Argoman the Fantastic Superman

Lore & Background

Jenabell demands a gem called 'Muradoff A IV', which can reflect light and destroy molecular cohesion. She uses it to animate clones of politicians. Argoman kills the clones, saves hostages, and ultimately destroys Jenabell by telekinetically turning her plane toward the sun, where the gem's reflection kills her. As a souvenir, Argoman takes the Royal Crown. The film was shot on location in London and Paris, with interior scenes at Cinecittà. It was released in Italy in March 1967 and later on DVD in the United States by Dorado Films.

Reader's Guide

Argoman the Fantastic Superman is significant as a representative of the 1960s Italian superhero and Eurospy film cycle, combining elements of James Bond-style espionage with comic-book heroics. The film's cast and crew had differing views: executive producer Edmondo Amati stated 'the idea was to make an Italian Superman of sorts, but we did not have the means or the technique,' while actress Dominique Boschero was happy with the results, calling it 'something new, a film ahead of its time.' Retrospective reviews have been mixed: film critic Marco Giusti described the film as 'super-camp,' yet 'very funny and very effective on its visual side.' Roberto Curti referred to it as one that 'perfectly captures the spirit of 1960s Italian superheroes' and proclaimed it 'one of the funniest Italian superhero films of that period.' Film critic Howard Hughes found that the film 'never quite fulfills the promise of its surreal opening sequence' and that Argoman was 'a somewhat patch superhero.' The film's legacy lies in its campy charm and its place within the niche of Italian genre cinema.

Did You Know?

• The film's Italian title translates to 'How to steal the crown of England'.
• Argoman has a tradition of taking souvenirs instead of payment, including an original Mona Lisa in his collection.

Production & Creative Ambitions

Conceived as an Italian answer to the superhero genre, Argoman the Fantastic Superman was helmed by director Sergio Grieco, who attached the English-sounding pseudonym Terence Hathaway to his name for this Eurospy production. The film was backed by Fida Cinematografica and shot across two glamorous European capitals—London and Paris—with interior sequences filmed at the sprawling Cinecittà studios in Rome. The cast featured Roger Browne in the title role alongside Dominique Boschero and Eduardo Fajardo. Behind the scenes, opinions on the production's quality were divided. Executive producer Edmondo Amati candidly admitted the team aimed to craft an Italian Superman but simply lacked the financial means and technical resources to fully realize that ambition. Actress Dominique Boschero, by contrast, expressed genuine satisfaction, calling the finished product something novel and ahead of its era. She noted that the production enjoyed a budget above the studio norm and benefited from a greater number of on-location shoots than was typical for Italian genre pictures of that period.

Narrative & Heroic Mythology

Argoman operates as a freelance operative whose employers once planned to let Chinese soldiers execute him after he destroyed a nuclear weapon, eliminating any obligation to pay. True to his eccentric code, he collects priceless artifacts in lieu of currency—his personal collection reportedly includes an original Mona Lisa. His superhuman toolkit spans telekinesis, hypnosis, x-ray vision, and an extraordinary ability to hold his breath underwater for thirty-three minutes and nine seconds. A crucial vulnerability, however, strips him of all powers for six hours following any intimate encounter. The central plot entangles him with the theft of England's Royal Crown and the pursuit of the Muradoff A IV, a gemstone capable of reflecting all light and dissolving molecular cohesion. The villain Jenabell, styled Queen of the World, deploys the gem to animate cloned duplicates of world leaders. The climax sees Argoman telekinetically redirecting a fleeing aircraft toward the sun, where the gem's reflected light triggers a fatal explosion. As his customary souvenir, Argoman pockets the Royal Crown.

Critical Reception & Genre Legacy

Retrospective critics have embraced Argoman as a vivid specimen of 1960s Italian superhero cinema. Marco Giusti labeled the film super-camp while praising its visual effectiveness and humor. Roberto Curti went further, arguing it perfectly captures the spirit of the era's Italian heroes by preserving the delightful amorality of the fumetti neri comic tradition while channeling the tongue-in-cheek, fast-paced action of Italian James Bond imitations. He singled it out as one of the funniest Italian superhero films of its period. Not every voice was so generous. Howard Hughes felt the picture never quite lived up to the promise of its surreal opening, and he quipped that Argoman was a somewhat patchy superhero whose emblem—a red spiral on his forehead—resembled a turd. Even within the production itself, assessments split: the executive producer acknowledged the lack of means, while the leading actress championed the film as a forward-looking achievement. Together these responses paint a picture of a work that divides audiences yet endures as a cult favorite.

Release, Titles & Afterlife

Originally released in Italy on March 24, 1967, through Fida Cinematografica, the film carried the Italian title Come rubare la corona d'Inghilterra, which translates literally as How to Steal the Crown of England. Over the years it has circulated under several alternate English-language names, including The Incredible Paris Incident, Argoman superdiabolico, and The Fantastic Argoman, reflecting the fluid titling practices common to Italian genre cinema of the period. The film's international afterlife continued well beyond its initial theatrical run; it eventually found a home on DVD in the United States through the Dorado Films label, making it accessible to English-speaking collectors and fans of Eurospy and Italian superhero cinema. Its inclusion in the broader catalogue of Italian films from 1967 situates it alongside a wave of genre productions that blended espionage, fantasy, and slapstick. For modern viewers, the multiplicity of titles and the relatively obscure distribution history underscore how Argoman occupies a niche space in film history—recognized by specialists and genre enthusiasts as a quirky, irreverent artifact of a particular moment in Italian popular cinema.