Here Goliath or Maciste , (the bouncing Mark Forest who , nowadays , he currently teaches opera in the Los Angeles area) , along with Xandros , Giuliano Gemma , and Aceas , Mimmo Palmara battle for the freedom of the Babylonian people . They are the three invincible who join forces with a band of rebels led by Evandro , Livio Lorenzon . Then , Maciste participates a chariot race winning over the Princess of Babylonian , José Greci , though by terms the competition she must marry the winner , but Goliath renounces to be aware she is in love for his colleague Xandros . Later on , they unite wills against two tyrants : Morakeg , Erno Crisa , and King Rukus , Paul Muller . Meanwhile , they attempt to save virginal girls to be sacrificed.Good Peplum with noisy action , thrills , fights , comical touches and resulting to be pretty entertaining . It's an adventure film with all the ingredients as sword-play , action , brawls , comedy , amusement and typical confrontation between good guys and bad guys . The film displays some impressive scenes about ship battles as well as horse races in Ben Hur style . The picture allows for periods of humor , -as the comic relief is frequently provided by the likable midget- and calm in which to establish characters punctuated by viscerally exciting bursts of action . Stars Mark Forest considered to be one of the best Peplum actors along with Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott . He-man Forest was a hunk who made great number of roman epic films also called ¨Musclemen movies¨ . He was one of a number of bodybuilder and physique model types who followed muscleman Steve Reeves out to Italy in the early 60s and won campy notice playing Herculean characters in those campy Italian sand-and-spear epics . Ursus, Maciste , Goliath , Samson , Hércules , Atlas , Rocha ..., those Italian Muscle man producers must have had a hard time figuring out what to call the musclebound actors who played all these legendary muscleman heroes . Being other second-class Muscle men players the followings : Dan Vadis , Rock Stevens , Gordon Mitchell , Brad Harris , Samson Burke , Reg Park , Ed Fury , Richard Harrison , Kirk Morris , Alan Steel or Sergio Ciani and subsequently Lou Ferrigno . Nobody, nevertheless , topped Steve Reeves in popularity , though Gordon Scott and Mark Forest made him an important competence . Third generation Italian American Forest was the second American actor bodybuilder , after Steve Reeves , to be recruited by Italian producers to star in sword and sandal films . As Mark Forest played a lot of Péplum , such as : Maciste Il invincible , Hercules against the sons of the sun , Leon Di Tebas , Goliath and the Dragón , Maciste Contra I Mongoles , Vengeance of Hercules , among others . As Mark used the money he made making gladiator movies in Italy to study Opera , residing in L.A. where he teaches singing and usually works as a personal trainer . Costars the sympathetic Giuliano Gemma whose first star film was a Peplum : Los Titanes , following several Spaghettis as Ringo , the return of Ringo , Adios gringo , Arizona Colt , California , Day of wrath , Wanted , and Tex .This film also known as Los Three Invencibles or Goliath and the sins of Babylon or Maciste the World greatest hero contains great production design , brilliant photography , enjoyable soundtrack and a cast of thousands . And evocative and atmospheric musical score by Francesco De Massi . Besides , a colorful and shining cinematography by Mancori . The motion picture was well directed by Michele Lupo who directed all kinds of genres . As Lupo made Peplum as Seven rebel gladiators , The Strongest slaves , La vendetta Di Spartacus ; Westerns as Fistful of knuckles , California , Arizona Colt and Bud Spencer movies as The sheriff and the little extraterrestrial , Bombardero and Buddy goes West

This superior sword and sandal saga benefits enormously from lofty production values, a solid cast, and a believable storyline. Nothing supernatural occurs in "Goliath and the Sins of Babylon." Our half-clad muscle-bound hero doesn't tangle with three-headed canines, fire-breathing dragons, or flying man-bats. As usual, this epic concerns an enslaved nation whose rebels plot to overthrow an tyrannical ruler, end palace intrigue, and allow a rightful heir to ascend to the throne. What sets "Goliath and the Sins of Babylon" apart from other ancient epics is the skillful use of irony and the surprises in the screenplay by Lionello De Felice of "Colossus of the Arena," Roberto Gianviti of "Seven Slaves Against the World," and Francesco Scardamaglia of "Seven Rebel Gladiators." "Colossus of the Arena" director Michele Lupo draws on a dwarf for comic relief. Mark Forest makes a sympathetic strongman hero, while Erno Crisa and Piero Lulli are sufficiently treacherous as the villains. Future