“It's not easy being a God”…. Steve Reeves (1926-2000)
Beefcake Babylon
The Iconography of Sword and Sandal Epics from DeMille to Fellini
July 14th - September 23rd, 2006
Opening Reception Friday, July 14th 7-10pm
Free Valet Parking
During the late fifties and early sixties a cinematic genre was established through the genius of casting real life bodybuilders in the roles of figures from Greco Roman mythology. The most famous of all these bodybuilders was Steve Reeves. His first excursion into the realm of Zeus made him an an international star. The film was Le Fatiche di Ercole (1958). When it was released stateside as Hercules in 1960, the film caused a sensation at the box-office and the "peplum" or sword and sandal films became vogue. From this point on nearly two hundred films would follow the formula established in Hercules.
Beefcake Babylon is a collection of original movie posters and memorabilia from many of these films, photographs and stills of the men who played Hercules during the height of sword and sandal craze, and rare “classic physique” photographs of these musclemen at their peak as professional bodybuilders.
Beefcake Babylon surveys the evolution of the "peplum" film begining with rare images from Cecil B. De Mille's pre-code classic, The Sign of the Cross (1932) which takes place in the Rome of Nero. In between there is Mario Bava's psychedelic masterpiece, Hercules in a Haunted World (1961) and the camp classic The Crimson Executioner (1965) which straddles a fine line between horror and peplum. We return to Nero and conclude with the ultimate Italian peplum, Federico Fellini's own fragmented nightmare of pre-Christian Rome, Satyricon (1969).
Drkrm. & The Del Valle Archives invite you to explore these cinematic worlds of ancient mythology where images of buff, powerful men in loincloths deftly hurling foam boulders at three-headed dragons while challenging demons to the very gates of Hades for their honor, have captured our imagination. We have chosen these images for their eroticism and beauty from the most noteworthy films which deserve reappraisal in this overlooked genre.
Drkrm Gallery is an exhibition space dedicated to fine art photography, cutting edge and alternative photographic processes and the display and survey of popular cultural images.
Drkrm. Photo Lab/Studio/Gallery is located at 2121 N. San Fernando Road, Suite 3, Los Angeles CA 90065 in the Capitol Studios building, just across the street from the FedEx Global Center.
Drkrm. Gallery and Lab hours are 11am till 5pm Tuesday thru Saturday. For more info call 323-223-6867 or email drkrm@mac.com
website www.drkrm.com
All gallery events are free and open to the public.
