Ator

Films

The first film, Ator l'invincibile, released in 1982, was translated into English as Ator the Invincible and released in America as Ator, The Fighting Eagle. It opens with Ator asking his father for permission to marry his sister; his father reveals Ator is adopted and may marry her if he wishes. The rest of the film follows Ator's quest to rescue his sister after she is kidnapped by the high priest of the Spider Kingdom. The second film, Ator 2 – L'invincibile Orion, released in 1984, was released in America as The Blade Master and later in an edited TV version as Cave Dwellers. It lends credence to the argument that Joe D'Amato used Ator to profit from the Conan films, going into production shortly after the theatrical release of Conan the Destroyer. In this film, Ator and his sidekick Thong travel from the mythic Ends of the Earth to save Ator's mentor from an evil warlord. The film ends with Ator destroying an ancient object of power called the Geometric Nucleus. Unintentionally comical moments arise when D'Amato has Ator use modern-day technology, such as storming a castle with a 1980s-style hang glider and destroying the Geometric Nucleus in a nuclear bomb explosion that ends with a mushroom cloud. The film was a box office and home video failure, but an edited version titled Cave Dwellers was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, becoming a cult sensation; the American theatrical cut, The Blademaster, now enjoys modest success on home video and DVD as a cult favorite.