The Colossus of Rhodes (film) - Depiction of The Colossus

Depiction of The Colossus

Although no physical references of the original Helios Colossus are known to exist, the structure is rendered in this film as being an Etruscan image of the god Apollo following the kouros style of sculpture, with a slight “archaic smile.” It is shown to be about 300 feet high (nearly three times the height of its historical counterpart) holding a bowl at chest level with elbows raised outward, straddling each side of the harbor entrance. It is also revealed to be a hollow metal sculpture, much on the same order as the Statue of Liberty, with several interesting features: an interior spiral staircase leading to a second set of stairs at the head of the statue; a chain system that runs practically the height of the statue, which controls sliding doors to a dungeon; permanent openings at the pupils of the eyes and the ears - large enough for a man to pass through; a drawbridge-style door hidden in the center chest that opens to the bowl; the bowl can be filled with burning materials an used as an altar; the fire in the bowl can be dropped on anything beneath by means of a divided trap door on its bottom; and the entire top third of the statue’s head has a dodecagonal opening that allows for catapults to be fired out of it.

While the statue in the film is shown to be made of iron and burnished brass (or perhaps bronze) and barefoot, barechested and bareheaded, wearing only a short men’s Greek-style skirt and a headband, the original poster depicts the statue as highly-polished bronze, completely outfitted with Roman sandals and armor, including a centurion’s imperial galea.