Spartacus (1960), 300 (2006), Cabiria (1914), Cleopatra (1963), Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Hail, Caesar! (2016) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Peplum movies.
Storyline: In 73 B.C., a Thracian slave leads a revolt at a gladiatorial school run by Lentulus Batiatus (Sir Peter Ustinov). The uprising soon spreads across the Italian Peninsula involving thousand of slaves. The plan is to acquire sufficient funds to acquire ships from Silesian pirates who could then transport them to other lands from Brandisium in the south. The Roman Senator Gracchus (Charles Laughton) schemes to have Marcus Publius Glabrus (John Dall), Commander of the garrison of Rome, lead an army against the slaves who are living on Vesuvius. When Glabrus is defeated his mentor, Senator and General Marcus Licinius Crassus (Sir Laurence Olivier) is greatly embarrassed and leads his own army against the slaves. Spartacus and the thousands of freed slaves successfully make their way to Brandisium only to find that the Silesians have abandoned them. They then turn north and must face the might of Rome.
Plot Keywords: freedom, homosexual subtext, training, sword, swimming, suicide, spit in the face ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. Persian King Xerxes led a Army of well over 100,000 (Persian king Xerxes before war has about 170,000 army) men to Greece and was confronted by 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, and 400 Thebans. Xerxes waited for 10 days for King Leonidas to surrender or withdraw but left with no options he pushed forward. After 3 days of battle all the Greeks were killed. The Spartan defeat was not the one expected, as a local shepherd, named Ephialtes, defected to the Persians and informed Xerxes that the separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians could use to outflank the Greeks, was not as heavily guarded as they thought.
Plot Keywords: battle, warrior, greece, army, based on graphic novel, persian, ancient greece ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Three centuries before Christus. Young Cabiria is kidnapped by some pirates during one eruption of the Etna. She is sold as a slave in Carthage, and as she is just going to be sacrificed to god Moloch, Cabiria is rescued by both Fulvio Axilla, a Roman noble, and his giant slave Maciste. Maciste is captured just after having confided Cabiria to Sophinisbe's safe keeping, while Fulvio Axilla manages to escape from Carthage. Ten years went away with Punic wars before he is able to come back to Carthage...—Yepok
Plot Keywords: slave, destruction, alps, north africa, peplum, whipping, walled city ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar (Sir Rex Harrison) pursues Pompey from Pharsalia to Egypt. Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O'Sullivan), now supreme ruler after deposing his older sister, Cleopatra VII (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), attempts to gain favor with Caesar by presenting the conquerer with the head of Pompey, borne by his governors, Pothinus (Grégoire Aslan) and Achillas (John Doucette). To win Caesar's support from her brother, Cleopatra hides herself in a rug, which Apollodorus (Cesare Danova), her servant, presents to Caesar. The Roman is immediately infatuated. Banishing Ptolemy, he declares Cleopatra Egypt's sole ruler and takes her as his mistress. A son, Caesarion (Loris Loddi), is born of their union. Caesar, however, must return to Italy. Although he is briefly reunited with Cleopatra during a magnificent reception for the Queen in Rome, Caesar is assassinated shortly thereafter, and Cleopatra returns to Egypt. When Mark Antony (Richard Burton), Caesar's protégé, beholds Cleopatra...
Plot Keywords: egypt, title spoken by character, ancient rome, ancient egypt, sword and sandal, femme fatale, peplum ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A village is attacked by the evil ruler of the Snake Cult, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his evil warriors, when Thulsa Doom and his warriors kills his parents, a young boy named Conan (Jorge Sanz) is enslaved. Years later, Conan grows up and becomes a mighty warrior and is trained as a fighter. After years as a slave and as a gladiator, Conan is set free. Conan sets out on a quest as he vows to avenge his parents and solve the riddle of steel. Joined by a archer named Subotai (Gerry Lopez), a beautiful thief who falls in love with Conan, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and a Chinese wizard (Mako), Conan and his companions sets out to rescue Princess Yasmina (Valérie Quennessen), daughter of King Osric (Max von Sydow), from the Snake Cult, and get his revenge on Thulsa Doom and avenge his parents.
