The Loves of Hercules (film)

The Loves of Hercules
aka	Las Aventuras De Hercules Gli Amori Di Ercole Hercules vs. the Hydra
Year	1960
Directed by	Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Produced by	Alberto Manca
Written by	Sandro Continenza Luciano Doria
Studio	Grandi Schermi Italani
Cast	Jayne Mansfield Mickey Hargitay Massimo Serato René Dary
Run time	97 minutes
Riffed in	Episode #1108

For the episode, see MST3K 1108 - The Loves of Hercules.

“	I intend to entrust my life to his clemency.	”
	- Deianira

The Loves of Hercules is a 1960 fantasy-adventure-romance film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia. It is one of several films inspired by the mythological Greek demigod Hercules.

Plot

While Hercules is away, his village is plundered and his wife Megara is killed by the army of Ecalia as the first part of a scheme by the treacherous Licos to gain the throne of Ecalia for himself. Licos plans that Hercules will come to Ecalia for vengeance and murders King Eurysteus himself to save Ecalia from his revenge. Hercules learns of the murder of his wife and seeks vengeance, but is thwarted when the King's daughter and heir to the throne, Queen Deianira, offers herself rather than her realm of Ecalia as the guilty party. In accordance with the law, Deianira must face the wrath of Hercules; she is bound to a wall as Hercules throws axes at her that miss Deianira proving her innocence in the eyes of the gods.

Hercules admires Deianira and her bravery. When escorting Deianira back to her capital they come across a band of peasants who have been attacked by a monster. As Hercules seeks the monster their cattle is stampeded and Hercules kills a wild bull with his dagger. Arriving in the city Hercules discovers Deinaira is betrothed to Achilles and leaves.

The resourceful Licos hatches another scheme where he murders Achilles with the dagger Hercules left behind in the bull; not only casting guilt on Hercules but making Deianira available for marriage to him. The actual murderer, Philoctetes, is sent by Licos to the Underworld with the plan that Hercules can only prove his innocence by going to the Underworld where no mortal has ever returned from due to the monstrous Hydra.

Philoctetes is killed by the Hydra. Hercules kills the Hydra, but his battle weakens him into unconsciousness, and he's rescued by the Amazons, ruled by Queen Hippolyta. Hippolyta turns her male partners into living trees after making love to them, but Hercules is only interested in Deinaira. Angered that a man is not interested in her but determined to make love to Hercules and turn him into a tree, Hippolyta's advisor suggests the only way she can gain the attention of Hercules is to change her face and body through magic into resembling Deianira. Hercules manages to escape with the help of the Amazon Némée, while Hippolyta is done in by one of the trees. Hercules eventually returns to free Queen Deainira and Ecalia.

Attempting to escape with Ecalia, Licos is strangled by the monster, Alcione, who is in turn killed by Hercules as he rescues Deianira

Cast

• Jayne Mansfield as Deianira
• Mickey Hargitay as Hercules
• Massimo Serato as Licos
• Tina Gloriani as Hippolyta
• Rossella Como as Aleia
• Arturo Bragaglia as Iolaus
• Andrea Aurelli as Philoctetes
• Andrea Scotti as Timanthes
• Moira Orfei as Némée
• René Dary as the general
• Olga Solbelli as Maga
• Lidia Alfonsi as Megara

Notes

• The "Garden of Damned Tree-Men" originally appeared in Book 3 of Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid. The imagery was later used by Dante Alighieri in his narrative poem The Divine Comedy to represent the Wood of Suicides.
• Hercules' wife Megara is killed at the beginning of the film. In myth, Megara was the first wife of Hercules and she bore him several sons (whom Hercules later killed in a fit of madness induced by the goddess Hera). Megara is Hercules' love interest in the 1997 Disney animated feature film based on the ancient myths, though her characterization is significantly different.
• Though she gained fame a "blonde bombshell", Jayne Mansfield does not appear with blonde hair in this film. Her various characters have hair that is black, red/orange, and purple.
• At the time the film was shot, Mansfield was four months pregnant.
• The scene where Hargitay wrestles a bull was prepared by treating the animal with tranquilizers first.
• The film was made during a period when Jayne Mansfield's career in Hollywood was in decline due to numerous tabloid scandals. She pivoted to doing several quick and cheap films in Europe, where the industry was less puritanical.

MST3K Connections

• Writer Sandro Continenza was also writer for Hercules and the Captive Women.
• Giulio Donnini (high priest) also portrayed Dr. Vernier in Diabolik.
• Antonio Gradoli (head of the guards) also portrayed the Monte Carlo inspector in Operation Double 007.
• Gianni Loti (unspecified role) also portrayed Sandone in Hercules Unchained.
• Lidia Alfonsi also portrayed the Sybil in Hercules.
• Amerigo Santarelli (torturer) also portrayed a man in tavern Hercules and the Captive Women.
• Musical director Carlo Franci was also composer for Hercules Against the Moon Men.
• Costume designer Maria Baroni was also costume designer for Hercules Unchained.
• Fencing master Enzo Musumeci Greco was also fencing master for Hercules Unchained, as well as master of arms for Hercules and Argoman the Fantastic Superman (for which he was also a stuntman).
• Carolyn de Fonseca (unspecified roles in English dub) also provided English dub voices for Queen Samara in Hercules Against the Moon Men, Charity Farrel in Secret Agent Super Dragon, and Indun in Ator, the Fighting Eagle.