Hercules and the Amazon Women

The story of how Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's Renaissance Pictures came to be the producer for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is related in Robert Weisbrot's excellent book on the series, so I won't go into it here. The book is published by Doubleday, and can be found in most bookstores in the United States. (The fact that Bob, like myself, hails from the beautiful state of Maine has nothing to do with my blatant plug of his book. It is a fabulous companion volume for fans of the series.)

All the original Action Pack movies are available on video and DVD. Being the fan that I am, of course, I have them all on tape. I was amazed at how much the series had changed over the years. Just as surprising was how many things had remained the same.

The plot of this movie centers on the village of Gargarencia and their problems with the local tribe of Amazons. Indeed, the plot isn't anything special by the standards of the series, but it does allow for the transformation of Hercules from the "man's man" of Greek myth to the sensitive hero we have come to know over the years.

The film is blatantly chauvinistic, reflecting the attitudes of the ancient world in its solid line between men and women's roles. A young girl is told that she can't play with the boys; even Alcmene washes her son's feet when he returns home. This can be a bit shocking to a viewer more familiar with the enlightened times of the regular series.

All of this underlying "battle of the sexes" takes on a new meaning when Hercules -- accompanied by his good friend Iolaus -- encounters the Amazons in the forest. Hercules falls in love with Hippolyta, their queen, and comes to realize that women, while certainly different from men, are no less significant. They deserve respect and friendship just as men do.

It is this underlying theme of the equality between men and women that sets the Renaissance Pictures version of Hercules apart from any of the other versions created. In this incarnation, Hercules is definitely a hero for the nineties.

Kevin Sorbo makes his debut as "the big guy" and does an admirable job. He is approachable as the legendary son of Zeus, and his easygoing manner and fierce loyalty are evident from the very beginning.

Michael Hurst, as always, plays the indefatigable Iolaus. Aspects of the character that would later become his trademarks are evident here -- his quirky sense of humor, his eye for the ladies, and his sheer joy of living. It is interesting that in this movie he is getting married, but no mention (at least that I recall offhand) is ever made of his fiance again. This is hardly surprising, because it isn't particularly good for a hero with a family to go wandering all over the known world. Even Hercules had to lose his family when they started up the regular series.

Anthony Quinn does a wonderful job as Zeus. Unlike Herc and Iolaus, however, Zeus is markedly different from the god that appears in the regular series. First of all, he drops in on his son regularly. Their relationship is much better, and he is presented more as a kindly old man than as the regal deity we see in later episodes from the series.

Roma Downey (yes, of Touched by an Angel fame) plays the Amazon Queen Hippolyta. She has an inner strength -- and an outer beauty -- that makes the leader of the Amazon tribes an equal for Hercules. Her Irish accent is toned down a little in this performance, but it adds an air of the exotic to the traditional "California dialect" of the other characters.

Then there are the Amazons. Certain aspects of these characters -- who would soon become a mainstay of this fictional universe -- are present from the beginning as well. When they first arrive on the scene, they descend from the trees in a manner that instantly recalls the classic Hooves & Harlots. They also wear the animal masks that would be a staple of their battle gear.

These Amazons, however, follow Hera. This is a significant difference from the later tribes, who honored Artemis, but were hardly devoted to her in the manner presented here. Another difference I noticed is that there are older women in the village -- something I don't remember in any of the other appearances the tribes have made in either Hercules or Xena.

Another difference I noticed between the later series and this first movie is the style of the action sequences. There is much less of the acrobatic, Hong-Kong-cinema style of fighting that set the series apart. The fight sequences are much more traditional in their staging, though the trademark back-to-back flip move appears, it is probably the flashiest maneuver in the entire film.

Many staples of the series do make their first appearance here, however. The hatred Hera bears for Zeus's illegitimate son, Hercules's training at the academy (where his bond with Iolaus is formed), and the devotion he shows to his mother all make appearances in this film. It is clear that certain concepts for the series have been present from the beginning.

There are two pleasant surprises for ardent fans of the Hercules and Xena. Lucy Lawless plays Hippolyta's lieutenant Lysia, a tough talking, take-no-nonsense warrior who seems to be an early version of a certain dark-haired Warrior Princess! Despite her relatively minor role in the events of this episode, Lucy shines onscreen. It is small wonder that she was chosen just a couple of years later to play the role that would catapult her into international stardom.

The other pleasant surprise is an appearance by Murray Keane -- better known as Hower from the episode A Day in the Life. He plays one of the men in the village of Gargarencia, and plays a character that brings to mind the bumbling, lovesick fool he would later play on Xena.

One line from the film best sums up the philosophy that would provide the thematic undercurrent of Hercules and Xena. As Hercules is taken into the Amazon village, several of the younger girls are involved in martial arts training. Their trainer tells says, "We fight because we have to fight. We fight for our way of life. The day we do not fight for what we are and who we can be is the day they take it from us."

It certainly sounds like the reason Hercules, Xena, Iolaus, and Gabrielle do what they do, doesn't it?

All in all, it is easy to see why this series -- out of all the ones produced for the Action Pack stood the test of time. It had a charm, wit, and modern sensibility that is still hard to find on television -- even years later. I strongly recommend that any fan of these shows track down a copy of this gem to see where it all began.

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