Secret of the Incas (1954)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Jerry Hopper

Writers:

Sydney Boehm (story)
Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 June 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

An adventurer searchers for hidden treasure in the Peruvian jungles.

Plot Keywords:

Inca | Native | Hidden Treasure | Peru | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Harry Steele
Robert Young	...	Stanley Moorehead
Nicole Maurey	...	Elena Antonescu
Thomas Mitchell	...	Ed Morgan
Glenda Farrell	...	Mrs. Winston
Michael Pate	...	Pachacutec
Leon Askin	...	Anton Marcu
William Henry	...	Phillip Lang
Kurt Katch	...	Man with rifle
Edward Colmans	...	Col. Emilio Cardoza
Yma Sumac	...	Kori-Tica

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Quechua | Romanian | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #14852) | UK:U | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Peru

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

"Secret of the Incas" was the final theatrical film of veteran actor Robert Young, who thereafter moved exclusively into television, where he enjoyed a highly successful career for over 30 years.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The "Starburst" is the size of a dustbin lid, several inches thick and made of solid gold. Yet, not only can an old man with altitude sickness run around holding it with one hand, but Pachacutec at the end can seemingly hold it up above his head indefinitely.

Quotes:

Miss Morris: Most men don't enjoy taking money from women.
Harry Steele: I do. It's the hardest to get, and it smells so good.

Prototype Indiana Jones

This movie always amazes me that it has escaped notice. In it we have the prototypical Indiana Jones right down to the five o'clock shadow, fedora, and leather jacket. I read one time about the costume designer fretting so mightily over the IJ costume and wondered if they had seen this movie and subconsciously used the character of Harry Steele for their template.

The similarity is amazing and Charlton Heston does a great job of keeping this movie alive and out of the ditches. One almost wishes that Lucas/Indiana would remake this movie, updated with today's visual effects, and add it to their library of plots. Didn't we all think the openings of the Indiana series represented great story lines of their own?

Here's their chance to get back to South America and flesh out the opening of the first film. This movie, the 'Secret of the Incas', is a fine film that would carry well with a bit of refreshing. An overlooked gem for certain.