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Who is Maciste?
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Maciste:
Pronounced Ma-Cheese-Tay. Maciste is one of those "public domain"
kind of heroic characters that has been done so many times in so many
ways that it's unclear as to just what he is or what he's about.
He is an Italian and French creation. In French, the word
"machiste" means "macho man" or "male chauvenist". When developed
for Italian film, the "h" was simply taken out of his name.
Typically, Maciste is portrayed as a warrior from Ancient Greece or
Ancient Rome...often with super strength. There was no Maciste in
Greek or Roman mythology. He is basically a ripoff of the
Hercules legend. Maciste has often been made to look like
Hercules and perform similar feats of strength and heroism.
Primarily known for his appearances in the "sword and sandal" genre of
Italian gladiator movies, Maciste is usually panned by critics and not
known for winning a lot of film awards. Like all things
interesting, there is a world of stupid people that don't want to admit
that shows like these are fun to watch.
The very first time Maciste came into being was in a 1914 Italian film. Fun fact: this was also the same year that Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan" character appeared in published stories. It's been estimated that Maciste's appeared in about 52 movies since that time. The exact number is up for debate, but make no mistake he has been done a lot. He is so often associated with Hercules that many English-speaking versions of those films simply rename the character Hercules. After all, Hercules is a more popular name whereas Maciste is basically limited to Italian and French popular culture. One such film where the character of Maciste was renamed Hercules is "Hercules Against the Moon Men".
The very first time Maciste came into being was in a 1914 Italian film. Fun fact: this was also the same year that Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan" character appeared in published stories. It's been estimated that Maciste's appeared in about 52 movies since that time. The exact number is up for debate, but make no mistake he has been done a lot. He is so often associated with Hercules that many English-speaking versions of those films simply rename the character Hercules. After all, Hercules is a more popular name whereas Maciste is basically limited to Italian and French popular culture. One such film where the character of Maciste was renamed Hercules is "Hercules Against the Moon Men".