The Colossus of Rhodes

"A monster statue of bronze and stone...A fabulous fortress 20 stories tall!"

1961 2h 7m IT

😐

5.9

MID

🥫

56%

ROTTEN

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 226🥫56%Rotten Tomatoes★5.8IMDB · 4,571

AdventureDramaHistory

Synopsis

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While on holiday in Rhodes, Athenian war hero Darios becomes involved in two different plots to overthrow the tyrannical king, one from Rhodian patriots and the other from sinister Phoenician agents.

“A monster statue of bronze and stone...A fabulous fortress 20 stories tall!”

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Cast

Rory Calhoun
Darios
Lea Massari
Diala
Georges Marchal
Peliocles
Conrado San Martín
Thar
Ángel Aranda
Koros, Peliocles' brother
Mabel Karr
Mirte, Peliocles' sister
Mimmo Palmara
Ares
Roberto Camardiel
Serse, King of Rhodes

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sergio Leone
Writers: Luciano Chitarrini, Ageo Savioli, Ennio De Concini
Languages: Italian
Countries: Spain, France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Spain, France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sergio Leone, shot by Antonio L. Ballesteros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Eraldo Da Roma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rory Calhoun and Lea Massari and Georges Marchal carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A monster statue of bronze and stone...A fabulous fortress 20 stories tall!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0054756 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sergio Leone directs. Antonio L. Ballesteros behind the camera. Angelo Francesco Lavagnino scores. Eraldo Da Roma cuts. Produced in Spain, France, Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

165 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: Spain, France, Italy.
3Directed by Sergio Leone, shot by Antonio L. Ballesteros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Eraldo Da Roma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Rory Calhoun and Lea Massari and Georges Marchal carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A monster statue of bronze and stone...A fabulous fortress 20 stories tall!".
8IMDB entry: tt0054756 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "hero", "inventor", "coup d'etat", "invention".

The technical file

Cinematography: Antonio L. Ballesteros
Original score: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Editing: Eraldo Da Roma
Production design: Ramiro Gómez
Costume design: Vittorio Rossi
Makeup / hair: Angelo Malantrucco
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $350,000
Original language: IT
IMDB: The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)
Rotten Tomatoes: 56% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 4,571 votes
MPAA: Approved

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Sergio Leone

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-12-22
★ 6/10
"Dario" (Rory Calhoun) is a travelling Athenian having some time off on the beautiful island of Rhodes. He's a bit of a military hero so is fêted by his new hosts who on the other hand have quite a lucrative slave-trading business going on with their Phoenician friends. What "Dario" soon learns, though, is that there is a plan afoot to topple "King Serse" (Roberto Camardiel) and use the mighty statue that guards their harbour mouth to ruthless effect if anyone anyone tries to interfere with their ambitions to rule the island and trade in even more lost souls. Mired in these conspiracies is "Diala" (Lea Massari) to whom our visitor takes a bit of a shine - but is she all that she seems? I like the genre and this production has seen some effort go into the costumes and visual effects - especially around the huge bronze statue and it's menacing payload. Snag? Well there's just far too much dialogue, nowhere near enough action - and it's long. It does drag at times, especially in the middle with the cat and mouse romance cluttering up what adventure elements there are. Calhoun was only ever really a decent looking, competent, actor - and here offers little more as we plod along to the historically established denouement. Conrado San Martín's "Tireo" makes for a passable baddie, though, and all-in-all I did quite enjoy it.

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