THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES (1961)
Label: Warner Archive
Region: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 128 Minutes
Audio: Enlgish DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Direector: Sergio Leone
Cast: Rory Calhoun, Lea Massari, Georges Marchal, Conrado San Martin, Conrado San M�rtin, Jorge Rigaud, Angel Aranda, Mabel Karr
Darios becomes infatuated with local beauty Diala (Lea Massari, L'avventura), the daughter of the statue's architect Carete (Félix Fernández), and also becomes privy to the various treacheries planned against the king, finding himself unwittingly entangled in the overthrow-shenanigans and imprisoned as a suspected spy. The sword and sandal story is full of melodrama and treachery with some good action towards the end, but it's overly long and Calhoun, whom I most remember from demented 80s slasher Motel Hell (1980), doesn't really suit the period, he's a bit too wry and self aware, which I didn't outright hate but it does draw attention to itself.
That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this one though, there are some cool set pieces and the locations and sets are elaborate and awesome, visually the film is very sumptuous as these films tend to be. The titular colossus is about three times the size of the actual statue of history, which is believed to have sat not over the entrance of the harbor as depicted, but on a hill overlooking it if memory serves. The film has it being constructed hollow like the Statue of liberty, a defensive weapon that is able to drop fire and burning oil on invading ships and and launch molten metal at it's enemies from a head that opens up like a blooming flower, it may not be factual but it's pretty damn cool looking on film, I love seeing Calhoun climb out it's ear and onto it's arms where he sword battles soldiers before diving into the harbor! Later earthquakes shake the city as a torrential storm beats down upon the it, the city is falling down around it's people while the overthrow transpires, the final leg of the film delivering the action-packed goods, but there's been way too much melodrama and filler in the preceding two hours to make this one of the better sword and sandal pics. Maybe not helping is that I also prefer my sword and sandal flicks with a bit more supernatural elements or some direct appearance from the Gods themselves.
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) was the first fully credited directorial debut from Sergio Leone (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly), he had co-directed a few before but this scale sword and sandal epic was his first official film as a director, which is mighty impressive for a first-timer. The sets and location are epic and the action is damn decent when we finally get around to it. The film even has some of the framing devices Leone would be come to known for with his later (and better) western films, but this thing runs about a half-hour too long at 128-minutes, I know there's an even longer European cut, but for once I'm thankful for the a shorter version!
Audio/Video: The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) arrives on Blu-ray from Warner Archive in the 128-min U.S. cut of the film, sourced from a 2018 HD master and framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. The source looks good, the grain is a bit course throughout but colors look good and the black levels are decent. There's a good amount of detail that showcases the intricate craftsmanship of the elaborate sets and the enormous titular statue protecting the harbor of the city, this is an impressive HD upgrade that should please fans.
The lone audio option is a DTS-HD MA Mono track, it's clean and well-balanced, the Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (Gorgo) has some nice presence throughout, as does the destruction of the city towards the end, optional English subtitles are provided.
The only extra on the disc is an audio commentary by Sergio Leone biographer and film historian Christopher Frayling, it's loaded with content, the man knows his Leone films, but it is a bit professorially dry at times, but it's a good commentary, the delivery is just a bit on the dry side.
Special Features:
- Commentary by Film Historian Christopher Frayling
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) is an entertaining, sun-bronzed sword and sandal entry, more notable for what the first time director went on to do than the actual film, but if you're a fan of these sort of films and can get beyond the startling site of Rory Calhoun in a short toga there's some fun to be had with it. This Blu-ray debut from Warner Archive is impressive with an upgraded A/V presentation that is sure to please the sword and sandal fans and the Sergio Leone completest out there.
