Atlas In The Land of Cyclops

The monstrous flesh-eating cyclops dwells in the dark dungeons beneath the castle of evil Queen Capys. The Queen wages war on a rival city to collect human sacrifices. Her army kills the city's king, taking women, children and the dead monarch's wife as prisoners. Capys' ultimate quarry, the royal couple's only surviving son and heir, is rescued by the powerful warrior, Maciste (aka Atlas). As the enraged Queen's soldiers search for the child, Maciste braves the blood-soaked dungeons to save the terrified captives from a grisly death at the hands of the giant cyclops.

Atlas In The Land Of The Cyclops was a career breakthrough for bodybuilder Gordon Mitchell. The muscleman had toured with Mae West (along with fellow bodybuilder-turned-actor, Mickey Hargitay) and landed bit parts in American movies like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus.

When the "sword and sandal" craze ignited in the early sixties, Mitchell exploded on the Italian muscle movie scene and made many films in the genre. Mitchell was able to extend his career over the next four decades by appearing in spaghetti westerns as well as such legitimate films as Fellini's Satyricon.

• action