MARK...THE MAGNIFICENT! by Dave Goode

No other actor other than Steve Reeves himself is probably more identified with the sinew & sandal movie genre than Mark Forest. Born Lou Degni in Brooklyn , New York in 1933 he began bodybuilding as a teenager and competed in and won a number of contests. The story goes that a Hollywood scout saw his photo on the cover of a physical culture magazine and invited him to Hollywood to audition for the role of " Tarzan ". He didn't get the role. But he got a job working in Mae West's night club act. He would also work for a time in the night club act of ecdysiast Lilli " The Cat Girl " Christine. At the peak of the peplum movie cycle Forest would pack up his muscle shirts and head to Europe and become a star. Mostly playing Maciste , the character originally played by strongman Bartolomeo Pagano. Pagano would portray the character in over a dozen movies beginning in 1914 in the silent film epic CABIRIA. He would even legally have his name changed to Maciste. Mark Forest would be the only other actor as identified with the character.The Forest peplum flicks are some of the most entertaining from the genre. But there are four that I recommend above all the others.

 

 

GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON ( 1960 ) was Forest's first muscleman movie. And a pretty cool fantasy film. What's interesting about this one is that it was originally a " Hercules " movie. In most of his movies he portrayed Maciste and they were re-dubbed and re-titled so that he was playing more familiar characters ( to American audiences ) like Hercules and Samson. Those familiar with mythology realize that the character Forest is playing here is Hercules because the plot has the character performing a several of the 12 Labors of Hercules. And the movie's villain , portrayed by Broderick Crawford , is King Eurysteseus from the Hercules legend.

 

In SON OF SAMSON ( 1960 ) Forest plays Maciste for the first time and co-stars with the sexy Chelo Alonso , the Queen of the Sinew & Sandal genre. The character is given an origin as being the " Son of Samson ". And considering what a womanizer the biblical strongman was it's not hard to imagine that Samson had a child or two. Even if the Bible never mentions any offspring. Over the years though some historians have speculated that Phillistine women had their way with Samson after he had been blinded and made a prisoner. Hoping to have his strength passed on to their children. This theory speculates that the Phillistine giant Goliath may have been Samson's grandson.

 

MOLE MEN AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES ( 1961 ) has Forest co - starring with beautiful Moira Orfei who plays the evil queen of an underground nation. Also in this film is bodybuilding champion Paul Wynter as Bangor , Maciste's sidekick.It's interesting to compare Forest's physique to that of a Mr. Universe winner. Forest also does battle with an ape -suit actor. This is a fun flick. But any flick instantly becomes better with the inclusion of an ape - suit.

 

 

 

And of course there is THE TERROR OF ROME AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES ( 1964 ). In this one Forest fights against Christian persecution. But only after he falls in love with a Christian woman. Beautiful Marilu Tolo is the patrician woman who loves the muscular hero. And who gives up her life for him even after he chooses the Christian heroine over her. There's plenty of gladiatorial combat in this one. Including Forest fighting another ape - suit actor. This gorilla suit is one of the cheesiest ever seen onscreen. It barely resembles a gorilla. Which has led some fan-boys to imagine it was actually a " mangani " from the Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan books. An interesting theory.

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