bkoganbing
The location of the injustice is changed from 18th century Great Britain to 18th century France and the treasure is emeralds and not pearls found now in Guatemala instead of the South Seas. But the plot of Treasure Of The Golden Condor is easily recognizable as that of Tyrone Power's Son Of Fury. Cornel Wilde who was another of those standbys for Power in both their times at 20th Century Fox in the Forties when Zanuck's favorite star was otherwise occupied stands in well for Power when Zanuck decided to remake the film.The story is that of a man deemed illegitimate because no proof of a marriage can be found and disinherited from title and lands by a cruel and avaricious uncle George MacReady. George Sanders played the uncle in the original and both Sanders and MacReady were first rate cads.The women in Wilde's life are Constance Smith the daughter of Finlay Currie his partner in fortune hunting and Anne Bancroft whose got a yen buzzing for her cousin Wilde. Bancroft in her third feature film is MacReady's daughter, she's quite the vixen.Wilde was always one of the best action adventure stars of his days, but he never got to the top tier level. Instead of going to television as so many of his contemporaries did he went into production of his own films that usually played as B pictures. In terms of quality they varied greatly. This film is an opportunity to see him at his swashbuckling best as he was one of the best at the fencing game. He was a member of the 1936 US Olympic team.In the supporting cast note Leo G. Carroll as the lawyer who aides Wilde in proving his lineage, a sincere but cynical performance. Also Fay Wray as MacReady's wife, a most unhappy woman. Just married to George MacReady is reason enough.Cornel Wilde's fans should be pleased. Technicolor as well.
classicsoncall
The opening credits state that the Guatemalan natives appear in their own authentic native costumes and rituals, but somehow I found that suspect, particularly for 1953. Maybe so, but I have my doubts.The picture is alternately colorful and drab, and even though Cornel Wilde cuts a dashing figure as the adult Jean-Paul, he doesn't exude much charisma. There are a couple of beefcake shots of the actor offered for the viewing pleasure of the ladies, and back in the day it might have caused a swoon or two.The Technicolor format chosen for the picture does it justice when it comes to the native dance scenes and the tropical Guatemalan countryside. The story of a stolen inheritance and Jean-Paul's reclaiming and then rejecting it is moderately interesting, but it takes some time to get there. The sequence in the cave with the python is actually rather dumb when you think about it. Old MacDougal (Finlay Currie) throws a machete at it and misses by a mile, followed by Jean-Paul's torch which also fails to find it's mark. It seemed rather pointless to me. This may have been a draw in the early Fifties, but then again, I have my doubts about that too.
big_O_Other
I absolutely loved this film as a child. When I watched it again after 60 years it was even better than I remembered. Instead of the phony Polynesians of the earlier adaptation of the original novel Benjamin Blake (Son of Fury with Tyrone Power) the acting is excellent, and the story, reset in France prior to theRevolution makes great social comments on the excesses of the aristocracy and their vile treatment of lower classes, it includes a serious interest in science and anthropology. This is definitely worth seeing. The photography is great, and the scenes of actual inhabitants of Central America in their rituals and dancing made it ring.Cornel Wilde was perfectly fine in the role. And the old Scotsman added interest and wisdom.
mcpherson43
Here is some trivia on "Treasure of the Golden Condor" (which is by the way a remake of Fox's "Son of Fury". It's by now a well-known fact that Otto Preminger directed some retakes on that film. That was indicated to me by producer Paul Buck, on the set of Preminger's film "Rosebud". (Buck was also Peter O'Toole's producing partner).Preminger had mentioned it to me earlier, in Paris. He did not remember the title, but gave me enough indications to find out that it was "Teasure of the Golden Condor". He said at that time that he only worked on one short scene "dealing with a snake" (of which he was terribly afraid). The extent of Preminger's contribution however is not clearly established, as Buck seemed to indicate that it went a bit further than just one day.
AD
