The ancient Mayans of Mexico get a chance to have an alleged history told of their people as they are forced out of their land by a more ferocious tribe, crossing the future gulf of Mexico into modern day Texas where they encounter the natives who have stomped out any undesirable intruders in order to maintain the peace in their land. As the Mayan and Native Texan leaders, Oscar Winners George Chakaris and Yul Brynnur find themselves at odds. Having survived Rita Moreno in both "West Side Story" and "The King and I", they get the soft-spoken British Shirley Ann Field, playing one of Chakaris's people whom Brynnur takes a desire to. Field, an appealing young actress, however, is no Maria Montez, although Chakaris and Brynnur are adequate substitutes for Jon Hall and Sabu. Somehow, however, I found myself laughing at the English spoken by these two actors long before Europeans settled the west, as well as assumptions of the customs, costumes and courtoirs.
It is also interesting to note that once Brynnur, being used as a possible sacrifice for the Mayan Gods, is set free and peace seems inevitable, all it takes is the rivalry over a woman to put the two people at war all over again. Fortunately, circumstances erupt which keep that from escalating, but in the final, I had the sudden urge to break into singing "Something Wonderful" from "The King and I" or "Somewhere" from "West Side Story". It makes me wonder if Jerome Robbins did the choreography for the native dances.
Overall, I did enjoy the movie in spite of laughing at a lot of it, but in certain segments, it truly is extremely slow and slightly overlong. The sets do seem taken right out of Egyptian biblical epics, or at least some of MGM's recent "Tarzan" films. To add to the campiness, there is the Cecil B. DeMille like narration at the beginning, helping to explain the history of the Mayans and their Godly sacrifices.
It is also interesting to note that once Brynnur, being used as a possible sacrifice for the Mayan Gods, is set free and peace seems inevitable, all it takes is the rivalry over a woman to put the two people at war all over again. Fortunately, circumstances erupt which keep that from escalating, but in the final, I had the sudden urge to break into singing "Something Wonderful" from "The King and I" or "Somewhere" from "West Side Story". It makes me wonder if Jerome Robbins did the choreography for the native dances.
Overall, I did enjoy the movie in spite of laughing at a lot of it, but in certain segments, it truly is extremely slow and slightly overlong. The sets do seem taken right out of Egyptian biblical epics, or at least some of MGM's recent "Tarzan" films. To add to the campiness, there is the Cecil B. DeMille like narration at the beginning, helping to explain the history of the Mayans and their Godly sacrifices.