When we started this podcast we had no idea that we would
eventually be reviewing a sword and sandal film. We knew that we would be
delving deeply into Paul Naschy’s list of credits and seeing movies that were
going to be new to us but the number of surprises has been stunning. Thrillers
were expected and crime movies were a given along with the obvious horror
output but the comedies were a shock and this film has to be acknowledged as a
major unexpected revelation. Strangely,Troy and
I disagree on the film’s quality level but the discussion finds us agreeing on
more points than you might expect.
Couched as an historical account of an odd moment in Spanish
history LOS CANTABROS is the tale of Roman conquest in 29A.D. (or was it 32
B.C.?). While there may be much doubt as to the facts surrounding the film’s
hero Caracotta there is ample historical record about Naschy’s Roman General
Marcus Agrippa and his relationship with Emperor Caesar Augustus. Naschy’s
re-tooled screenplay uses a lot of detail from history to obscure the
unfortunate fact that this was a very low budget production. This sometimes
works to benefit the proceedings and sometimes it really doesn’t. Really- it
doesn't!
We relate what little we could discover about the film’s
history, talk about its bizarre tone shifts, wonder why certain actors were in
particular roles, question the apparent patriotism in the film’s speeches and
bitch about the crappy print we have to watch - all while dissecting this hard
to find would-be epic. As always the show is available from the link below or
through the iTunes store or streaming from Stitcher Radio. We do prattle on!
You can drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the Facebook
page.
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