Sword & Sandal (Peplum)
“Sword & Sandal” refers to a genre of adventure films dealing largely with ancient Roman & Greek history and mythology. The majority of these films were made between 1958 and 1965 and often featured a muscular male in the lead role. The Italians, known for piggy-backing onto a hit film and exploiting its genre to death, hit the big time in 1958 with the Steve Reeves international blockbuster, HERCULES (LE FATICHE DI ERCOLE). Following its success, the Italian film industry cranked out dozens of these epic-scaled fantasy/action films over the next several years.
Many of these films relied on well-known historical heroes like Hercules to sell their stories. Others included Samson, Goliath, Maciste, Ursus, and Ulysses. Other subjects included biblical epics and that universal staple of excitement, gladiators.
Steve Reeves is certainly the biggest and best-known of this genre's stars. Mark Forest, Mickey Hargitay, Reg Park, Kirk Morris, Brad Harris, Dan Vadis, Gordon Scott, Gordon Mitchell, Reg Lewis, Ed Fury and Alan Steel are a few of the headliners who made names for themselves starring in these oft-silly action films.
I'm by no means an expert; just a fan. I've searched and searched for a comprehensive list of this genre and I've only been able to find a few titles here and there. Below is as comprehensive of a list as I could put together from my research and from my own library. It's a work in progress and I will be adding films as I find them. This list, with the exception of two, is comprised of just the Italian productions. Please PM me with anything I can add to this page to make it more complete.
I have a majority of what's on the list and I will be upping them over the coming weeks starting at the beginning of the list. I encourage everyone to up what you have, including any quality upgrades.
Total # of films (so far): 128
Filled: 57
Complete: 45%
| Year | Original Title / English Title | Source | Audio | Subtitles | Scope | Uploader | Torrent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Los Amantes del DesiertoDesert Warrior | DVD | Spanish | No | Full | Nefasto | HERE | |
| 1958 | Afrodite, dea Dell'AmoreAphrodite, Goddess of Love Slave Women of Corinth | VHS | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1958 | Le Fatiche di ErcoleHercules Labors of Hercules | DVD | English | No | Wide | TheCollector | HERE | |
| 1959 | La Battaglia di MaratonaThe Giant of Marathon | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1959 | Ercole e la Regina di LidiaHercules Unchained Hercules and the Queen of Lydia Hercules and the Queen of Sheba | DVD | English | No | Wide | boyd1955 | HERE | |
| 1959 | Erode il GrandeHerod the Great | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1959 | Giuditta e OloferneHead of a Tyrant | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1959 | I Reali di FranciaAttack of the Moors | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1959 | Il Terrore dei BarbariGoliath and the Barbarians | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1959 | Gli Ultimi Giorni di PompeiThe Last Days of Pompeii | DVD | English & Italian | No | Wide | nohanasser | HERE | |
| 1960 | AnnibaleHannibal | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Gli Amori di ErcoleHercules vs. the Hydra Hercules and the Hydra The Loves of Hercules | DVD | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Cartagine in FiammeCarthage in Flames | DVD | English | No | Wide | BloodFreak | HERE | |
| 1960 | Il Conquistatore dell'OrienteThe Conqueror of the Orient | DVD | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | David e GoliaDavid & Goliath | DVD | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Le Legioni di CleopatraLegions of Cleopatra Legions of the Nile | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1960 | Maciste Contro I Cacciatori di TesteColossus and the Headhunters | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Maciste nella valle dei reSon of Samson Maciste the Mighty | DVD | English | No | Wide | nohanasser | HERE | |
| 1960 | La Regina delle AmazzoniColossus and the Amazon Queen Colossus and the Amazons | DVD | English | No | Full | Trianglefart | HERE | |
| 1960 | La Rivolta degli SchiaviRevolt of the Slaves | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1960 | SalamboThe Loves of Salammbo | VHS | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Il Sepolcro dei reCleopatra's Daughter | VHS | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1960 | Teseo contro il MinotauroThe Minotaur Warlord of Crete Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1960 | La Vendetta di ErcoleGoliath and the Dragon Hercules' Revenge Vengeance of Hercules | DVD | English | No | Wide | BOblivion | HERE | |
