El Condor (1970)

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Larry Cohen (screenplay) and
Steven W. Carabatsos (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1970 (France)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Western

Tagline:

They'll break through the fortress walls... or die trying!

Plot:

Luke, an escaped convict, and Jaroo, a loner gold prospector, team up with a band of Apache Indians in 19th century Mexico to capture a large...

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Apache | Mexico | Escaped Convict | Cannon

Cast

Jim Brown	...	Luke
Lee Van Cleef	...	Jaroo
Patrick O'Neal	...	General Chavez
Marianna Hill	...	Claudine, Chavez's woman (as Mariana Hill)
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Santana, Apache Chief
Imogen Hassall	...	Dolores
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Old convict (as Elisha Cook)
Gustavo Rojo	...	Colonel Anguinaldo
Florencio Amarilla	...	Águila
Julio Peña	...	General Hernández
Ángel del Pozo	...	Lieutenant (as Angel Del Pozo)
Patricio Santiago	...	Julio
John Clark	...	Prison Guard Captain
Raúl Mendoza Castro	...	Indian
Rafael Albaicín	...	Officer

Also Known As:

The Condor (International: English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Apache languages

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Norway:16 (1971) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Carthay Continental

Trivia:

The producers had built the 'El Condor' fort, then found they weren't happy with the original script, so had Larry Cohen re-write it to have the story focus more on the impressive set.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (2003) (V)

EXCITING EPIC WESTERN

Extremely enjoyable western adventure in the classic style of the late 60s and early 70s. The plot concerns a pair of rogue adventurers who team up with a tribe of Apache Indians to steal a fortune in gold from a huge fortress in Mexico during the mid 1860s. The heroes are extremely well portrayed, with Jim Brown as Luke, in a pioneering performance for African American actors in the early 70s; a non racially specific heroic role. Brown displays the cool confidence he showed in 'The Dirty Dozen' and '100 Rifles', showing once again that he was one of the most underrated action heroes of the 60s and 70s. Lee Van Cleef is also superb. Going against his usual casting as a polished, cool villain, Van Cleef plays a scruffy ne'r-do-well named Jaroo, who is first seen spitting whiskey into the camera. In spite of Jaroo's greed and unsavory habits, he is still a very sympathetic character. Just watch the great scene where he gives a Mexican boy one of his prized gold nuggets. Other characters of note are Iron Eyes Cody as Santana, the Apache Chief, and Patrick O'Neal as Chavez, the cruel yet honorable commandanté of the Fortress of El Condor. Mariana Hill is stunning (and totally naked at one point!) as the mistress of Chavez, a fickle beauty with the power to make men or break them. The battles are truly epic in scope, particularily the scenes of the final assault on El Condor, with hundreds of Mexican soldiers and Apaches clashing in the courtyard of the immense fortress. The music by Maurice Jarré is wonderful. One of his best scores, along with 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'The Professionals'. No one can say that 'El Condor' is a message movie, or socially relevant or challenging, but if you want an action packed western with larger than life heroes and villains, beautiful women and impossible odds, El Condor is the film for you! I have watched this film literally dozens of times since first sneaking into the living-room to catch it on the late show as a kid in 1979, and I never ever tire of it. I watch this film more often that 'The Wild Bunch', 'The Magnificent Seven' or 'The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly'! Buy a copy RIGHT AWAY!