Spaghetti western star Giuliano Gemma co-stars as Goliath's friend and ally Xandros. An anonymous narrator establishes the setting: "Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the small kingdom of Nefer in the Persian Gulf was forced to pay tribute to its conqueror Babylon. The people of Nefer trembled with outrage and fear as the soldiers came to collect the yearly price, thirty of the loveliest virgins of the land." As the film opens, a girl (Eleonora Bianchi of "Ulysses against the Son of Hercules") bids farewell to her tearful family before the soldiers of King Pergasos, wearing red outfits, appropriate her as one of the sacrificial thirty. She tries to escape. Just when she believes she had eluded Pergasos's troops in the market place, she runs smack into the arms of another soldier. Goliath (Mark Forest of "Son of Samson") objects to the way the soldier roughs up the girl and intervenes on her behalf. After Goliath displays his courage against the armed soldiers, they flee like cowards. A resourceful little person, the mischievous dwarf Ninneto (Arnaldo Fabrizio of "Samson and the Mighty Challenge"), emerges from his hiding place in a basket strapped to a horse and warns Goliath about the consequences of this act of defiance. Ninneto flees to a nearby tavern and tells Alceas (Mimmo Palmara of "Kindar the Invulnerable") and his friend Xandros (Giuliano Gemma of "Day of Anger") about Goliath. When these two see Goliath surrounded by the soldiers, they ride to his rescue. They literally hoist the strong man up by his brawny biceps and carry him away between them. An imperturbable Goliath threatens to unhorse them, but they convince him not to because all three of them would be captured. Meanwhile, Pergasos's soldiers pursue them on horseback, but the little fellow shuts the city gates before the Pergasos's men reach it. The next time we see Goliath, Alceas, and Xandros, they are behind bars in an arena watching gladiators practice. Initially, Goliath refuses to become a gladiator. The leader of an underground movement against the monarchy, Evandro (Livio Lorenzon of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"), explains to Goliath that the men training as gladiators in the arena are a part of a conspiracy to overthrow their dastardly ruler. According to Evandro, Nefer fought a war with Babylon four years ago and lost. The king of Nefer was murdered, and his older brother, Pergasos (Piero Lulli of "My Name Is Nobody"),arranged an armistice with Babylon. The Babylonians take thirty virgins annually and sacrifice them. When Goliath asks about the slain king's daughter, Regia (José Greci of "War Gods of Babylon"), Evandro explains their law dictates that she must take a husband before she can rule. A frustrated Evandro fumes: "Who knows when a marriage will take place." Xandros states that they have pledged to halt these shipments of slave girls to Babylon. Evandro invites Goliath to join them so they will be 42 in number. Ninneto chimes in "42 and a half" and joins them, too. "Alright," Alceas chuckles, "we'll make you our mascot." Indeed, Ninneto serves as comic relief, and he is genuinely funny, a little guy who can knock out unsuspecting warriors three-times his own size. The pottery scene where he eludes the soldiers is better than you'd imagine, particularly because Ninneto gets away! "Colossus of the Arena" director Michele Lupo stages a boisterous sea battle, a careening chariot race, and several sword fights with aplomb. Mind you, the chariot race is nothing compared to "Ben-Hur," but the arena setting is spectacular enough for an Italian peplum. Lupo is particularly adept at creating interesting transitions and the one involving the gong being struck is really good. The only thing lacking is the typical trials that the herculean hero endures to prove his strength. Displays of brawn do not appear as often as they do in other better peplum movies. One of the big scenes shows Goliath chained to a slab in the dudgeon. Above him are several holes and each hole conceals a wicked looking spear. The spears are released by means of cutting the rope holding them and then this pointed weapons travel downward toward its victim. It is a cop-out that none of the spears actually strike our hero. The spears stop several inches from his important body parts while he patiently waits and then later rips out the irons restraining him. Overall, Lupo does a good job with "Goliath and the Sins of Babylon." The Retromedia DVD widescreen presentation on Retromedia looks fantastic. This is one of the most polished looking Peplums ever with pristine looking sets. This marked lenser Mario Sbrenna's debut as cinematographer, and he makes everything appear larger-than-life. Unfortunately, we never get to witness any of the sins of Babylon, short of people being fed to lions.