| 1960 | I Giganti della TessagliaThe Giants of Thessaly | DVD | English | No | Wide | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1961 | Il Colosso di RodiThe Colossus of Rhodes | DVD | English | No | Wide | JeffMcCool | HERE | |
| 1961 | Ercole al Centro della TerraHercules in the Haunted World Hercules in the Center of the Earth Hercules vs. the Vampires Sword and Sandal The Vampires vs. Hercules With Hercules to the Center of the Earth | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1961 | Ercole alla Conquista di AtlantideHercules and the Captive Women Hercules Conquers Atlantis Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis Hercules and the Haunted Women | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1961 | Goliath Contro I GigantiGoliath Against the Giants Goliath and the Giants | VHS | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1961 | Maciste alla Corte del Gran KhanSamson and the Seven Miracles of the World Goliath and the Golden City Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan | DVD | English | No | Wide | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1961 | Maciste contro Ercole nella Valle dei GuaiHercules in the Valley of Woe Hercules in the Vale of Woe Maciste Against Hercules in the Valley of Woe | DVD | Italian | No | Wide | BlackRainbow | HERE | |
| 1961 | Maciste contro il VampiroGoliath and the Island of Vampires Goliath and the Vampires Maciste vs. the Vampire Samson vs. the Vampire The Vampires | DVD | English | No | Wide | PFC | HERE | |
| 1961 | Maciste Nell Terra dei CiclopiAtlas in the Land of the Cyclops Atlas Against the Cyclops Maciste in the land of the Cyclops Maciste vs. the Cylops Monster from the Unknown World | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1961 | Maciste, l'uomo piu forte del MondoMole Men Against the Son of Hercules Maciste and the Night Queen Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World Mole Men vs. the Son of Hercules The Strongest Man in the World | DVD | English | No | Full | doomie22 | HERE | |
| 1961 | Orazi e CuriaziDuel of the Champions Horatio | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1961 | Il Ratto delle SabineRomulus and the Sabines | DVD | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1961 | Romolo e RemoRomulus and Remus Duel of the Titans | DVD | English | No | Wide | boyd1955 | HERE | |
| 1961 | SansoneSamson | DVD | English | No | Full | trianglefart | HERE | |
| 1961 | Trionfo di MacisteTriumph of the Son of Hercules | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1961 | Ulisse Contro ErcoleUlysses Against the Son of Hercules Ulysses Against Hercules | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1961 | UrsusThe Mighty Ursus Ursus, Son of Hercules | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | t |
| 1961 | Ursus Nella valle dei LeoniUrsus in the Valley of the Lions Valley of the Lions | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1961 | La Vendetta di UrsusVengeance of Ursus The Mighty Warrior Revenge of Ursus | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1961 | Vulcano, Figlio di GioveVulcan, Son of Juipter Vulcan, Son of Giove | VHS | English | No | Full | bunkerfun | HERE | |
| 1962 | Il Conquistatore di CorintoConqueror of Corinth The Centurion | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Constantino il GrandeConstantine and the Cross Constantine the Great | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | La Furia di ErcoleThe Fury of Hercules Fury of Samson | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1962 | Giulio Cesare, il Conquistatore delle GallieCaesar the Conqueror | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Il Gladiatore di RomaGladiator of Rome Battles of the Gladiators | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1962 | Il Gladiatore InvincibleThe Invincible Gladiator | DVD | English | No | Full | ericsnet | HERE | |
| 1962 | IlektraElectra | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | L' Ira di AchilleFury of Achilles Achilles | DVD | English | No | Wide | PFC | HERE | |
| 1962 | La Leggenda di EneaThe Avenger The Last Glory of Troy War of the Trojans | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Maciste all'infernoThe Witch's Curse Maciste in Hell | DVD | English | No | Full | Badfinger | HERE | |
