Maciste is one of the oldest recurring characters of cinema, created by Gabriele d’Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. He is featured throughout the history of the cinema of Italy from the 1910s to the mid-1960s. He is usually depicted as a Hercules-like figure, utilizing his massive strength to achieve heroic feats that ordinary men cannot. In the original draft outline of the 1914 movie Cabiria by director Giovanni Pastrone, the muscular hero’s name had been Ercole. In the revised script, writer Gabriele d’Annunzio gave the character the name Maciste, which he understood (based on the above or similar sources) to be an erudite synonym for Hercules. Later writers constructed a folk etymology based on the name’s superficial similarity to the Italian word macigno, “large stone”. In the first of the 1960s films, Maciste tells another character in the film that his name means “born of the rock”, and in a later film, Maciste is actually shown in one scene appearing from within a solid rock wall in a cave as if by magic. In his debut in the 1914 Cabiria, a slave named Maciste (played by Bartolomeo Pagano) was involved in the rescue of a Roman girl named Cabiria from an evil Carthaginian priest who plotted to sacrifice her to the cruel god Moloch. Maciste’s debut set the tone for his later adventures. Including Cabiria itself, there have been at least 52 movies featuring Maciste, 27 of them being pre-1927 silent films starring Bartolomeo Pagano and the other 25 being a series of sound and color films produced in the early 1960s. Typical plots involve tyrannical rulers who practice vile magical rituals or worship evil gods. Typically, the young woman who is the love interest runs afoul of the evil ruler. Maciste, who possesses superhuman strength, must rescue her. There is often a rightful king who wants to overthrow the evil usurper, as well as a belly dance scene. There is often an evil queen who has carnal designs on the hero. These films were set in locales including Mongolia, Peru, Egypt, and the Roman Empire. His character and his plots remained consistent in whatever setting; he was always a populist Hercules, using his physical prowess to overcome the evil ruses of effete aristocrats and authority figures.
Creators/Key Contributors Gabriele d’Annunzio, Giovanni Pastrone
First Appearance Cabiria (1914)
First Publisher Itala Film
Appearance List At least 52 movies featuring Maciste, 27 pre-1927 silent films starring Bartolomeo Pagano, the other 25 sound and color films produced in the early 1960s.
Description Maciste is one of the oldest recurring characters of cinema, created by Gabriele d’Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. He is featured throughout the history of the cinema of Italy from the 1910s to the mid-1960s. He is usually depicted as a Hercules-like figure, utilizing his massive strength to achieve heroic feats that ordinary men cannot. In the original draft outline of the 1914 movie Cabiria by director Giovanni Pastrone, the muscular hero’s name had been Ercole. In the revised script, writer Gabriele d’Annunzio gave the character the name Maciste, which he understood (based on the above or similar sources) to be an erudite synonym for Hercules. Later writers constructed a folk etymology based on the name’s superficial similarity to the Italian word macigno, “large stone”. In the first of the 1960s films, Maciste tells another character in the film that his name means “born of the rock”, and in a later film, Maciste is actually shown in one scene appearing from within a solid rock wall in a cave as if by magic. In his debut in the 1914 Cabiria, a slave named Maciste (played by Bartolomeo Pagano) was involved in the rescue of a Roman girl named Cabiria from an evil Carthaginian priest who plotted to sacrifice her to the cruel god Moloch. Maciste’s debut set the tone for his later adventures. Including Cabiria itself, there have been at least 52 movies featuring Maciste, 27 of them being pre-1927 silent films starring Bartolomeo Pagano and the other 25 being a series of sound and color films produced in the early 1960s. Typical plots involve tyrannical rulers who practice vile magical rituals or worship evil gods. Typically, the young woman who is the love interest runs afoul of the evil ruler. Maciste, who possesses superhuman strength, must rescue her. There is often a rightful king who wants to overthrow the evil usurper, as well as a belly dance scene. There is often an evil queen who has carnal designs on the hero. These films were set in locales including Mongolia, Peru, Egypt, and the Roman Empire. His character and his plots remained consistent in whatever setting; he was always a populist Hercules, using his physical prowess to overcome the evil ruses of effete aristocrats and authority figures.
