This was the kind of great adventure stuff that Tyrone Power used to excel in. Cornel Wilde was no Tyrone Power but had the advantage to Tyrone of always doing his own stunts, like also Gene Kelly used to do, who was also a great fencer. There is not much fencing here but more pugilism instead, and his foe, the inimitable George Macready, uses any means of foul play to keep Cornel Wilde subdued and bullied into a slave. The inconspicuous Cornel Wilde however rises with a vengeance, like they always do, especially in films, and here the main attraction of the film is the marvellous sequences made on location in Guatemala among ruined Maya temples and hissing serpents - Otto Preminger had a part in the direction of this. The music is typical Hollywood by Saul Kaplan, and Anne Bancroft plays Cornel's first and only true love here, until she betrays him, like women always do, as his grandfather casually observes after a long life under oppression. It's a wonderful film and a wonderful story and a great compliment to Tyrone Power for his preceding example.
Review of Treasure of the Golden Condor
