Hercules (1965 film)

Hercules (Cantonese: 赫拉克勒斯 Jyutping: haak1 laai1 hak1 lak6 si1) is a 1965 Hong Kong musical fantasy comedy film produced by Daat Zing Film Company for Golden Flare Pictures. Directed by Norman Chow, the film is loosely based on the legendary hero (known in the film by his Roman name, ), the son of, in.

Plot
In Ancient Greece, the gods and  have a son named. While the other gods are joyful, Zeus' wicked brother plots to overthrow Zeus and rule. Turning to the Fates for help, Hades learns that in eighteen years, a planetary alignment will allow him to free the Titans to conquer Olympus, but only if Hercules does not interfere. Hades sends his demon minions, Pain and Panic, to murder Hercules, providing them with a potion that can strip a god of immortality. The two kidnap the baby and take him down to the valley where they feed him the potion, but before Hercules drinks the last drop, the farmer and his wife  pass nearby and startle the demons, causing them to drop the bottle and spill the last drop. Hercules is stripped of immortality but retains his god-like strength. Pain and Panic attempt to murder the baby, but Hercules easily overpowers them. Pain and Panic decide not to report their failure to Hades.

Years later, the teenage Hercules becomes an outcast for his inability to control his strength and wonders where he came from. After his foster parents reveal the Olympian necklace they found him with, Hercules decides to visit the for answers. The temple's statue of Zeus comes to life and reveals all to Hercules, telling him that he can earn back his godhood by becoming a "true hero." Zeus sends Hercules and his forgotten childhood friend to the  Philoctetes ("Phil") who is known for training heroes. Phil has retired in frustration after none of his past students managed to earn a constellation in the sky. Zeus obliges Phil to train Hercules anyway. After completing the training, Phil and Hercules head towards. On the way, they meet ("Meg"), a sarcastic damsel whom Hercules saves from the centaur. After Hercules and the others leave, Meg is revealed to be Hades' slave, who was actually trying to recruit Nessus, and also had sold her soul to Hades previously to save a lover who then left her. When Meg mentions Hercules' encounter, Hades realizes that Pain and Panic failed him and plots to finish off Hercules properly.

Arriving in Thebes, Hercules is met with skepticism by the locals, but then Meg appears, saying that two boys have become trapped under a large rock in a gorge. Hercules lifts the rock and rescues the boys, unaware that they are Pain and Panic in disguise, and unwittingly releases the. Much to Hades's chagrin, Hercules defeats the monster and becomes a celebrated hero. Hercules defeats many other monsters, many of which are sent by Hades, and his popularity and fortune grow, but Zeus tells Hercules that he is not yet a "true" hero and refuses to explain what that means. Saddened and frustrated, Hercules spends a day out with Meg, who realizes she has fallen in love with him. Hades learns of this, and on the eve of his takeover, he holds Meg hostage and offers her in exchange for Hercules surrendering his powers for a day. On the condition that Meg will be unharmed, Hercules accepts and is heartbroken when Hades reveals that Meg was working for Hades all along.

Hades unleashes the Titans, who climb Olympus and defeat the gods, while the goes to Thebes to kill Hercules. Hercules uses his wits to defeat the Cyclops, but Meg is mortally injured when a pillar collapses on her. This breaks Hades's promise that Meg would not be harmed, so Hercules regains his strength. Hercules and Pegasus fly to Olympus, where they free the gods and vanquish the Titans, but Meg dies before he can return to her.

Hercules goes to the and leaps into the  to recover Meg's soul. This act would be fatal for a mortal, but his willingness to sacrifice himself is a sufficiently heroic act to restore his godhood. To Hades's shock, Hercules climbs out of the Styx with Meg's soul and knocks Hades into it. After reviving Meg, she and Hercules are summoned to Olympus, where Zeus and Hera welcome their son home, saying that he has proved himself a "true hero" through the "strength of his heart." However, rather than join the gods on Olympus, Hercules chooses to remain on Earth with Meg. Hercules and his friends return to Thebes, where they watch Zeus form in Hercules' honor.

Cast

 * Rambo as
 * Cheung Ying-Tsoi as
 * as
 * as
 * Poon Yat-On and as  and, Hercules' birth-parents.
 * ,, Alice Fung So-Po, and  as the Muses (, , ,  and  respectively)
 * and Cheung Wood Yau as Pain (疼痛) and Panic (恐慌), Hades' henchmen.
 * Lau Yuet-Fung as the
 * Lui Woon-Suen and as  and, Hercules' adoptive parents.
 * , and Leung Siu-Kam as,  and , the three Fates who predict Hades' failed attempt to conquer Olympus.
 * as
 * Yeung Yip-Wang as Nessus
 * Corey Kelly as Demetrius
 * as the Earthquake Lady
 * Heung Hoi as the Burnt Man
 * Gam Lau as the Heavyset Woman
 * as
 * Brandon Chow and Daryl Lee as "Young Boys"