The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969)

In 1532, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro leads an expedition into the heart of the Inca Empire and captures the Incan Emperor Atahualpa and claims Peru for Spain.

Director:

Irving Lerner

Writers:

Peter Shaffer (play), Philip Yordan

Stars:

Robert Shaw, Christopher Plummer, Nigel Davenport

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Shaw	...	Francisco Pizarro
Christopher Plummer	...	Atahuallpa
Nigel Davenport	...	Hernando de Soto
Leonard Whiting	...	Young Martin
Michael Craig	...	Estete
Andrew Keir	...	Valverde
William Marlowe	...	Candia
James Donald	...	King Carlos
Alexander Davion	...	De Nizza
Sam Krauss	...	Felipillo
Percy Herbert	...	Diego
David Bauer	...	Villac Umu
Danny Yordan	...	Vasca
Alfredo Porras	...	Manco
Joaquín Parra	...	Mendoza

Storyline

The Spanish explorer Pizarro captures the Inca god-chief Atahualpa and promises to free him upon the delivery of a hoard of gold. But Pizarro finds himself torn between his desire for conquest and his sense of honor after friendship and respect develops between captive and captor.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | homosexual subtext | 1530s | year 1532 | year 1533 | 

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Taglines:

The birth of a hero. The death of an empire. The adventure of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1969 (UK)

Also Known As:

Az aranybirodalom bukása

Filming Locations:

Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benmar Productions, Cinema Center Films, Security Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Alexander Davion had his head shaved in a tonsure for the movie and, while filming in Spain, was repeatedly mistaken for a defrocked monk.

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Quotes

Valverde: Tell me, how can the Sun have a child?
Manco: How could your god have a child, since you say he has no body?
Valverde: He is a spirit inside us.
Villac Umu: Your god is inside you? How can this be?
Atahualpa: They eat him. First he become a biscuit, and then they eat him.
Villac Umu: We have seen this! At praying, you say, this is the body of our god.
Atahualpa: And then they drink his blood! Is very bad. Here in my empire, we not eat men.
Valverde: You are being deliberately stupid!

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Connections

Referenced in The Deep (1977)

User Reviews

Belief System Put To The Test

In the tradition of Becket comes The Royal Hunt Of The Sun, a piece of important history reduced to a personal struggle between two men. Only these two, Conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Emperor Atahualpa of the Incas have far more in common than they think.

The Royal Hunt Of The Sun was a successful play on Broadway running for 261 performances, written by Peter Shaffer. It won a Tony Award for young David Carradine playing Atahualpa. But in the film version Robert Shaw plays Pizarro and Christopher Plummer who was Pizarro on stage plays Atahualpa. I'm guessing that Plummer's Pizarro was a bit less rough around the edges than Shaw is in the film.

He's certainly a fascinating Atahualpa who like the early emperors of the Roman Empire took divinity unto himself. The problem is that when you're supposed to be a god, you have to occasionally do something really spectacular to prove your claim. That's what kind of undoes Plummer in the end.

As for Pizarro, he never claimed he was anything, not even a gentleman. He was a soldier by profession, an illegitimate kid who raised pigs as a young man and left to join the Spanish army of Emperor Charles V. Atahualpa was also born on the wrong side of the blanket and defeated his brother in a civil war for the Inca Empire. That's a most human act and Pizarro is quick to notice.

He also is a shrewd judge of the Inca psychology. When in that famous event he tricks Atahualpa into captivity, Pizarro realizes the empire built on a godhead emperor can't function without him. The Incas are paralyzed with the fact they're whole belief system is being put to the test and failing badly. Of course in theological discussions with Father Andrew Keir of the expedition, Atahualpa's not doing too bad himself. But these are only academic exercises.

This is not a faithful adaption. The whole scene at Charles V's court with James Donald as the Emperor is written for the screen. A whole lot of peripheral characters have been changed as well. Still the spirit of what author Shaffer was trying to say is realized.

The Royal Hunt Of The Sun is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating.