

The real scandal of Rome? Hollywood's obsession with white guys in togas.
The history of the peplum genre, known as sword-and-sandal cinema, set in Antiquity, from the silent film era to the present day.
Editing
Juxtaposing Hercules clips with McCarthy-era propaganda footage.
Director
Jérôme Korkikian
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The term 'peplum' was originally French film critic slang from the 1950s, later reclaimed by scholars.
The documentary reveals how Italian peplum studios deliberately cast bodybuilders to compete with Hollywood's 'intellectual' epics, accidentally creating a queer subculture around muscular male physiques that producers never anticipated.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters