Product Description

Synopsis: The match of wits between conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Inca god-chief Atahualpa. After slaughtering most of Atahualpa's followers, Pizarro and his army hold the Inca leader hostage in return for a fortune in gold.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9840 in DVD
• Brand: Trinity
• Released on: 2005-11-08
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full length, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 97 minutes

Features

• The match of wits between conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Inca god-chief Atahualpa. After slaughtering most of Atahualpa's followers, Pizarro and his army hold the Inca leader hostage in return for a fortune in gold. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG Age: 692865207337 UPC: 692865207337 Manufacturer No: T-2073

About the Actor
Robert Shaw, Christopher Plummer, Nigel Davenport

Customer Reviews

Only a fair print of a great film
This great movie is based on the incredibly successful stage play. The movie was not a big hit for some reason, despite incredible performances by Christopher Plummer as (believe it or not) the "brownie" Inca King Atahuallpa and Robert Shaw as Pizzaro. The script is a blatant condemnation of mass murder and slavery as condoned by the church. It also touches on the social issue of whether life in the world of the Inca -- where each person's life was planned from birth and no one wanted for food or shelter -- is better or worse than life under a monarch or even in a democracy. The Incas traded individuality and freedom of choice for programmed lives; the film lets the viewer make up his or her own mind on this. A third, more subtle theme is the intensity of the bond Pizzaro forms with the captive Inca king. It verges on the homoerotic, which is an interesting take, particularly considering the historical facts. When Pizzaro refuses to execute Atahuallpa, De Soto asks (sarcastically) if he loves the Inca king. Pizzaro responds by admitting that if he does not love Atahuallpa, there's no chance he'll learn of it anywhere else.

Thus we have a beautifully filmed movie with a great screenplay, great music/singing, and acting. The only thing missing is a good, clean copy of the film!!!!! I've seen video copies and this dvd copy, and all of them have skips, a few scratches, occasional color distortion, and too-quick cuts in them. Hopefully someone will give this excellent film the remastering it truly deserves, until then, this is the best available video version. It will irk you a few times when a word is lost or the film jumps too quickly from one scene to another, but if you are willing to tolerate these minor irritants, you'll love the film itself.

An absolutely astonishing Christopher Plummer
If you have never had the privilege to admire Christopher Plummer performing on stage, and you know him only as the extraordinarily charming blue eyed Captain Von Trapp, then this film is a must see. You will soon realize what Christopher Plummer actually is: the most talented living player in the world. A unique artist, who gives here one of his most astonishing virtuoso performances. "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" is a precious gem: I urge you all to watch it as long as it is available.

Opposites attract
Translation of a play to the screen is sometimes problematic because stylized action is accepted on the stage as an abstraction of larger movement, but when this same stylized action remains in the film, the work takes on a surrealism that may interfere with the intention of the film-makers. The same criticism applied to dialogue that is acceptable on the stage despite over-dramatization, but in a film it appears as over-acting and can be distracting. This movie is based on a very successful stage production but the translation to film was somewhat awkward.

Christopher Plummer does an excellent job as the Inca King Atahuallpa, appearing trim, slim, dark, and athletic. His slender tall frame is that of a ballet dancer and thus is perfect for the other-worldly Athahuallpa. Robert Shaw is at his best as Pizzaro. He is a bundle of masculine enterprise, an agent for state and church and self. These two figures are meant for each other, or at least Athahuallpa was meant for Pizzaro to awaken hidden doubts and unquestioned concepts and repressed emotions - of course Athahuallpa is destroyed in the process. Shaw and Plummer bring a slight bit of homoeroticism to the play, actually strengthening its many layers of meaning. The film reveals that 17th century Spanish Catholic explorers were exploitive and the implication is that the church and the state play a major role in this exploitation. The screenplay is vivid and intellectually challenging.

The film quality is a bit poor with jumpy editing that even cuts dialogue short. This was distracting since the dialogue was strong.