The Historical Films of the 1950s and 1960s

In the 1950s and the early 1960s, the historical film was immensely popular throughout the world. There were various reasons for this, undoubtedly, but one of the most direct was the international success of three films: SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949), QUO VADIS (1951), and THE ROBE (1953). Of these, it was QUO VADIS, based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz (the author of THE LEGIONS), that influenced the Italian film industry the most, as the film was the only one of the three to be shot in Italy, which created a need for local artisans, set designers, costume makers and extras (a young Sophia Loren being one) who could apply either their talents or their presence to the mammoth MGM production. This stimulus generated an ever-increasing native production schedule of Italy's own historical epics of Roman and mythological times, which resulted in the blossoming of the "peplum" genre that frontlined such strongman heroes as Hercules, Goliath, Maciste and Ursus, the latter being a character from, yes, QUO VADIS. Pretty soon, Italy was producing more historical fiction films than any other country in the world, and not just of the time period already mentioned. Pirate films, swashbucklers, Renaissance adventures--these and more filled world screens. America still retained the lead in terms of quality. Films like BEN HUR and SPARTACUS impressed with their scope and production values. But the Italian films had their own delights, pure entertainment being one. And however the American or Italian films managed to re-write history, they still instilled in the viewer a curiosity about that history and a sense of mankind as a journey that did not just start in a generation or two before the birth of the viewer.

This was the atmosphere, cinematically, that I grew up in, and so the historical epics of Henryk Sienkiewicz were sure to find fertile soil in my imagination and my soul when I began reading them in my teens. My family would frequently go and see whatever historical film was playing on the Saturday evenings that we would walk to one of the film theaters in Brooklyn, where we lived at the time. A Loew's theater was a favorite, as its interior was just as majestic as many of the films we were viewing and contributed to the atmosphere of antiquity and celebration. So, when I was a child, I remember seeing revivals of SAMSON AND DELILAH, THE ROBE, and QUO VADIS. (As videos or DVDs were some time away from reality, certain popular films would be re-shown years later and sometimes just as successful as during their original run.) I remember also seeing, but during their first run, films like SPARTACUS, EL CID and TARAS BULBA. Films like THE VIKINGS I may have seen close to their release date, but already double-billed with a newer film. Then, during summer vacation time at my grandparents' in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I saw such peplums as HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED, starring Steve Reeves, the undisputed champion of the peplum film. I tried to see every Steve Reeves film I could. I saw THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD and MORGAN THE PIRATE, but somehow missed GOLIATH AND THE BARBARIANS and DUEL OF THE TITANS, the latter which promised a fierce, perhaps deadly, match-up between Reeves and former Tarzan, Gordon Scott.

Theatrically, the historical fiction film is not doing that well these days. It hasn't been doing well for some time. Oh, there's the occasional film, but it seems to rely more on gimmick (300), silly curiosity (will ALEXANDER show homosexuality?) or CGI effects rather than a "cast of thousands" that was the staple ballyhoo of the historical epic in the 50s and 60s. Still the occasional historical epic is better than no historical epics, and a few--BRAVEHEART, GLADIATOR and 300--have become as popular as the classics from the past.

Not theatrically, the historical film is doing quite well. DVD has provided much, and more is coming. And, in some cases, in restored, deluxe editions that, though they can never take the place of seeing one of these epics at the cinema, are the next best thing and welcome indeed.