Les rois du soleil

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.......

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?

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.

"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

In 1963 there was a number of Hollywood fantasies based on historical and cultural themes that made the conoscenti cringe. I mean, Mayans migrating to the Gulf Coast, other Mayans using iron artifacts, arriving in the new world and speaking the same language as the locals? Well, back in those Hollywood days in the middle sixties, audiences were not quite so demanding as now. So, George Chakiris, fresh from his West Side Story triumph and Yul Brynner, known now from a number of hits, are pitched against each other in a sixty's version of a martial arts film. Veteran character actors like Barry Morse (Gerard of The Fugitive), Brad Dexter, Richard Basehart and Ford Rainey are seen sprinkled among the good guys and classic Villain, Leo Gordon heads the bad guys. The beautiful Shirley Anne Field offers the feminine interest in a departure from her roles in grade B movies and adds to the pageantry of the film. And, the usual cast of hundreds provides some nice texture and action to off-balance Brynner's hamming it up in the close-ups. This is a fine old film that doesn't have legs that was entertaining in its time. It is available but be warned: this film would be definitely grade B fare today.