Aside from the usual production values that we've come to expect from peplums, "Hercules and the Masked Rider" benefits from a charismatic orchestral soundtrack by the dynamic Angelo Francesco Lavagnino who scored the John Wayne adventure "Legend of the Lost," the Gordon Scott peplum "Goliath and the Vampires," and Sergio Leone's "The Colossus of Rhodes."
The action opens with Don Ramiro's army of soldiers on horseback pursuing farmers who are fleeing from his land because he has been selling them off for service to the king to help fight a war in Flanders. Don Ramiro (Arturo Dominici of "Conquest of Mycene") and Captain Blasco (Ettore Manni of "Chino") are fiercely chasing a pair of newlyweds, Felipe (Piero Leri of "The Condemned of Altona") and his wife Dolores (Dina De Santis of "Romulus and the Sabines"), before they cross a river onto the Valverdate estate of Don Francisco (Renato Navarrini of "The Son of Hercules vs. Venus"), but they don't stop them in time. Moreover, Don Francisco forbids Don Ramiro to cross over and capture them. During this exodus, we see Hercules (Alan Steel) wield a mean quarter staff. Anyway, Don Francisco detests Don Ramiro, but he realizes that the latter has an army assembled. Don Ramiro relinquishes any claim to Felipe and Dolores when Don Francisco's beautiful daughter Dona Blanca (José Greci of "Goliath and the Sins of Babylon") rides up. Don Ramiro gives the newlyweds to Blanca as an admirer. Although they don't an adequate job of explaining this complication, Pierroti and his writers have Don Francisco promise Blanca to Don Ramiro to prevent bloodshed between their families.
When gallant Don Juan (Mimmo Palmara of "Johnny West") returns alone from fighting in the war, he is surprised to learn about his uncle's new marriage plans for Blanco. Incidentally, Blanco had promised to marry him before he left for war a year ago. Don Francisco banishes Don Juan after our hero learns Blanco didn't betray him. Gypsies ambush Juan after he leaves Don Francisco's estate. The leader of the gypsies, Estella, pits Juan in a knife fight against Hercules. The two combatants battle to a stand-off. Estella befriends, and he joins Hercules and the gypsies. Meanwhile, Ramiro arrives at Don Francisco's and skewers him in a duel. Later, Juan learns from Estrella at her gypsy camp that Don Ramiro has killed Don Francisco and is holding Dona Blanca. Juan convinces Estrella (Pilar Cansino of "Revolt of the Mercenaries"), to help Dona Blanca. Estrella helps Juan because she suspects Ramiro killed her husband. During a festive celebration, Estella, Hercules, and the gypsies enter Don Ramiro's estate to perform. Before Estella's fateful dance, Ramiro pays her to put a spell on Blanca. Estella relieves Blanca about her fears about Juan. During the dance, Estella and her gypsies nearly kill Ramiro in a ceremony when they hurl knives into the air. Blasco rescues Estella from Ramiro's torturous rack. It seems Blasco saved Ramiro's life so Ramiro spares Estella. Ramiro demands Blasco capture the "misbegotten cavalier with a mask." Ramiro warns Blasco he plans to hang Estella if he doesn't bring back the Masked Rider. Of course, Juan and Blasco team up to defeat Ramiro. Nevertheless, Juan winds up putting his head into the noose before he has a showdown on a balcony with Ramiro in a sword fight to the death!
An unusual cross-fertilization of genres, "Hercules and the Masked Rider" isn't the only example of this kind of hybrid storytelling. "The Witch's Curse" transported its peplum hero to another distant time setting. The casual negligence with which Pierotti and his scenarists treat these legendary genre characters by freeing them from the confines of their separate time periods so they can collaborate is imaginative but contrived. Juan appears as Zorro three times and carves a scar in Ramiro's face during their first encounter. Meantime, DeRiso was no stranger to peplums. He wrote several other Hercules epics, including "Hercules Against the Moon Men," "Hercules Against Rome," and "Hercules and the Black Pirate." He wrote "Giant of Evil Island" for Pierotti, too. An uncredited Ernesto Gastaldi contributed to the screenplay; he specialized in Giallo murder mysteries and Spaghetti westerns like "My Name is Nobody" and "The Price of Power." Luciano wrote at least three peplums, "Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus," "Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon" and "Hercules Against the Barbarians."
