Legend of the Lost (1957)
by Henry Hathaway
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Actor: John Wayne, Kurt Kasznar, Rossano Brazzi, Sonia Moser, Sophia LorenDirector: Henry Hathaway
Brand: TCFHE/MGM
Cinematographer: Jack Cardiff
Producer: Henry Hathaway
Editor: Bert Bates
Writer: Ben Hecht
Writer: Robert Presnell Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-12-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Legend of the Lost (1957)
DVD Review: Storied A-list crew flailing about...
Summary: 3 Stars
John Wayne as an Indiana Jones rogue would be a stretch for even his most fervent admirers. That's exactly what you get in the polished though plodding 1957 desert epic "Legend of the Lost." Time has not been kind to what must have been a major film for its time, a teetering mix of adventure and mysticism. An international production if ever there was one, you have on-location filming in Libya, the teaming of iconic Wayne with Italian actors Sophia Loren and Rossano Brazzi, surly western director Henry Hathaway, classical Italian composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (Requiem for Django) and hard-boiled newspaperman turned screenplay writer Ben Hecht (Ben Hecht: The Man Behind the Legend). Such a jumble of varied personalities makes for an uneven journey.
Everyone loves a treasure hunt and Wayne battling the Sahara desert in search of a lost city of gold would appear to be the stuff of great matinees. Filmmakers were going for a cross between King Solomon's Mines and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [Blu-ray], and there are moments when the film strikes a few veins. I like the valley of the tarantulas, a raging sandstorm, an eerie mirage and even the lost city ruins (filmed at the 1100 BC Roman remains of Leptis Magna). But the actors have little chemistry en route and Brazzi, in the crucial role of Paul Bonnard, delivers barely discernible English with the thickest of accents. A good adventure needs a fast-talker, and you'll find nary a one in this head-scratching cast.
Wayne plays salty desert rat Joe January (gotta love that name), awash in booze in Timbuktu. He's hired by the sophisticated Paul Bonnard (Brazzi) to guide a no-frills expedition into the Sahara heat. Bonnard strikes up a midnight conversation with local prostitute Dita (Loren), imbuing her with renewed self-respect and hope. Eventually, this truculent trio is traveling by way of donkeys over beautiful sand dunes on a quest for storied lost riches. At night, camped next to a convenient oasis by the light of crackling campfires, they bicker, sip liquor, flirt and discuss the dreams and miseries of their lives. Though not without merits, the story is far too leisurely, but the scenery is magnificent.
Brazzi's Bonnard, philosophical and bookish, is traveling the same route of his father, who searched for the city years before only to disappear. An obsessive quest for sure, but once the gold is discovered he's going to use the unimaginable riches to benefit the less fortunate. It's clear early on Brazzi and Loren's characters are in love, and I like the dynamic of Wayne's manly man left out of the romantic loop. The film was on to something. But Wayne was a massive star and Hollywood wasn't about to go against formula and have a ravishing woman, even one as independent as Loren, refuse to succumb to his masculine allure.
Loren, one of the most beautiful women in film history, was at the height of sexual prowess in 1957, and she's exploited throughout "Legend of the Lost." She bathes nude in an oasis, sleeps with seductive bare legs wiggling from beneath a blanket and wears a dress with increasingly revealing tears. Wayne can't keep his eyes off her and eventually, neither can Brazzi. Do they find the fabled treasure? Well, let's just say the moody chords of Lavagnino's music wails like a supernatural banshee, driving ridiculous points home. The film abruptly collapses into an implausible mess as Brazzi loses sanity and races back to Timbuktu with the donkeys. Wayne and Loren, stranded on foot, attempt to catch him while the sun beats down ever so mercilessly.
Hecht's screenplay tries to add dimensions to these clunky characters, and there are interesting conversations before everything soars off the rails. Ultimately, the surreal "Legend of the Lost" is a sloppy exercise lacking the necessary instincts for great adventure. There's something fascinating about seeing Wayne out of his element, and his Joe January bares a resemblance to Indy Jones down to the floppy hat. That's the only comparison one can realistically find with the George Lucas and Steven Spielberg classic Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition). "Legends of the Lost," at best, is an example of a storied A-list crew flailing about within the B-movie realm.
Description of Legend of the Lost (1957)
Synopsis: 0Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 12/03/02
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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