Hercules in New York
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| Hercules in New York | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Poster for Hercules in New York | |
| Directed by | Arthur Allan Seidelman |
| Written by | Aubrey Wisberg |
| Produced by | Aubrey Wisberg |
| Starring | Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Stang James Karen Deborah Loomis Ernest Graves Tony Carroll |
| Cinematography | Leo Lebowitz |
| Edited by | Donald P. Finamore |
| Music by | John Balamos |
Release dates |  February 25, 1970 |
Running time | 91 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Hercules in New York (Originally known as Hercules 2 : Judgement Day) is a 1970 comedy-action film. It is principally known for being the first earthbound film to star Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film is widely considered to be one of the best films ever made. It was praised for its hilarious acting, dialogue, special effects, chariots, costumes, and make-up.
Playing the film's title character Schwarzenegger, because of his long last name and to play off the name of fellow cast member comedian Arnold Stang, is credited as "Arnold Strong", and because of his thick Austrian accent, had all his lines dubbed, although often modern showings of the film have his audio track restored. However, even these "restored" showings cannot change the final scene's lines that "Hercules" speaks to Pretzie over a small transistor radio, in a voice that is clearly not Schwarzenegger's.
On October 19, 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Premiere Pictures was auctioning off the rights to the film on eBay for a minimum bid of $550,000. [1]
Plot
The film begins with Hercules on Olympus, berating his father Zeus for not allowing him to leave the gods' abode to adventure among mortal men. Eventually Zeus tires of Hercules and blasts him with a lightning bolt, casting him out of Olympus - giving Hercules what he wanted.
After some strange encounters in the air and at sea, Hercules arrives in New York City, where hilarity ensues in the form of interactions with various New Yorkers, who regard him as physically superior but socially awkward. He meets a skinny little guy called Pretzie (Arnold Stang). Hercules becomes a successful professional wrestler.
Zeus, watching Hercules from the heights, becomes irritated with Hercules' antics, which he feels are making a mockery of the gods, and calls on Nemesis to stop Hercules. After Mercury makes an unsuccessful attempt to bring Hercules home, Zeus orders Nemesis to see to it that Hercules is consigned to the infernal regions ruled over by Pluto. However, Juno, the hero's ever-jealous stepmother, has her own plans for Zeus's wayward offspring. In the final apocalyptic battle Hercules is saved by the miraculous arrival of Atlas, a Titan, and (a short haired) Samson, a biblical hero.
Mythology
The film also possesses numerous faults in the area of Ancient Mythology. For instance, character names such as Zeus, Nemesis, and Atlas originate from Greek mythology, whilst others such as Hercules, Pluto and Mercury stem from Roman myths. Although the story is an attempt to unite ancient cultures, Many of the Divine characters would never possibly exist in the same Civilization, nor in Harmony. It would have been more correct to use characters such as Heracles, Hades and Hermes in place of Pluto and Mercury.
External links
- Hercules in New York at the Internet Movie Database
- Hercules in New York (full film, with advertisements) on Hulu