Hercules versus Hercules: Variation and Continuation in Two Generations of Heroic Masculinity

Italian popular film has enjoyed periods of mass appeal on a global scale. My chapter is concerned with the peplum or sword and sandal cycle, one of the most important genres in the history of Italian cinema in relation to international distribution and commercial success. Discussion of the background to the peplum and a comparison of two cinematic depictions of Hercules, the fictional character most associated with the genre, allow an opportunity to explore both the contexts in which the films were produced and their respective representations of masculinity. The 1958 Hercules/Le fatiche di Ercole is widely credited with launching the peplum; the 1983 Hercules belongs – in part at least – to the science fiction-fantasy cycle inaugurated by the American-produced Star Wars (1977), blending the mythical elements and iconography of the peplum with the trappings of the revitalized science-fiction genre. Produced 25 years apart, these Hercules films have significant qualities in common. Italian-made, with a mostly local crew and cast, both feature an American bodybuilding champion in the title role, respectively Steve Reeves and Lou Ferrigno. The question regards the extent to which it is legitimate to characterize the 1983 film as a ‘neo-peplum’, deriving its themes, iconography and ideology – in terms of political outlook, patriarchal authority and male potency – from the earlier version. I argue that, for all their similarities, these Hercules films offer divergent and ultimately incompatible depictions of masculinity. While both films draw on body culture, classicism and Italian–US cross-cultural exchange (cinematic and otherwise), only one of them chimed with the wider social and cultural climate of its era in terms of a projection or performance of male strength and virtue that enjoyed worldwide success.