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Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Howard Hawks, Richard Thorpe, Sergio Leone
Actors: Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin, Alex Minotis, James Robertson Justice
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $22.95
You Save: $7.03 (23%)
New (43) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $22.32
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 39542
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARD114524D
UPC: 085391145240
EAN: 0085391145240
ASIN: B000OHZJI2
Theatrical Release Date: November 1961
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 06/26/2007
Amazon.com
Who says history has to be boring? Warner Bros.' series of "cult classics" is a cheese-popcorn fiesta just waiting to pop. This set includes three "historical" epics long on action and cleavage and proudly short on those dull pesky facts. The Colossus of Rhodes (1961), a splashy toga party starring Rory Calhoun, marks Sergio Leone's credited directorial debut. As sword-and-sandal films go, it's a rollicking tale with excellent special effects, especially the earthquake and its resulting devastation. Howard Hawks took time in between Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Rio Bravo to direct Land of the Pharoahs (1955), with a cast of thousands, led by the heaving bosoms of Joan Collins. No expense was spared, with nearly 10,000 extras "and 1600 camels in the production!" as the marketing materials of the time proclaim. William Faulkner co-wrote the screenplay, which features delicious turns of events like a lying, scheming so-and-so getting comeuppance by, yes, being sealed alive in a pyramid: "A structure to house one man--and the greatest treasure of all time." And The Prodigal (1955), directed by Richard Thorpe, tells the ancient biblical tale of two toiling brothers, but ups the ante for the wandering son with a decidedly ungodly pagan temptress in the form of Lana Turner (it's a wonder he ever made it back to his father's farm!). Originally an MGM release, The Prodigal hearkens to the mid-'50s era of the great biblical epic (which many fans believe is due for a renaissance), though it takes extreme liberties with Jesus's parable. Then again, if Lana Turner's figure doesn't signify "debauchery" and "riotous living," what does? The boxed set also includes some very instructional extras, like vintage interviews with Hawks and contemporary interviews with Peter Bogdanovich and film historians. Let the catapulting begin! --A.T. Hurley
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Could have been better May 14, 2008
The best film in this pack is Colossus of Rhodes, which has many memorable moments but it's wildly uneven. It's still worth seeing for any fan of old Italian Sword & Sandal films.
Of the two other films (which are American made) Land of Pharaohs and The Prodigal, Pharaohs is the best but the script is not good. It starts off brilliantly and then it becomes the Joan Collins show. Joan Collins in blackface no-less. The score is amazing though.
The Prodigal is the worse of the bunch. I watched it once and won't be watching again. Aside from the miscast Lana Turner, there's almost nothing to recommend, even the much vaunted sets are tacky looking.
As camp value, only Joan Collins in Land of Pharaohs fits the bill. The Prodigal is too leaden and serious to be camp (unfortunately, Lana basically has a supporting role) and Colossus of Rhodes, even with a miscast Rory Calhoun, is not really camp per se.
For Ancient History camp, nothing in this pack is as campy as Anne Baxter as Nefertiti in The Ten Commandments.
Do you like gladiator movies? November 25, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Some movie genres have definitely died over the years. The Western used to dominate but has petered out to maybe a movie or two per year of any note. Musicals are doing similarly, with the occasional success just showing how sparse the offerings are nowadays. The so-called sword-and-sandal flicks have, if anything, done even worse, with just a few significant offerings in the past decade, most notably Gladiator (others include Troy and Alexander).
Volume 4 of Warner Brothers Cult Camp Classics takes up back to the golden era of sword-and-sandal films (and their close cousins, Bible films). This set, titled Historical Epics, feature three entertaining if not particularly good examples of the genre.
First up is The Prodigal, very loosely based on the parable of the prodigal son. Edmund Purdom plays the title character, the son of a successful Jewish farmer in 70 B.C. who falls for a pagan high priestess and forsakes his family and fiancee to pursue her. Lana Turner plays the priestess who is essentially a high-priced call girl, and the price Purdom will be dear indeed, but if you're familiar with the prodigal son story, you know how it will all turn out in the end.
Next is The Colossus of Rhodes, most notable for being Sergio Leone's first credited directorial effort. If you're expecting the same stylistic film as with his Spaghetti Westerns, you're in for a disappointment: the direction is almost all by-the-book. The story has Rory Calhoun as an Athenian soldier on vacation in Rhodes during a time of intrigue with Phoenicia. Straddling the harbor is the Colossus, not merely a giant statue (far bigger than the historical version), but also an elaborate machine filled with traps for unwanted visitors to the island.
Finally, there is Land of the Pharaohs, directed by Howard Hawks in a movie that is one of the great director's weakest, even with screenwriting assistance from William Faulkner. Jack Hawkins plays the pharaoh obsessed with preserving his wealth after his death; he oversees the construction of the pyramid to serve as his tomb and has a clever method designed to make sure his treasure will not be stolen. As an absolute ruler, he does not have to deal with a love triangle when he falls for Joan Collins though he is already married; instead he just takes her on as a second wife. She, however, has greedier ambitions in mind. Though this lacks the wonderful dialogue common to Hawks movies, Land of the Pharaohs does conclude with a brilliantly ironic finale.
All three movies have commentary tracks and theatrical trailers. Are they truly campy? At times, although Colossus comes closed to pure camp. These are not great films, but with the DVD extras, the collection does merit four stars overall. Among the four Warner Brothers sets, I would rate this second best, behind the Sci-Fi Thriller set but ahead of Terrorized Travelers and Women in Peril.
 A hoot September 21, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What a great way to waste a few hours, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, great color photography, serious scene chewing and, actually, excellent music scores, in at least two of them by well-known composers of the Golden Age...this is great fun...I especially love the Joan Collins bad girl turn in Land of the Pharoahs!
Epic in all ways August 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is nothing more fabulous than Joan Collins trapped in a pyramid, screaming "I don't want to die - I don't want to die". The Land of the Pharoahs is worth the price alone; an excellent angle on the building of the pyramids and Egyptian society.
Lana Turner is all hot and steamy and hammy in The Prodigal.
Colussus is colossal.
Get this for a winter weekend and have plenty of popcorn on hand.
Better than the title suggests August 10, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Though these movies can be viewed as campy sword 'n sandle flicks, two of the three are actually pretty good. All three are in color and anamorphic 'scope, and two even have multi-track sound. The images are crisp and clear, with no sign of fading.
The Colossus of Rhodes was directed by Sergio Leone, with impressive visuals and a huge cast of extras. The weakest (and most laughable) part of the film is Rory Calhoun's leading character, but the rest of the cast is fine - though the plot is overly-complex. Rory, a visiting hero from Athens, leads a slave revolt, amid treacherous plots to enslave peaceful Rhodes.
Land of the Pharaohs was produced and directed by Howard Hawks and written by no less than William Faulkner. The leads are played by Jack Hawkins and Joan Collins. Hawkins portrays a king obsessed with accumulating wealth for the afterlife, along with building a tomb to house himself and the gold. Collins plays a scheming princess who wants the gold for herself. Joan Collins is far from the stereotype she became in later years, and her acting ability leaves no doubt as to why Hawkins' Pharaoh falls for her.
The Prodigal, retelling the Biblical story of the prodigal son, is the only truly campy film among the three. There are lots of processions, ponderous dialog, pagan temples, and a beautiful pagan priestess to tempt the hero. Lana Turner may be beautiful, but she needs to take tempting-the-hero lessons from Joan Collins. Speaking of camp, at one point we see a long wall where various slaves are lined up for sale, with descriptions and prices written on the wall next to each slave - written in english of course. Now that's camp!
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