Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete
This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary. (June 2018) |
Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete | |
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Directed by | Silvio Amadio |
Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Aldo Giordani[1] |
Edited by | Nella Nannuzzi[1] |
Music by | Carlo Rustichelli[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes[1] |
Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete (
Plot
The island of Crete lives in fear of the Minotaur, a dreadful beast trapped inside a labyrinth under the royal palace. The monster is venerated as a god, and to appease it, the Cretians regularly sacrifice a maiden to it.
One day,
Theseus and Ariadne accompany Demetrios back to Crete, but Chirone returns before them, alerting Phaedra to their arrival. Phaedra has her soldiers go after the friends; Ariadne is captured, Demetrios killed, and Theseus is almost slain as well. Rescued by the sea goddess Amphitrite, but refusing her offer to stay with her and become immortal, Theseus returns secretly to Knossos to free Ariadne. Phaedra has meanwhile prepared to dispose of her sister by throwing her into a pit with hungry hyenas, but as Theseus attacks, Phaedra herself ends up in the pit, and to save Theseus, Ariadne is forced to take her sister's place. But Chirone notices that his princess has suddenly changed in her demeanor and reveals his knowledge to Ariadne, but promises to keep her secret as long as she surrenders herself to him.
In the meantime, however, Aegeus, presuming his son to have been murdered, has led a war against Crete and lost. As a tribute, the people of Athens must now surrender a group of young people in regular intervals as sacrifices to the Minotaur. As the first group, which is joined by Theseus, is about to be herded into the labyrinth, Theseus manages to procure a sword and voluntarily enters the labyrinth and slays the Minotaur. Upon Theseus' brave decision, a riot breaks out and Chirone is killed by the mob. Ariadne, who has followed Theseus, helps him out with a thread from her own gown whose other end she had tied to the labyrinth's entrance, and they return alive and to the jubilation of the Cretan people.
Cast
- Bob Mathias as "Theseus"
- Rosanna Schiaffino as "Ariadne"/"Phaedra"
- Alberto Lupo as "Chirone"
- Rik Battaglia as "Demetrios"
- Carlo Tamberlani as " King Minos"
- Nico Pepe as "Gerione"
- Nerio Bernardi as "King Aegeus"
- Paul Mülleras "Medico di Corte"
- Tina Lattanzi as "Queen Pasiphaë"
- Milo Malagoli as "The Minotaur"
Release
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Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete was released in Italy on 25 November 1960.[1] It was released in the United States in April 1961.[1] The film was released on home video by Something Weird Video.[1]
Reception
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Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film one and a half out of four stars. In his review on the film, Maltin wrote, "Occasional atmosphere and Schiaffino's appearance still cannot salvage [the] story".[2]
See also
- list of historical drama films
- List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology
- Greek mythology in popular culture
References
Footnotes
Sources
- Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476662916.