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.
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.