Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete

Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete is a 1960 historical drama film loosely based on the Greek legend of Theseus, the Athenian hero who is said to have slain a minotaur on Minoan Crete around 1500 or 1450 BC. The film was directed by Silvio Amadio and starred Bob Mathias.

Plot

The island of Crete lives in fear of the Minotaur, a dreadful beast trapped inside a labyrinth under the royal palace. The monster is venerated as a god, and to appease it, the Cretians regularly sacrifice a maiden to it.

One day, Minos' wife Pasiphaë is dying of natural causes. On her deathbed, she reveals that her daughter, the royal princess Phaedra, was not their only child: A twin sister, Ariadne, lives in secrecy on the Greek mainland in a humble village. She was brought there to save her from being sacrificed to the Minotaur, but now the queen's last wish is to see her daughters united again. While Minos consents to his wife's last request, Phaedra, who is a powerhungry and evil schemer, does not want to share the throne and sends out her loyal retainer, Chirone, to kill Ariadne. Chirone raids the village with a group of hired brigands, killing Ariadne's foster parents, but Ariadne is saved by Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, and his Cretan friend Demetrio, who happen to pass by and drive away the brigands. Upon seeing her, Demetrio immediately notices Ariadne's striking resemblance to Princess Phaedra, but Ariadne knows nothing of her true heritage.

Theseus and Ariadne accompany Demetrios back to Crete, but Chirone returns before them, alerting Phaedra to their arrival. Phaedra has her soldiers go after the friends; Ariadne is captured, Demetrio killed, and Theseus is almost slain as well. Rescued by the sea goddess Anfitrite, but refusing her offer to stay with her and become immortal, Theseus returns secretly to Knossos to free Ariadne. Phaedra has meanwhile prepared to dispose of her sister by throwing her into a pit with hungry dogs, but as Theseus attacks, Phaedra herself ends up in the pit, and to save Theseus, Ariadne is forced to take her sister's place. But Chirone notices that his princess has suddenly changed in her demeanor and reveals his knowledge to Ariadne, but promises to keep her secret as long as she surrenders herself to him.

In the meantime, however, Aegeus, presuming his son to have been murdered, has led a war against Crete and lost. As a tribute, the people of Athens must now surrender a group of young people in regular intervals as sacrifices to the Minotaur. As the first group, which is joined by Theseus, is about to be herded into the labyrinth, Theseus manages to procure a sword, kills Chirone, and voluntarily enters the labyrinth and slays the Minotaur. Ariadne, who has followed him, helps him out with a thread from her own gown whose other end she had bound to the labyrinth's entrance, and they return alive and to the jubilation of the Cretan people.

Cast

• Bob Mathias as "Theseus"
• Rosanna Schiaffino as "Ariadne"/"Phaedra"
• Alberto Lupo as "Chirone"
• Rik Battaglia as "Demetrio"
• Carlo Tamberlani as "Minos
• Nico Pepe as "Gerione"
• Nerio Bernardi as "Aegeus"
• Paul Müller as "Medico di Corte"
• Tina Lattanzi as "Queen Pasiphaë"
• Milo Malagoli as "The Minotaur"

See also

• list of historical drama films
• Greek mythology in popular culture

External links

• Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete at the Internet Movie Database