| 1962 | Maciste Contro I MostriFire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules Colossus of the Stone Age | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Maciste Contro lo SceiccoSamson Against the Sheik Maciste Against the Sheik | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Maciste, il Gladiatore piu forte del MondoColossus of the Arena | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Marte, dio della GuerraVenus Against the Son of Hercules The Son of Hercules vs. Venus | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Re ManfrediThe Defeat of the Barbarians | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Le Sette Fatiche di Ali BabaAli Baba and the Sacred Crown The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Le Sette Folgori di AssurWar Gods of Babylon 7th Thunderbold | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | I Sette GladiatoriGladiators 7 | DVD | English | No | Wide | Ttib | HERE | |
| 1962 | Solo Contro RomaAlone Against Rome Vengeance of the Gladiator | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Il Tiranno di SiracusaDamon and Pythias | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1962 | Ursus e la Ragazza tartaraTartar Invasion Ursus and the Tartar Princess | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1962 | Il Vecchio TestamentoOld Testament | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Brenno il Nemico di RomaBrennus, Enemy of Rome Battle of the Spartans Battle of the Valliant | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | I Dieci GladiatoriThe Ten Gladiators Ten Desperate Men | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Ercole Contro MolockConquest of Mycene Hercules vs. the Molloch | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Ercole l'invincibileSon of Hercules in the Land of Darkness Hercules the Invincible Hercules Against the Elephants' Empire | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1963 | Ercole sfida SansoneHercules, Samson & Ulysses | TV | English | No | Full | Badfinger | HERE | |
| 1963 | L'Eroe di BabiloniaThe Beast of Babylon Against the Son of Hercules Goliath, King of Slaves Hero of Babylon | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Le GladiatriciThor and the Amazon Women Women Gladiators | DVD | English | No | Full | trianglefart | HERE | |
| 1963 | Goliath e la Schiava RibelleGoliath and the Rebel Slave Arrow of the Avenger Gordian the Glorious Avenger The Tyrant of Lydia Against the Son of Hercules | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Maciste Contro I MongoliHercules Against the Mongols | DVD | English | No | Full | ericsnet | HERE | |
| 1963 | Maciste, l'eroe piu Grande del MondoGoliath and the Sins of Babylon Goliath, the World's Greatest Hero | DVD | English | No | Wide | Walkingdork | HERE | |
| 1963 | Il Magnifico AvventurieroThe Burning of Rome The Magnificent Adventurer | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Perseo l'invincibleMedusa Against the Son of Hercules Medusa vs. the Son of Hercules Perseus Against the Monsters Perseus the Invincible Valley of the Stone Men | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Sansone Contro I PiratiSamson Against the Pirates Samson and the Sea Beast | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | La Spada del CidSword of El Cid | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1963 | Ursus Nella terra di FuocoUrsus in the Land of Fire The Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire | DVD | English | No | Full | nohanasser | HERE | |
| 1963 | Ursus, il Gladiatore RibelleRebel Gladiators Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator | DVD | English | No | Full | ericsnet | HERE | |
| 1963 | Zorro contro MacisteSamson and the Slave Queen | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Anthar l'invincibleThe Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules The Slave Merchants | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Il Colosso di RomaHero of Rome | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1964 | I Due GladiatoriThe Two Gladiators Fight or Die | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Roma contro RomaWar of the Zombies Night Star: Goddess of Electra | DVD | Italian | No | Wide | jasonx73it | HERE | |
| 1964 | Ercole Contro I Figli del SoleHercules Against the Sons of the Sun | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Ercole Contro I Tiranni di BabiloniaHercules and the Tyrants of Babylon | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Ercole Contro RomaHercules Against Rome Hercules in Rome | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus gli InvincibiliSamson and the Mighty Challenge | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Il Figlio di CleopatraSon of Cleopatra | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Il Figlio di SpartacusThe Son of Spartacus The Slave | DVD | Italian & Spanish | No | Wide | Metalian | HERE | |