Plot Keywords: evil sorcerer, bare chested male, female nudity, bare breasts, muscleman, cult film, female frontal nudity ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Intent on securing peace and prosperity throughout the mighty Roman Empire, the wise diplomat, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, calls together the local governors from all over the Empire, after conquering the Germanic tribes. With this in mind, Marcus has decided to turn over his crown and the much-coveted imperial throne to General Livius, instead of choosing his corrupt son and logical successor, Commodus. As a result, high treason and blind ambition lead to the death of Aurelius by poisoning, paving the way for a new era of oppression, endless machinations, and rapid decline. Now, as darkness prevails on the outskirts of the Empire where the Roman legions struggle to subdue the invading hordes, delusional Commodus declares himself a god, and no one is safe; not even Aurelius' daughter, Lucilla. Can anyone stop the fall of the Roman Empire?—Nick Riganas
Plot Keywords: romantic rivalry, based on true story, ancient rome, damsel in distress, european history, roman empire, unrequited love ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The story picks up at the point where "The Robe (1953)" ends, following the martyrdom of Diana and Marcellus. Christ's robe is conveyed to Peter for safe-keeping, but the emperor Caligula wants it back to benefit from its powers. Marcellus' former slave Demetrius seeks to prevent this, and catches the eye of Messalina, wife to Caligula's uncle Claudius. Messalina tempts Demetrius, he winds up fighting in the arena, and wavers in his faith.—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>
Plot Keywords: escape attempt, superstition, soldier, slavery, seduction, roman empire, prayer ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: This movie follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a Hollywood fixer for Capitol Pictures in the 1950s, who cleans up and solves problems for big names and stars in the industry. But when studio star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) disappears, Mannix has to deal with more than just the fix.
Plot Keywords: film within a film, hollywood, dance number, film industry, screenwriter, film premiere, lasso ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Dar, the son of a king, is hunted by a priest after his birth, so he is sent to grow up in another family. When he becomes a grown man, his new father is murdered by savages. He discovers that he has the ability to communicate with the animals, and after that, Dar begins his quest for revenge in this Conan-like movie.
Plot Keywords: sword and sorcery, breasts, animal human communication, first of series, sword and fantasy, action hero, cult director ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis. He is enslaved for his trouble. The King is being manipulated by an evil sorcerer who is bent on using a natural resource of Atlantis to take over the world. The Atlanteans, or rather the slaves of Atlantis, are forced to mine a crystalline material which absorbs the suns rays. These crystals can then be used for warmth. The misuse of science has created weapons out of the crystals that can fire a heat ray to destroy whatever it touches.—<harold.lind@airtouch.com>
Plot Keywords: map, laughter, knife, key, insult, insect, hypnotism ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The rise and fall of the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula (Malcolm McDowell), showing the violent methods that he employs to gain the throne, and the subsequent insanity of his reign. He gives his horse political office and humiliates and executes anyone who even slightly displeases him. He also sleeps with his sister, organizes elaborate orgies and embarks on a fruitless invasion of Britain before meeting an appropriate end. There are various versions of this movie, ranging from the heavily truncated one hour and thirty-minute version to the legendary two hour and forty-minute hardcore version which leaves nothing to the imagination (though the hardcore scenes were inserted later and did not involve the main cast members).
Plot Keywords: unsimulated sex, assassination, blood, masturbation, rape, incest, brutality ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Two boxing promoters travel via time machine back to the days of Hercules, who must save them from Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde.
Plot Keywords: peplum, bare chested male, bare chested male bondage, bare chested male fighting, campy, camp, psychotronic film ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A duel takes place in order to put an end to the long and bloody war between the Romans and the Albans. Three valiant brothers are chosen for each side. The Romans choose three brothers: the Orazi. The Albans are represented by the Curiazi. During the fierce and bloody final duel the Romans defeat their opponents.—Salvatore Santangelo <pappagone2@libero.it>
Plot Keywords: sword and sandal, suicide, roman empire, presumed dead, king, captive, brother brother relationship ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The tyrant Gedren seeks the total power in a world of barbarism. She attacks and kills the keepers of a powerful talisman just before it is destroyed. Gedren then uses the power of the talisman in her raid of the city Hablac. Red Sonja, sister of the keeper, sets out with her magic sword to overthrow Gedren. The talisman's master Kalidor follows to protect her. Of course they fall in love - however Red Sonja's power bases on the oath to never give herself to any man...
Plot Keywords: sword and sorcery, sword and fantasy, rape, female nudity, redheaded woman, warrior, villainess ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A barbarian named Kull unexpectedly becomes a king after an old king (whom Kull has just killed in a battle) gives his crown to him. But direct heirs of a killed king, trying to topple Kull and regain the throne, bring an old witch-queen Akivasha back to life. Their plan backfires, however, as Akivasha is going to allow their lords - demons - to rule the kingdom. The only thing that can stop her now is a breath of the god Volka.—Boris Shafir <shafir@hsi.com>
Plot Keywords: sword and sorcery, sword and fantasy, sword and sandal, swordsman, sword fight, wrestling, ambush ...
Movie Details Click Here!