Le fatiche di Ercole is a 1958 Italian epic fantasy feature film based upon the Hercules myths and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The film stars Steve Reeves as the titular hero and Sylva Koscina as his love interest Princess Iole. Hercules was directed by Pietro Francisci and produced by Federico Teti. The film spawned a sequel, Hercules Unchained , that also starred Reeves and Koscina. Hercules made Reeves an international film star and effectively paved the way for the dozens of 1960s sword and sandal flicks featuring oiled bodybuilders as mythological heroes and gladiators battling... monsters, despots, and evil queens. The film's Italian title means "The Labors of Hercules". The film's screenplay is loosely based upon the myths of Hercules and the Greek epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes. In both myths and epic poem, Hercules' role in the Quest for the Golden Fleece is marginal; he abandons the expedition early-on when Hylas, his armor-bearer and eromenos , is lost on an island while searching for water.
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| Release date: | February 20, 1958 |
| Directed by: | Pietro Francisci, John Carpenter |
| Runtime: | 107 Minutes |
| Producer: | Federico Teti |
| Editor: | Mario Serandrei |
| Music by: | Enzo Masetti |
| Cinematography: | Mario Bava |
| Screenplay by: | Ennio de Concini, Pietro Francisci, Gaio Frattini |
| Adapted from: | The Golden Fleece |
| Genre: | Fantasy, Adventure |