Secret of the Incas - Pt. 4

Disclaimer: This movie is considered to be in the public domain as defined by U.S. copyright law and the Berne Convention, and no rights are given or implied. Harry Steele (Charlton Heston) is the smart, two-fisted relic hunter who has found the secret hiding place of ancient Inca gold, high in the Peruvian Andes at fabled Machu Picchu, and is willing to use anyone or anything to get there; Dr. Stanley Moorehead (Robert Young) is the idealistic archeologist who wants to give the long-lost treasure back to the Peruvian people; Elena Atonescu (Nicole Maury) is the beautiful and seductive refugee they both fall for, and who will stop at nothing to stay out from behind the Iron Curtain; Kori-Tika (Yma Sumac) is the exotic Inca priestess, whose otherworldly singing is the only way to pacify the restless Peruvian natives; Ed Morgan (Thomas Mitchell) is the murderous thief, driven by a lifetime of greed, who is trying to steal the treasure for a last great score. Harry must race them all to find the treasure, using a secret of his own - only Harry knows the ancient ritual which will reveal the hidden gold in the tomb of the last Inca King, in a stunning scene that influenced the Well of Souls from "Raiders Of The Lost Ark". Twenty-seven years before directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg collaborated to create Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jerry Hopper directed Secret of the Incas. The influence of this movie on the creators of Indiana Jones is obvious. Harry Steele's costume and mannerisms, as well as some of the scene types bear a remarkable resemblance to the Indiana Jones trilogy.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Indiana
• Jones
• Charlton
• Heston
• Inca

[eddtoro]

who could have imagined that the producers of Indy got their character from Heston? cocky, wise cracking, mercenary. But the Indy producers would have never wanted to put credit somewhere else, they made it all up themselves eh?

[612mike612]

This is fantastic!

Seems more realistic than Indy. If only this guy could figure out his hat.

[TheBigFuckinLebowski]

Watching only the scene starting at 6:31 until you can see Chuck Heston's face clearly, you could really believe this is an Indiana Jones movie!

[magknight]

Check out my editing of the airplane scape scene! watch?v=tVjA9PndZxE&context=C3­1fdf4fADOEgsToPDskL-gy55Z8Drgy­vwitJ8vwSp

[SuperJamesbyrne]

@magknight What's even funnier is that Harry Steele has more stubble than Ed Morgan when he growls that insult at him. 

[magknight]

Why don't you shave once in a while? haha!

[SuperJamesbyrne]

@Parsa9 Leon Askin is great in VALLEY OF THE KINGS as well, released a few months before SECRET OF THE INCAS.

[SuperJamesbyrne]

@CristinaFernandez

That so-called "bad rear projection" was the work of the great John P. Fulton, and I think its brilliant. Fulton won an oscar for parting the Red Sea in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS just a couple of years later. His work in SECRET OF THE INCAS is excellent, and was later copied by Spielberg.

[Parsa9]

General Burkhalter! ... Leon Askin was acting into his 90s, and lived to be 97 years old.

[robertquentincobb]

THE GREAT Charlton Heston! Harry Steel Is Indiana Jones! RIP

[Tizmaole]

It suddenly strikes me how this is a very different film from "Raiders." In many ways, this a noir/gangster film, simply transposed to South America. It's got all the classic ingredients: a greasy hero, a dame with a past, double-dealing at every turn, and a lot of money on the line. And it's the scheming that keeps it going, not the action (unlike Indy).

[CristinaFernandez]

@eddtoro You know, you're not the first to say that, but I don't really see it at all.

Indy was a rough and tumble guy, but Heston's character here is a very slick guy that's more than a little slimy - something Indy never was. Actually, I see more of Han Solo in here, especially this dark streak that keeps him compelling.