Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules
Encyclopedia
Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules (Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo) is a 1961 Italian film directed by Antonio Leonviola.
The film is also known as Maciste and the Night Queen (informal English title), Mole Men vs. the Son of Hercules (American TV title) and The Strongest Man in the World (in the United Kingdom). It is one of several films in a series shown in the USA as The Sons of Hercules
.
, by which they cannot emerge onto the surface, except by moonlight, and sunlight is deadly to them. They worship the goddess of the moon.
The 'mole men', led by Halis Mosab, a tyrannical and bloodthisty non-albino queen
, are using the captured people as slaves to operate their mining operations (what and why they are mining is never explained). Saliura is assisted in an escape and is taken to sanctuary with the Guardians of the Sacred Waterfall. But she is betrayed and recaptured.
Maciste and Bangor are forced to fight each other and then a ferocious ape
in order to save the life of the princess, but she's condemned to be sacrificed anyway.
Maciste not only survives, but escapes and saves Bangor and Saliura. Trapped in the caverns, the now-freed slaves break out onto the surface, thanks to Maciste's strength.
Halis Mosab, who is aware that she was captured as a child and somehow became queen of the 'mole men', is overjoyed when she comes to the surface and finds that she can live in ths sunlight. But she commits suicide
anyway, leaping into the waters of the Sacred Waterfall. The fate of her people is not revealed.
The film is also known as Maciste and the Night Queen (informal English title), Mole Men vs. the Son of Hercules (American TV title) and The Strongest Man in the World (in the United Kingdom). It is one of several films in a series shown in the USA as The Sons of Hercules
The Sons of Hercules
The Sons of Hercules was a syndicated Embassy Pictures television show that aired in the United States of America in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 Italian sword-and-sandal films by giving them a standardized theme song for the opening and closing titles, as well as a standard introductory...
.
Plot summary
The young Princess Saliura has been captured by a fierce underground cave-dwelling people. Maciste and his friend Bangor, in whose care she was left, allow themselves to be also captured and imprisoned. They find themelves in a series of deep caverns, occupied by a race of mutant white-haired albino people. They are living under an ancient curseCurse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
, by which they cannot emerge onto the surface, except by moonlight, and sunlight is deadly to them. They worship the goddess of the moon.
The 'mole men', led by Halis Mosab, a tyrannical and bloodthisty non-albino queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
, are using the captured people as slaves to operate their mining operations (what and why they are mining is never explained). Saliura is assisted in an escape and is taken to sanctuary with the Guardians of the Sacred Waterfall. But she is betrayed and recaptured.
Maciste and Bangor are forced to fight each other and then a ferocious ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
in order to save the life of the princess, but she's condemned to be sacrificed anyway.
Maciste not only survives, but escapes and saves Bangor and Saliura. Trapped in the caverns, the now-freed slaves break out onto the surface, thanks to Maciste's strength.
Halis Mosab, who is aware that she was captured as a child and somehow became queen of the 'mole men', is overjoyed when she comes to the surface and finds that she can live in ths sunlight. But she commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
anyway, leaping into the waters of the Sacred Waterfall. The fate of her people is not revealed.
Cast
- Mark Forest as Maciste
- Moira OrfeiMoira OrfeiMoira Orfei, , a popular Italian actress and television personality. Moira is considered the queen of the Italian circus.-Biography:...
as Queen Halis Mosab - Paul WynterPaul WynterPaul Wynter was a competitive bodybuilder and sometimes film actor. He is best known for his two wins in the Mr. Universe competition. A native of the West Indies, he was reported to be 68 years old in 2003.-Bodybuilding and Mr. Universe:...
as Bangor - Raffaella CarràRaffaella CarràRaffaella Carrà , in Italy often simply known as la Carrà and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress...
as Princess Saliurà - Enrico GloriEnrico GloriEnrico Glori was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 126 films between 1934 and 1963.He was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Abbandono * Lost in the Dark...
as Kahab - Roberto Miali as Loth
- Nando Tamberlani as King of Aran
- Carla Foscari
- Rosalia Gavo
- Graziella Granata
- Janine Hendy as Black slave girl
- Cinzia Cam
- Bruna Mori
- Anna De Martino
- Franca Polesello
- Gloria Hendy as Tulac
- Luciana Vivaldi
- Gianni GarkoGianni GarkoGianni Garko is an Italian actor who found much fame as a leading man in Spaghetti Westerns...
as Katan