Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie Review

Son of Samson (also referred to by the alternative title: Maciste in the Valley of the Kings) is an old-fashioned sword-and-sandal adventure epic. The classic adventure feature-film is produced by Luigi Carpentieri (Atlas Against the Cyclops, Captain Phantom) and Ermanno Donati (Mafia, Matchless). Executive produced by Piero Donati (The Avenger of Venice, The Witch’s Curse), Son of Samson stars Mark Forest and Chelo Alonso.

Maciste (Mark Forest) is a strong and heroic man who sets out on a mission. Maciste travels to the land of Tanis. Set during the Persian rule of Egypt, Maciste comes across the leader of Tanis: the powerful Queen Smedes (Chelo Alonso).

Queen Smedes is not a kind and soft ruler of the land. As Queen, she is determined to rule the city with a headstrong determination. The rule of Queen Smedes causes an onslaught of terror across the land (both near and far).

Determined to fight, Maciste leads a new rebellion against the Queen. Maciste wants to put an end to her rule. As a revolt begins, the drama unfolds. Who will be the victor? The stakes have never been so high.

The performances are entertaining. This is one of the best aspects of the filmmaking. Mark Forest and Chelo Alonso both have terrific fun with their roles. It is nice to see the two play off of one another in this film. Alonso is particularly talented with her role and she gives a commanding performance. The sense of urgency in the role is worthwhile.

The art direction by Oscar D'Amico (The Fury of Hercules, David and Goliath) is an excellent element of the filmmaking. The large-scale production looks compelling and provocative at times. It is nice to see these artistic elements so well highlighted. The production looks massive in scope – and some scenes highlight this extremely well (such as scenes showcasing the epic sands of the desert and the pyramids towering in the backdrop).

"Heave Ho!"

The costumes by Maria De Matteis (The Golden Coach, Gastone) were noteworthy and added to the sense of scale of the production. De Matteis has a good understanding of costume design. The lead actors are given impressive costuming to demonstrate the strengths and skills of the characters. A worthwhile effort by De Matteis.

Edited by Roberto Cinquini (A Fistful of Dollars, Divorce Italian Style), Son of Samson certainly has a good sense of rhythm. The pace is good and noteworthy. The sense of scale is enormous at times and a lot of this is due to the effective editing style bringing the tale together.

The cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini (Mission Stardust, The Last Hunter) is one of the most epic aspects of the production. The cinematography is artistic and ambitious (and there is plenty to find appreciable). Pallottini delivers a solid artistic aesthetic and the visuals help bring the tale to life.

The music by Carlo Innocenzi (Caesar Against the Pirates, Atlas Against the Cyclops) adds a sense of energy to the mix, too. The score is certainly ambitious and compelling – providing the right key ingredients for a sword-and-sandal epic. The score is essential for this type of production.  

Featuring a story and screenplay written by Oreste Biancoli (Bicycle Thieves, Marco Polo) and Ennio De Concini (Divorce Italian Style, Black Sunday), Son of Samson is a surprisingly fun and solid script. This is no doubt due to the talented screenwriters involved with the production. Despite having a somewhat standard genre approach, the script is well-penned and the characters are compelling. This gives a bit more scale and depth to the story.

Directed by Carlo Campogalliani (Forbidden Music, Captain Falcon), Son of Samson is certainly fun old- school entertainment. The production is epic in many respects – certainly, the film looks lavish with excellent design elements. There is much to appreciate about the solid directing by Campogalliani. Energetic, stylish, and artful, Son of Samson is a charming classic for fans of the genre. Worth a look.

Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Son of Samson is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release has received a nice-looking presentation of the film. Though the release is not sourced from a brand-new restoration, the print quality on the release is excellent looking.

The print on the release is in excellent shape and there is little wear to the video presentation. Colors are well reproduced. Detail is impressive and the encode benefits from showing robust aspects of the presentation. For a sword-and-sandal epic, the presentation does a nice job highlighting the epic vistas of the cinematography. Though the presentation might have benefited somewhat from a 4K restoration, the results used for the release are in excellent shape all things considered.

Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio on the release is worthwhile. Dialogue sounds clear and easy to understand on the release. The score sounds crisp as well. The encoding is worthwhile and certainly is a good accompaniment to the video presentation. A worthwhile presentation and one that doesn't suffer from any significant or egregious audio issues.

Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian David Del Valle and Filmmaker/Historian Michael Varrati

The Revolt of the Slaves Trailer (SD, 2:10)

Arabian Adventure Trailer (SD, 2:54)

Jack the Giant Killer Trailer (SD, 3:20)

The Magic Sword Trailer (SD, 2:42)

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Trailer (HD, 1:10)

Kino Cult Promo (HD, 1:08)

Son of Samson Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Son of Samson is an entertaining sword-and-sandal classic. The epic production features striking vistas and ambitious production merits. The technical aspects of the production are visually rewarding. The performances by stars Mark Forest and Chelo Alonso are entertaining. The sense of scale is certainly impressive.

The Blu-ray release of Son of Samson features a solid video and audio presentation. The set also includes an audio commentary track featuring film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker/historian Michael Varrati. Fans of classic adventure films will certainly find the release well worth considering. Recommended.