| 1964 | I Giganti di RomaGiants of Rome | DVD | English | No | Full | ericsnet | HERE | |
| 1964 | Golia alla Conquista di BagdadGoliath at the Conquest of Damascus | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Golia e il Cavaliere MascheratoHercules and the Masked Rider | DVD | English | No | Full | ericsnet | HERE | |
| 1964 | Gli Invincibili dieci GladiatoriSpartacus and the Ten Gladiators | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1964 | Gli Invincibili Fratelli MacisteThe Invincible Brothers Maciste The Invincible Gladiators | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Gli Invincibili Tre3 Avengers | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Kindar l'invulnerabileKindar the Invulnerable | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Leone di TebeThe Lion of Thebes | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Maciste alla Corte Dello ZarAtlas Against the Czar Giant of the Lost Tomb Samson vs. the Giant King | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Maciste e la Regina di SamarHercules Against the Moon Men Hercules and the Queen of Samar Hercules vs. the Moon Men Maciste vs. the Moon Men Maciste vs. the Stone Men | DVD | English | No | Wide | PFC | HERE | |
| 1964 | Maciste nelle Miniere di re SalomoneMaciste in King Solomon's Mines Samson in King Solomon's Mines | DVD | English | No | Full | SikSyko | HERE | |
| 1964 | Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis KhanHercules Against the Barbarians | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Maciste, Gladiatore di SpartaThe Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Il Magnifico GladiatoreThe Magnificent Gladiator | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | I Predoni della SteppaTerror of the Steppes The Mighty Khan | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | La Rivolta dei BarbariRevolt of the Barbarians | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Sansone Contro il Corsaro NeroHercules and the Black Pirate | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Saul e DavidSaul & David Sibling Rivalry | DVD | Italian | No | Wide | BlackRainbow | HERE | |
| 1964 | Gli Schiavi piu forti del MondoSeven Slaves Against Rome Seven Slaves Against the World | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Sinbad Contro I Sette SaraceniAli Baba and the Seven Saracens Hawk of Bagdad Sinbad Against the 7 Saracens | DVD | English | No | Full | nohanasser | HERE | |
| 1964 | Il Trionfo dei dieci GladiatoriTriumph of the Ten Gladiators | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | Il Trionfo di ErcoleThe Triumph of Hercules Hercules and the Ten Avengers Hercules vs. the Giant Warrior | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | L'Ultimo GladiatoreMessalina Against the Son of Hercules Empress Messalina Meets the Son of Hercules Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules | DVD | English | No | Full | ayman2000 | HERE | |
| 1964 | Ursus, il Terrore dei KirghisiHercules, Prisoner of Evil Terror of the Kirghiz | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1964 | La Valle dell'eco tonanteHercules of the Desert | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1965 | Il Conquistatore di AtlantideConqueror of Atlantis Kingdom in the Sand | DVD | English | No | Full | BOblivion | HERE | |
| 1965 | Coriolano: Eroe Senza PatriaCorilanus: Hero without a Country Thunder of Battle | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1965 | Il Gladiatore che sfido l'imperoChallenge of the Gladiator | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1965 | Hercules and the Princes of TroyHercules and the Sea Monster | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1965 | La Sfida dei GigantiHercules the Avenger | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1965 | La Vendetta di SpartacusThe Revenge of Spartacus | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1966 | Al'ombra delle AwuileIn the Shadow of the Eagles | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1966 | I Coltelli del VendicatoreKnives of the Avenger Bladestorm Viking Massacre | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet | |
| 1966 | I Grandi CondottieriGideon and Samson Great Leaders of the Bible | - | - | - | - | - | Not Yet |
