Maciste

Cabiria

The silent film was a story about a slave who was involved in the rescue of a Roman princess from an evil Carthaginian king who plotted to sacrifice her to the cruel god Moloch. The film was based very loosely on Salammbo, a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert, and had a plot and screnplay by Gabriele d'Annunzio.

Related Topics:
Roman - Carthaginian - King - Moloch - Salammbo - Historical novel - Gustave Flaubert - Gabriele d'Annunzio

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Maciste's debut pretty much set the tone for his later adventures. Typical plots involve tyrannical rulers who practice vile magical rituals or worship evil gods. Typically, the young lady who is the love interest runs afoul of the evil ruler. Maciste is a super-strong guy who must rescue her. There is often a rightful king out there somewhere who wants to overthrow the evil usurper. There is an obligatory belly dance scene. There is often an evil queen who has carnal designs on the hero.

Related Topics:
Magical - God - Belly dance

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These films, then, could be set in settings from Mongolia to Peru, from Egypt to the Roman Empire. His life story, or his origin in ancient Carthage, did not prevent him from appearing in any setting from classical antiquity or modern times.

Related Topics:
Mongolia - Peru - Egypt - Roman Empire

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