Nicholas Diak has a new post that holds up the classic era of European ‘sword-and-sandals’ films to be an unappreciated genre. Mostly these were Italian-made in the 1950s and 1960s, historically themed and relatively authentic and traditional, akin to westerns in the USA. But made before the Italian turn to the ‘spaghetti-westerns’. Diak is an enthusiast who celebrates…

“a new breed of “Criterion-esque physical releases” from “Justin Decloux’s Gold Ninja Video label, an independent boutique label that strives to give the Criterion treatment to forgotten, obscure, and public domain films”

Criterion being buff shorthand for ‘lots of extras, featurettes and commentary’. The latest release being…

a supplemental-laden edition of Marino Girolami’s Fury of Achilles (1962)” … “a good introduction to the genre” though only available now in a 16mm print … “With over 300 titles in the sword-and-sandals canon, Decloux states that finding an entry point into the genre can be problematic. [His first featurette on the disc] proffers eight titles and explains what makes each of them a stand-out film.” His next featurette on the disc… “‘Weird Swords and Sandals: A Video Essay’ has Decloux disclosing a few noteworthy peplum [Italian] films that has weird or fantastique elements, such as giant monsters and magic.

Sounds like one for the collection of some Tentaclii readers, who will probably also want to get onto the Gold Ninja mailing-list.

Elsewhere, John Coulthart surveys Ray Harryhausen’s swords and sorceries, noting the dim prospect for anything similar today…

Epic fantasy is no longer as untouchable as it used to be following the screen success of the Tolkien and George R.R. Martin franchises, but sword and sorcery remains mildly disreputable…