Harry Steele and the Sunburst of the Incan Temple of Doom

THE SECRET OF THE INCAS (1954)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 Movies like "Secret of the Incas" were a dime a dozen back in the 1950's. The idea that grave robbers or archaeologists were looking to unearth priceless golden treasures in forbidden countries and doubly forbidden tombs was a major commodity for Hollywood. 1954's "Secret of the Incas" is probably one of the better entries in this genre (not excluding "Valley of the Kings" which would make a great double feature) and with Charlton Heston at its center, it will rivet your attention and knock your socks off.

Heston is Harry Steele, a Cuzco, Peru tour guide who is out for a few bucks by taking tourists' money (he studies plane manifests so he can get tourists to ride with him and show them the local museum). Harry is also obsessed with the Incan Empire, specifically a lost Incan treasure known as the Sunburst (Not the Starburst which the cover art indicates). It is a golden disc that would restore life to the village of Machu Picchu. Naturally, Steele is more interested in fortune and glory and wants to steal the Sunburst, despite some greedy partners wanting it for themselves. Morgan (Thomas Mitchell) is one of those scheming partners - a tub of lard who seeks personal fortune rather than playing pool in seedy bars for the rest of his life. There is a catch - in order to get to Machu Pichuu, Harry needs a cargo plane and gets his chance when he escorts an illegal named Elena (Nicole Maurey) who is seeking safe passage to the United States.

So what we have are exotic locales, seedy bars, the late Yma Sumac singing in different pitches to the Incan people, archaeologists digging through a sacred tomb, double-crossing swindlers, beautiful damsels, inflatable rafts (Calling Dr. Jones), and a tough, arrogant, highly chauvinistic hero who exchanges double entendres at will and makes a moral choice by the end of the film. If any of this sounds familiar, it should. The Indiana Jones series borrowed liberally from similar films of this period, not to mention countless serials (and I am sure Spielberg took a good long look at "That Man From Rio" starring the great Jean Paul Belmondo). Indiana Jones most noticeable antecedent may be "Secret of the Incas," considering the Sunburst is not unlike some of the artifacts from Indiana Jones. Harry Steele's style of dress and demeanor (the way he constantly tilts his hat or lowers it when sleeping) is more than a passing resemblance to the archaeologist hero of the 1980's (sans bullwhip and army pouch). Of course, Ronald Reagan wore similar gear in "Hong Kong" and Alan Ladd as well in the 1930's film "China."

If I have any major qualms, it is that the character Elena is rather flatly characterized as someone whose only concern is making it to the United States (though I like when she fakes sobbing to Harry and how she always asks who cut down the cherry tree). Also, Robert Young plays Dr. Moorehead, an archaeologist who proposes marriage to Elena within a few hours of meeting her. It is one of the quickest proposals I've ever seen in a movie, but Dr. Moorehead remains one-dimensional and almost perfunctory to the plot.

"Secret of the Incas" is not full of derring do or the escapist mentality of Indiana Jones, but it is an exquisitely made and entertaining adventure movie that will more than please thrill-seekers and lovers of pulp adventure tales. Heston delivers as a rough and tumble hero and, yes, a lot of what transpires in the film is hokey and silly but never dull. And when Yma Sumac triumphantly sings "Ataypura" to the Incan village, her voice resonates as an echo throughout the entire region and reminds us of how glorious movies used to be. I would think that anyone who visits Machu Picchu can't help but hum Yma Sumac's music.

Depression, Shmepression

THE THIN MAN (1934)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Thin Man" is a film that most will admire but few will think it is based on any given reality, hence, the beauty of most Hollywood movies of the 30's and 40's. Among my favorites of these periods were "His Girl Friday" (which no one can top for rapid-fire dialogue) and "The Philadelphia Story," one of my favorite romantic comedies. I would definitely add "The Thin Man," a 1934 classic that couldn't be set in any other time period yet it resolutely has little bearing on what went on during that period (no hint of the Depression here, for starters). And that is okay because I never met anyone like the characters shown in any of these films, mostly larger-than-life characters living a life of luxury and ostentatious parties. But I digress - "The Thin Man" is an exquisite marvel of a movie, completely dependent on one witty exchange after another.

Based on Dashiell Hammett's last novel, William Powell plays a boozing retired detective named Nick who is vacationing comfortably with his rich wife, Nora (elegantly played by Myrna Loy), in their quite decorous Manhattan apartment. Of course, neither partner is remotely interested in sleuthing - all they want is to drink, be merry and party. Naturally, the party stops briefly when an inventor scientist (Edward Ellis) disappears without a trace on some secret business trip. The inventor's daughter (Maureen O'Sullivan) is concerned, as is the inventor's unbearable wife, his mistress, a few criminals, and so on. Is the inventor dead? And what about the missing cash bonds? Who took them, and why? Only Nick knows, but the order of the day is to first be merry, gay, and don't interrupt his drinking.

"The Thin Man" is a seamless blend of detective mystery and screwball comedy, something so few writers and directors could ever accomplish so deftly. I can't say that I know how this genre mixing works, but it works incredibly well. The movie begins with a never-ending party of drinking and witticisms. All we discover at this party, related to the kidnapping, is that some members of the police and the press are interested in knowing what Nick might think of the kidnapping. And there is a moment, very brief yet sudden, punctuated with violence that is so perfectly realized and so unexpected that it stands almost head and shoulders above any noir picture of the 40's or 50's.

"The Thin Man" works primarily because of the lovely chemistry between Nick and Nora. His debonair attitude and brief nonchalance when it comes to solving a crime and her facial expressions where she makes funny faces and essentially keeps him and his drinking in line is what makes this film sparkle and sizzle. Had someone else been cast besides Myrna Loy and William Powell, it wouldn't have worked. Powell doesn't exactly look like a detective or a boozing gentleman (or an alcoholic, for that matter), yet you still believe he can see the truth and you see his detective mind at work (even when he plays with an air rifle). Myrna Loy fits as a rich wife type, yet she doesn't act as polished or as bitchy as say Bette Davis. By the end of "The Thin Man," you get the impression that Nick and Nora's relationship survives because they privately act goofy and silly.

As directed with exceptional skill and a terrific use of space in mostly a lavish apartment by W.S. Van Dyke, "The Thin Man" was amazingly shot in two weeks with a low budget of $231,000, and it became a huge box-office hit. Five more films in the series emerged, yet the original is the one that will remain on everyone's mind as one of the finest films of the 1930's. It is pure escapism and a complete, first-rate entertainment with more humor and suspense than almost any film I can think of. An absolute classic, and Powell and Loy will leave you with a silly grin on your face.