The use of Little People (or "midgets" in hammerhead speak) in these Italian Peplum films always puzzles me. I am sure the diminutive actors were delighted to have the opportunity to work and it looks like most of them enjoyed their experiences. The purpose appears to be comic relief: Watch the little guy run between the legs of the two Pizza-Pizza guards with their plumed helmets, they bend down to grab him, their heads konk together & the mini hero turns, issues a poorly lip synced wise crack, and later ends up reclining on a couch surrounded by fawning harem girls who think he's so cute ... Watch the midget bonk a guy over the head with a club to save the muscle bound hero, Ho Ho Ho. I'll grant that the Midget Role is an important part of the Peplum film formula, but the hyperactive, wise-cracking ball of energy in this one is SO obnoxiously used that it detracts from what otherwise would have been a 10/10 effort. Times have changed over the course of the 43 years (!!) since this film was made and I don't find midgets to be inherently funny. So pardon my raining on the parade here a bit.All that aside this is a *WAY* superior action/adventure film populated & made by the best from the Italian cult genre school of film-making: Director Michele Lupo, composer Francesco De Masi, and performers Mark Forest, genre legend Giuliano Gemma, José Greci, José Canalejas, Piero Lulli, and the great Paul Muller. The scope of the film is also on a much grander scale than the usual throwaway Peplum shenanigans of Pizza-Pizza guards chasing a Son of Hercules & his damsel in distress over the familiar looking countrysides of Morocco, Spain, France or Italy that would later be featured in the Spaghetti Western craze which came after the Peplum Fad died out: It's like SPARTACUS meets BEN HUR meets HERCULES meets THE SEVEN GLADIATORS -- A group of super noble Adonis types battles an evil tyrant king to free their people from the yoke of oppression, namely a yearly tribute of "The 30 most lovely virgins" as sacrifices to the gods. The whole idea of depleting a people of their most sexually attractive women just to sacrifice them is of course appalling but ultimately counter-productive. Who in their right mind would want to selectively exterminate all of the good lookin' babes?? Again, with all that aside, this movie totally rocks: There is an extended, violent chariot race, duels to the death a-plenty, scenes where the Herculean heroes take on entire squadrons of Pizza-Pizza guards & make them look like buffoons, prisoners being thrown to the lions for kicks, and an eye-popping battle between two full-sized war galleons that were made just for use in the film that is amongst the most spectacular battle scenes from these potboilers that I've ever witnessed. A surprisingly large sum of money & talent was sunk into this project (1963 was perhaps the zenith year for the Peplum Fad) and it shows. Even non-fans of the genre will be impressed & entertained by the film, with gorgeous women, expansive detailed set construction, some genuinely creative camera work, a cast of thousands and a body count to match, dialog that actually sounds like stuff out of classical Roman history, nefarious court intrigue that holds the fates of entire peoples in the balance, and truly committed performances by the leads ... even the midget throws himself into the role with a certain amount of gusto that's admirable if ultimately annoying to the point of detracting from how seriously one can really regard the film during his scenes.No offense meant mind you, I just don't understand why someone would go through so much effort to create a really superior, epic scale entertainment & then shoot themselves in the foot with extraneous craparoni. But to quote the late Dr. Carl Sagan yet again, "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with mere human ambition", and if getting to enjoy such a splendid film requires couple dozen stupid midget humor scenes then that is a price I will be happy to pay. This movie RULEZ! 9/10: Leave the midget at home next time guys, they aren't funny anymore, and serve only to demonstrate the insensitivity of the times in which the movie was made. So be it.

Pretty good sword and sandal "epic" if you will with using that term. Mark Forrest, who played second fiddle to the immortal Steve Reeves in most of the Hercules type films coming out of Italy, plays the legendary so called "Maciste" in the Italian version and is given the name "Goliath" in the American release of this film. Forrest as usual comes to the rescue of the populace in Babylon, where according to a peace treaty signed with warring Nephyr that 30 virgin girls a year must be either sent or sacrificed whatever as tribute. Naturally a secret band of rebels, led by the ever sword and sandal favorite, Livio Lorenzon with that patented bald head leads a revolt to stop the sacrifice. Forrest joins in with those bulging biceps on display throughout the film and leads the slaves to victory....pretty good chariot race, ala "Ben Hur" in the film with Goliath winning out over the Queen of Babylon, who by terms of the race must marry the winner. Goliath realizes that the queen is in love with another man, one of the slaves leading the revolt and he promises to get them back together at all costs. Plenty of action with fighting ships, and lions on the loose after being led out of dungeons in the city. Forrest displays some bulging pecs and biceps in one scene where he is pinned down on a table with dangling spears falling down one by one intent on keeping him guessing which one will inevitably kill him. Guess what, the biceps rip off the shackles and Goliath escapes...!! One of the better sword and sandal films. All it was missing was Steve Reeves or Gordon Scott to round out the cast.