Harrison's Reports (1954)

May 22, 1954 HARRISON’S REPORTS 83 “Secret of the Incas” with Charlton Heston, Robert Young and Nicole Maurey {Paramount, June; time, 101 min.) A fairly good, if not outstanding, adventure melo' drama, photographed in Technicolor and shot for the most part against actual backgrounds of the Andes Mountains in Peru. Its story about a search for a fabulous Inca treasure in the Peruvian Andes offers Uttle that is unusual, but it has enough intrigue and romantic interludes to hold the mterest of those who are not too fussy about story values. Although the location shots in Peru give the picture visual appeal, the story itself has httle emotional appeal, for the principal characters, with the exception of Robert Young, are not sympathetic, and their actions are hardly edifying. The closing scenes find Charlton Heston giving up his nefarious ways for a better life with Nicole Maurey, the heroine, but his reformation does not leave the spectator with any real feeling of conviction. In fact the whole plot is artificial and, though it does have its moments of suspense and ex' citement, it telegraphs most of its punches in advance and never strikes a realistic note: — Charlton Heston, an American adventurer in Peru who had an eye for an easy dollar, and Thomas Mitchell, a ruthless opportunist, both seek a fabu' lously valuable jewelled sunburst which, according to Inca legend, had been stolen from the Temple of the Sun centuries ago and was believed to be in the tomb of Manco, who ruled Peru some 400 years previously. Heston comes upon a stone fragment that indicates that Manco’s tomb was at Machu Picchu, an ancient sacred Inca city, 9,000 feet up in the Andes. To get to the site and to escape to the States if he finds the treasure, Heston needs a plane. The opportunity to obtain one comes his way when he meets Nicole Maurey, a Rumanian refugee from Commimist tyranny, who had entered Peru illegally and sought ways and means of reaching the United States. Know' ing that the Rumanian consul in Bolivia flies his own plane, Heston informs the diplomat as to Nicole’s whereabouts, then gets her to agree on a scheme whereby they get the consul drunk and steal his plane. They fly to Machu Picchu, only to discover that they had been preceded by an archaeological expedition headed by Robert Young, who had uncovered evi' dence of the location of Manco’s tomb. Keeping his mission a secret, Heston explains his presence with Nicole by saying that their plane had run out of gas. Young makes them welcome in his camp and loses no time falling in love with Nicole. During this ro' mantic interlude, Heston investigates the excavation. Complications arise when Mitchell, trailing Heston, arrives on the scene and at gunpoint relieves Heston of the stone fragment and forces him to agree to share the treasure if he finds it. To avoid trouble, Nicole declares her love for Heston and begs him to leave before it is too late. He refuses, and that night suc' ceeds in locating the treasure. Mitchell takes it away from him, only to find himself pursued by aroused native Indians. Heston joins the chase and retrieves the sunburst just before Mitchell plunges into a chasm to his death. In a sudden change of heart, he returns the sacred relic to the Incas, and his reward is the promise of a better life with Nicole. It was produced by Mel Epstein, and directed by Jerry Hopper, from a screenplay by Ranald Mac' Dougall and Sydney Boehm, based on a story by Mr. Boehm. Adults. “The Saracen Blade” with Ricardo Montalban, Betta St. John and Rick Jason (Columbia, June; time, 76 min.) This Technicolor film version of Frank Yerby’s best'selling novel shapes up as a satisfactory costume adventure melodrama for double-billing purposes. Set in the 13 th Century and revolving around a young commoner who dedicates his life to avenging the mur' der of his father by political enemies and who rises to power and knighthood in the process, the story moves along at a rapid pace and its ingredients of romance and derring'do are served up in a way that should please the undiscriminating action fans. Ricardo Montalban is properly dashing and fearless as the hero of the piece, and Betta St. John and Carolyn Jones provide plentiful sex appeal as the women in his hfe. Like most pictures of this type, this one is dramatically ineffective, but it has plenty of movement and excitement. The footage used in the battle sequences at the castle appears to have been utilized in a previous Sam Katzmati production, although an attempt has been made to camouflage this footage with a dark tint — • Seeking to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of Michael Ansara, a Count, Montalban enhsts in the services of Ansara ’s sworn enemy, Edgar Barrier, a Baron. He meets Betta St. John, Barrier’s daughter, and they fall in love. Both are shocked when Barrier, for political expediency, makes a deal for Rick Jason, Ansara ’s son, to marry Betta. Montalban attempts to flee with Betta, but both are captured and the marriage takes place while he is imprisoned. When the Emperor of Europe (Whit Connor) arrives at Ansara’s castle to hunt boar, Jason conceives a sadistic plan to let Montalban escape and to kill him during the hunt. The plan backfires when Montalban saves the Emperor from a charging boar. The Emperor tries to discourage Montalban from seeking revenge and induces him to earn knighthood by joining him on a Crusade to the Holy Land to fight the Saracens. Upon the Emperor’s insistence that he choose a maiden in marriage, Montalban deliberately selects Carolyn Jones, Ansara ’s cousin, whom Ansara himself wanted to marry. Montalban is knighted on the field of battle, after which he is injured and left for dead. Picked up by the Saracens, he recovers and is forced to become a slave to a Moslem merchant. He manages to regain his freedom through the aid of a friendly harem girl and makes his way back to his homeland, much to the dismay of Ansara, who believed him to be dead and who sought to make Carolyn his wife. When Carolyn indicates that she finds Montalban attractive, Ansara stabs her to death. Montalban gathers an army and, against the Emperor’s orders, launches an attack on Ansara’s castle, killing both the Count and his son. The furious Emperor relieves Montalban of his knighthood and his lands, but he grants him his life so that he and Betta could marry. It was produced by Stm Katzman, and directed by William Castle, from a screenplay by DeVallon Scott and George Worthington Yates. Family. ORDER YOUR MISSING COPIES Now and then a copy of Harrison’s Reports is lost in the mails. Look over your files and if you find any copies missing, order them at once. These will be supplied to you free of charge. A sufficient number of copies of back issues is kept on hand for just such a purpose.