Maciste in Hell
                  
     
     
Director:  Guido Brignone
Year:  1925
Rating: NR
Country: Italy
Maciste visits Hell and it isn't so bad. Maciste which as best as can be deciphered means "of the stone" was first introduced as a character in the epic 1914 film Cabiria. He had immense strength and became a very popular figure during the silent era in Italy. Whether Maciste is the just another name for Hercules seems up in the air though by the time he came back into popularity during the Peplum rage of the 1960s he seemed to be a distinct character. But it gets confusing because when the films came to America to be dubbed nobody knew who Maciste was and so he and the films were always called Hercules. Maciste isn't from any specific period - he jumps all over the timeline. Sometimes in ancient times - in this one it seems to be placed in the 1800s and there is a film where he fights Zorro - which seems an unfair fight on the surface.




Starting with Cabiria, Maciste was played by Italian actor Bartolomeo Pagano who made a career out of doing so - to the point where he began to call himself Maciste. He seems to have played Maciste in over 25 films until sound came in and he stopped to get married and raise a family. He is a big man with a big smile and a large tuft of hair that resides on his head. He became famous for these films - some titles to give a flavor are Maciste and the Javanese, Miciste's American Nephew, The Last of the Tsars. He did get around. I think almost all of these are lost and this one is missing about 30 minutes - so I won't rate it - but it seems to be a complete story at about an hour. Hard to tell what is missing.




Maciste is minding his own business - trying to get a nobleman to own up to the fact that he is the father of the illegitimate child of his neighbor Graziella. But Evil enters the land as the God of the Underworld - the real underworld - Pluto sends up Barbariccia to wheel and deal and find some souls. His first sales call is on Maciste - "You can rule the world" and dances images of women in front of him. Being of good heart Maciste refuses. Barbariccia and his other minions are demons but when they came to earth they disguise themselves as humans with high black top hats, black jackets and moustaches that zigzag upwardly. You could take them for bankers which is pretty much the same thing. It gets a bit confusing but Maciste finds himself in Hell!






Hell gets the full imagery treatment from director Guido Brignone, who died in 1959 but not before he joined in on the new Peplum films with Sign of the Gladiator and The Sword of the Cross. Hell is filled with demons busily at work torturing humans and crucifying them. All with large pitchforks and tails. Maciste wanders around and can't help but notice the hottie female demons in their metal cup bras and lots of legs enticing him with their pouts and smiles. But if he kisses one he will turn into a demon too and never be able to leave Hell. But that Proserpina is hard to resist with her big eyes and a smile that says come on big boy. And even the strongest man in the world can't resist a dame once she has her eyes set on you. Barbariccia leads a revolt against Pluto and that doesn't go well as Maciste - now who as a demon is 50 times stronger - sides with Pluto and tosses demons into the pit of Hell.