The Colossus of Rhodes 06/16/18

Reviewer Charlie Largent goes Mediterranean! Before he forever rewrote the rules of the western, Sergio Leone broke into directing with this lavish sword ‘n’ sandal epic. Always smiling, Greek playboy Rory Calhoun comes to Rhodes to check out the babes, the same way Cary Grant might crash a garden party. But he wasn’t expecting a revolution! Smart filmmaking creates outsized effects around the enormous 6th Wonder of the World, the statue that was felled by an earthquake two centuries B.C.. Here it’s sci-fi weapon of mass destruction with a clockwork interior and secret trap doors fit for a bronze-age Transformer. The class-A cast for Leone’s peplum includes Georges Marchal, Ángel Aranda, and Lea Massari of L’Avventura; Warner’s export edition is reportedly a reel short of the Italian original. The music score is by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
6/16/18