Altogether, "Hercules and the Masked Rider" isn't as good as either a conventional stand-alone "Hercules" or "Zorro" movie. Pierotti keeps the action moving ahead so the film doesn't bog down in its own complications. Hercules is constantly outnumbered but triumphant. Nonetheless, a competent cast, scenic surroundings, and an energetic musical score cannot compensate for the predictable script with its shortage of surprises. -
Why is Hercules in 16th century Spain? Well, someone decided he should be there with Don Juan. LOL The truth is, this is another Maciste film. The name Maciste was not popular (still is not) in the United States so the the US would change the name of Maciste into other names that were (still are) popular like Hercules, Colossus, Goliath or Samson for American audiences.
It's a lame and boring love story with little action. It's mainly a romantic adventure fantasy - but not my type of fantasy. It's not a good film but it is a goofy film. The film is very much out of place and not a true Hercules movie.
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Despite being saddled with a grossly misleading title - purporting the film to be a muscleman flick when in fact it's a costume adventure yarn - HERCULES AND THE BLACK KNIGHT is still enjoyably lively fare for the genre which benefits from charismatic heroes, a wealth of action, and a plot which has no time to drag. Sure, the various plot elements will be familiar to anybody who has seen any other genre offerings, but the fact that likable actors and actresses play the main parts makes for all the difference. Ettore Manni takes the lead role as Don Juan, who occasionally dons a red mask to fight the bad guys in an imitation of the old Zorro story thus giving the film its title.
Meanwhile the bad guy - Don Ramiro - is an old-school villain, a moustachioed scoundrel who has obviously been watching too many Basil Rathbone performances too much as he struts through the movie barking orders and causing evil acts to be committed. You just know that come the end of the film, he's going to get a sound beating as the result of his crimes. Love interest is supplied by Italian beauty Pilar Cansino, although the film does take lots of time out to portray lots of romantic subplots between minor characters which threaten to kill the pacing but thankfully don't.
The sets and costumes as as authentic-looking as ever, the film's ambiance helped by a lively score and attention to period detail for a change. The film offers a pleasing mix of swashbuckling adventure and strongman action which keeps it moving fast and always exciting. And what of Hercules, you may ask? Well, the mythical hero is relegated to a supporting role in the movie as the member of a bandit gang, but thanks to the imposing presence of Alan Steel (HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN) he still cuts an important figure. Thankfully Hercules gets lots of attention in the action sequences as he fights off numerous guards and the finale, in which he wields a hanging scaffold as a weapon against the guard, is a real crowd-pleaser. While it still covers the same old ground as other Italian epics (other than the unusual mixture of genres which was the norm for muscleman flicks in '64 as they struggled to remain popular by charting new territory), HERCULES AND THE BLACK KNIGHT is an enjoyable old-school adventure yarn with plenty of charm and action to recommend it to fans. -
kosmasp10 August 2019The sword and Sandals movie were quite big in the 60s. So big you could not escape them. And while they tried to break some moulds, they could not escape certain things. So this pits "Hercules" and someone you could easily call Zorro together.
Now if that hasn't made you switch off yet, you may be in for a fairly entertaining ride. But beware, watch more than 2 or 3 of these movies back to back and you get more than fatigue ... you get bored. This one at least has quite the humor to it, which may give it a certain edge (there is a bit of Asterix and Obelix in one scene for example where it comes to counting the enemy and giving them a "hand"/punch) ... other than that, business as usual