Legend of the Lost (1957)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Ben Hecht (writer)
Robert Presnell Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

17 December 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

Wayne Tangles with Loren...In the Adventure that's Hotter than 1000 Suns !

Plot:

American ne'er-do-well Joe January is hired to take Paul Bonnard on an expedition into the desert in search of treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Treasure | Lost City | Sahara | Prostitute

Cast

John Wayne	...	Joe January
Sophia Loren	...	Dita
Rossano Brazzi	...	Paul Bonnard
Kurt Kasznar	...	Prefect Dukas
Sonia Moser	...	Girl
Angela Portaluri	...	Girl
Ibrahim El Hadish	...	Galli Galli
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marsha Hunt	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Hathaway

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ben Hecht		writer
Robert Presnell Jr.		writer (as Robert Presnell)

Produced by
Henry Hathaway	....	producer

Original Music by
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino		(as A.F. Lavagnino)

Cinematography by
Jack Cardiff		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Bert Bates

Art Direction by
Alfred Ybarra

Set Decoration by
Alfred Ybarra		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Gaia Romanini

Makeup Department
Web Overlander	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Nate H. Edwards	....	production manager
Gordon B. Forbes	....	unit production manager
Franco Magli	....	production manager: Italy

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph Lenzi	....	assistant director
Edward Morey Jr.	....	assistant director

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	manager of art department (uncredited)

Sound Department
John K. Kean	....	sound (as John Kean)
Wally Milner	....	sound (as W.H. Milner)

Stunts
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino	....	conductor (as A.F. Lavagnino)

Other crew
Gina Guglielmotti	....	script supervisor (as Nenetta Guglielmotti)
Enrico Moscatelli	....	technical consultant

Production Companies

• Batjac Productions
• Dear Film Produzione (in association with)

Distributors

• United Artists (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• United Artists (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Unidear  music published by

Also Known As:

Timbuctù (Italy)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #18842) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Batjac Productions

Trivia:

John Wayne broke his leg during filming.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Wayne and Loren are wandering across the wasteland of sand, there are clearly footprints where there shouldn't be.

Quotes:

Paul Bonnard: Walking alone in the desert is wonderful. It's like walking on the face of a clock that's stopped.

I'll wait until he's awake, to give him the bad news

Henry Hathaway had something in his hands few director's would ever dream of having. A winning combination, to include the screen strength of John Wayne (Joe January) the sexual allure of beautiful Italian goddess, Sophia Loren (Dita) and dashing leading man, Rossano Brazzi (Paul Bonnard,) all in the same film. The Legend of the lost is one of those particular film which should have become a superb adventure/drama, which in turn should have evolved into a classic. But like a Formula One Car which should win the international Gran Prix, unfortunately run short of fuel. The story is that of three people all searching for something which it seems lies beyond them. January seeks enough money to break free of the monotonous cycle of drunken nights in jails, Dita hoping to find someone who appreciates her for herself and not just one night stands and Bonnard, hoping to find a desert treasure left to him by his father. All three struggle against themselves and their weaknesses and then at the temptations which cause them to remember why they failed the first time. Against them is the limitless Shahara which is unforgiving and more than a challenge to lesser adventurers. Expected steamy scenes between the story characters in the novel are abandoned and disappointed viewers are resigned to the "Romance-Lite" they are given. A good film if you don't expect too much from such international greats. ***