Most of the Italian epics were in widescreen, 2:35 to One, TotalScope and SuperTotalScope, sometimes Dyaliscope. That made them seem bigger than they often really were, but I'm with you Telegonus. In a way they were the last gasp of the total hero vs. total villain melodramas of the past, which gave you someone to root for and against, and they usually piled on the action. Throwing boulders, fighting lions, holding back two teams of wild horses, sieges and battles, body builders and gorgeous actresses. That and a box of Jujubes made a pretty satisfying Saturday matinee experience in 1960.