Goliath and the Dragon (1960)
[+]
(Foreign Titles)
Nomination Year: 2011
SYNOPSIS: Ercole of Thebes is the strongest man in the world -- so strong that everybody calls him Goliath. All the other city states want to conquer Thebes, but they don't dare because they know Goliath will kick their asses if they try. But the evil King Eurystheus and his advisor (who looks just like an original series Klingon) contrive to have Goliath go battle a dragon to recover a holy artifact for the God of Vengeance. Since there's no way Goliath can possibly survive, King Eurystheus convinces the other kings to join him in an attack on Thebes. But Goliath does survive, and the producers couldn't afford all those extras anyway, so the attack is called off.
However, the Klingon has another plan. You see, Eurystheus isn't really the King. He killed the previous King and Queen years ago, but the throne won't be legitimately his until he marries their daughter, who is now finally old enough to be married. But the Princess and Goliath's brother are secretly in love. Doubly secretly, in fact, because not only does the King want the Princess for himself, but Goliath also opposes the relationship because the Princess's father killed Goliath's parents. Since this isn't confusing enough, the Klingon decides to sow dissension between Goliath and his brother by convincing the brother that the real reason Goliath opposes the relationship is because Goliath wants the Princess for himself. This has the added bonus of pissing off Goliath's wife. Still with me?
Good! Meanwhile, King Eurystheus finally learns that the Princess is secretly lusting after Goliath's brother and throws her in the dungeon until such time as he can be bothered to marry her. Meanwhile, Goliath comes home, fights with his brother and his wife, gets pissed off at the poor welcome, pulls down his house with his bare hands, renounces the gods, and stalks off in a huff. With Goliath now really out of the way, King Eurystheus reconstitutes the anti-Thebes alliance. But, with his Klingon advisor goading him into pushing his luck, he decides to prove he's not afraid of Goliath by capturing and executing his now-estranged brother. However, there's estranged and then there's estranged. They get the capturing down, but Goliath assembles an army and arrives in time to attack the city, wrestle an elephant, save his brother and the Princess, and kill everyone else. And that, boys and girls, is why the smart people on primitive planets are learning to speak Romulan.
However, the Klingon has another plan. You see, Eurystheus isn't really the King. He killed the previous King and Queen years ago, but the throne won't be legitimately his until he marries their daughter, who is now finally old enough to be married. But the Princess and Goliath's brother are secretly in love. Doubly secretly, in fact, because not only does the King want the Princess for himself, but Goliath also opposes the relationship because the Princess's father killed Goliath's parents. Since this isn't confusing enough, the Klingon decides to sow dissension between Goliath and his brother by convincing the brother that the real reason Goliath opposes the relationship is because Goliath wants the Princess for himself. This has the added bonus of pissing off Goliath's wife. Still with me?
Good! Meanwhile, King Eurystheus finally learns that the Princess is secretly lusting after Goliath's brother and throws her in the dungeon until such time as he can be bothered to marry her. Meanwhile, Goliath comes home, fights with his brother and his wife, gets pissed off at the poor welcome, pulls down his house with his bare hands, renounces the gods, and stalks off in a huff. With Goliath now really out of the way, King Eurystheus reconstitutes the anti-Thebes alliance. But, with his Klingon advisor goading him into pushing his luck, he decides to prove he's not afraid of Goliath by capturing and executing his now-estranged brother. However, there's estranged and then there's estranged. They get the capturing down, but Goliath assembles an army and arrives in time to attack the city, wrestle an elephant, save his brother and the Princess, and kill everyone else. And that, boys and girls, is why the smart people on primitive planets are learning to speak Romulan.
Greg Pearson
Vittorio Cottafavi
