Kings of the Sun

"Kings of the Sun" is a highly fictionalized story about the Mayan civilization of central America. The story has one of the last remaining Mayan groups fleeing to save their civilization. The Mayans were spread across much of modern day southern Mexico into other Central American countries. Others of their groups had been attacked and wiped out or conquered by an invading warring nation. We see clearly the distinction between the advanced civilization of the Mayans and the barbaric nature of their attackers. The movie doesn't give us a date or time frame, so it might have been any time in the latter Mayan period (100 to 700 A.D.). This was all well in advance of European discovery.

Many viewers today may not find this movie very interesting or entertaining. It is slow, for sure. There was considerable interest in ancient civilizations around the mid-20th century. And, a host of movies like this were made back then. Today we know more about the ancients, and Western interests for the most part seem to have shifted to the stars, space and the distant future. The fiction of the story here is only slightly interesting. The script isn't that good. Yul Bryner is probably the only good acting job, as Black Eagle. The rest of the cast are just so-so.

This movie has a number of conflicts with history. One has the invaders with iron weapons against the Mayans' wooden swords. In fact, there is little evidence of metal discoveries and development in the Americas. Only toward the middle of the second millennium is there some scant appearance of bronze objects. But, iron and steel appear only with the Europeans in the 16th century. That struck me as a strange thing that would belie history as well. If the Mayans were so advanced, and an agricultural society, why had they not discovered bronze or iron with which to make plows and other farming implements and tools? They hadn't yet in this movie, but the barbaric invaders had iron swords.

I note some of the reviews and correction comments that take issue with the Indian dress and tepees of Yul Bryner's tribe. But, I don't see or recall anything in the film that says the Mayans landed near the Mississippi Delta. The only evidence of any stream is a very small one. And, the vegetation that we see – trees and underbrush don't resemble anything like the moss-covered forests of Louisiana and the Bayou country. That area is very moist with considerable rainfall. But, this film has the Mayans reaching land in a dry area. So, I suggest that they would have landed in southeast Texas. They might have landed anywhere from present-day Corpus Christi to north of Galveston. That would have put them close to the lower range of the Comanche Indians. The Comanche where a fierce warring and hunting tribe that ranged across the Plains from southern Nebraska to central Texas. And, they built and slept in tepees. If one looks at a map of Gulf of Mexico, it's clear to see that the Mayans could have left the Yucatan Peninsula and sailed "across the sea," landing in southeast Texas.

At one point in the film, Black Eagle says that his people can learn much from the Mayans, and that the Mayans can learn from them. The Mayans are not hunters but farmers. We see them build a dam on a creek to divert the water to irrigate their crops. Archaeologists decades ago found irrigation ditches that had been used by the Hopi Indians of Arizona nearly 2,000 years ago. Then, in 2009 near Tucson, scientists discovered more ancient irrigation canals. Those had been used by ancestors of the Hopi in 1,200 B.C.

Pretty-boy George Chakiris wisely keeps his shirt on opposite a buffed up Yul Brynner on whose form Joseph MacDonald's camera dwells with unadorned admiration. Had he paid similar attention to the insipid love interest Shirley Anne Field, people would complain about the sexual objectification of women, but Brynner seems to enjoy all the attention. J. Lee Thompson keeps the action moving along and the story entertaining, even though it is all highly predictable, and Richard Basehart looks suitably embarassed to be seen in an assortment of silly headgear and hairdos.

One major advance films have made since the "classic era" of the 1960s and before that, is in realism of characters. You don't see white people playing Asians or blacks or Indians anymore. When you do see it, in these old films, it now looks ludicrous and takes away from the seriousness of the movie.

Yul Brynner, however, is one guy who could get away with it. Here, he plays Mexican-Indian warrior "Chief Black Eagle" and he's believable. Whether it's his deep, menacing voice or bald head with striking feature, Yul was cool no matter role he played.

I can't say the same for the rest of the cast. The co-star, George Chakaris as "Balam (the ninth)" as the same pretty-boy hairstyle right out of the late '50s/early '60s; Richard Basehart ("Ah Min," a Mayan priest) has coloring on his face and wig you have to see to believe! Barry Morse ("Ah Zok") will forever be typecast as "Lt. Girard" the man who harassed for years TV's "The Fugitive." Meanwhile, there is film-TV-tough guy Leo Gordon as "Hunac Kell" and Shirley Anne Field as "Ixchel." Field is beautiful and looks the part, but a British accent in Mayan territory? However, as the film goes on, Field is more and more believable, for some reason.

Whatever, there's always the story and a nice widescreen print now out on DVD, which I was fortunate enough to obtain for rent. It was filmed in the Yucatan, so the scenery is real - not some studio back lot.

In the story, Balam's Mayans get pushed out of their area by a war-mongering neighbor, led by Kell. There is nowhere to escape except by water over the Gulf of Mexico. This was no easy feat back in these early days. They make it, start to build their new homes and civilization, only to run into the Indians who already reside nearby. They are led by Chief Black Eagle and he's not too friendly.

The rest of the film answers two big question: 1 - What will happen between the two groups? Will one annihilate the other, or can they live in peace? 2 - What if the old enemies - Hunac Kell's barbarians - show up? And......of course, the big question: who gets the girl?

This movie is terrific!. I liked its clever premise of the Mayan culture contacting the Plains Indian culture. The Kon Tiki and Ra voyages of Thor Heyerdahl proved that "primitive" peoples sailed amazingly far distances, so the Mayans reaching North America and meeting a North American tribe is quite feasible. The two cultures' contact was fascinating and involving. I saw this movie years ago, and then once or twice on broadcast television channels. I wish I could see it again! With all the wide variety of cable and satellite channels now available, I wish one of them would show The Kings Of The Sun....... Or that it would become available on video or DVD.......

"Kings of the Sun" is the story of a civilization burst into full flower…

In their profound desire to win favor from the deities, the Mayans made human sacrifice the keystone of their religion…

Keeping the Buddhist monk hairstyle as his trademark, Brynner easily steals the show with his virile personality, distinctive look, speech and mannerism… He is Black Eagle, the barbarian chief who comes to the defense of the Mayans…

George Chakiris plays Balam, the jaguar, king and son of kings to the ninth generation… Although in spite of being young and brave and untried, Chakiris lacks the heroic stature with which the role might have been satisfied…

Shirley Anne Field is the delicate Ixchel who would never leave Black Eagle except if he ever used to tell her that he loved her…

Richard Basehart is the high priest who tried to make the king understand that he cannot bring this new life to his people without giving a life… For a thousand years they've been bound by this law… The gods cannot be cheated…

Leo Gordon is the tyrant Hunac Kell… His strength is a sword of metal and the Mayans are powerless against it…

Filmed beautifully in Chichén Itzá, Yucatán – Mexico, J. Lee Thompson's motion picture is colorful and highly entertaining