Legend of the Lost (1957)

A VERY ATYPICAL JOHN WAYNE MOVIE

This is a very interesting movie, however, it is not a very good movie in that the script, if they used one, moves very slowly going almost nowhere. One of the best elements of the film is the ancient Roman city of Timgad of 100 A.D.in modern day Algeria where the film was shot. The city is one of the best examples of the Roman grid pattern of cities and was originally brought into being as a frontier bastion against the mobile Berber tribes. The city yet today retains all of it historical charm that this film exibited.

I'm old enough that I saw this movie in a regular theatre when it was released back in '57, on that fact mainly I bought a copy of the DVD, would it still be as I remembered. Yes and no. The movie is entertaining, it isn't every movie that allows one a front row seat to the Sahara desert, and one that is in living color, too. Although in shooting the movie several sound stages were also used. I noticed too the unevenness of the movie, especially in the beginning scenes, when once in the desert the acting becomes smoother. Maybe they were more tired due to the prolonged heat and didn't have the energy to overact, as some of the earlier scenes come across as somewhat contrived and shrill.

The movie for me is better than a "3" and not quite a "4" rating, but given John Wayne's normal choices for making a movie, I give him credit for stepping out to do something atypical such as this. Sophia Loren is adequate in her role, with Rosanna Brazzi doing his normal fair job. The theme of looking for a "lost" city has been done many times and one would have wished they had built a little better script for this one to carry the story along.

Movie is well worth watching and is good entertainment. One cannot ask much more than that.

Semper Fi. July 16, 2008

Not a legend, should have stayed lost

High hokum, even for late '50's Hollywood. Poor Loren (23) is stuck with another pair of geezers for leading men (Wayne was 50). Compared to most of the actors the studios were trying to pair her with, maybe lover/mentor Carlo Ponti didn't look so ancient in comparison.

Loren, Wayne, and Brazzi spend most of the film stumbling around the Sahara looking for a lost city. There are some great postcard shots of what I believe may be the magnificent Roman city of Leptis Magna, in northwestern Libya. But this isn't a postcard...it's a motion picture. Veteran helmer Hathaway does his best with what may be one of Ben Hecht's worst writing efforts. The brilliant Technicolor cinematography overwhelms what is supposed to be an intimate portrait of three disparite characters.

Despite supposedly wandering endlessly in one of the hottest places on Earth, nobody gets so much as sunburned and Loren's coiffure and makeup stay intact. She's wearing a full-length dress and it never occurs to any of the characters that she'd be better off removing the skirt and putting something on her head to ward off the relentless sun. Wayne's Joe January may be gallant, but sensible fellow that he is, his gallantry never extends to offering the suffering Loren his hat (which would have made for a cute shot). January's character would have dumped the obviously nutzo Brazzi ten minutes into their ordeal.

There's no spark between Wayne and Loren until the very end, and what there is, is all Loren's doing. Their characters repeatedly approach death from dehydration and then miraculously recover their energy like Wile E. Coyote. Endless jabbering, badly matched studio shots...it's so dull you can't even get angry at it. But I did get a kick out of the last scene, where Loren spots a passing nomad caravan and waves frantically to them (she's supposed to be near-death from thirst, remember), yelling to the wounded Joe, "They're coming, Joe, they're coming!" as several camel riders peel off their direction.

The nomadic Tuareg I've met are good folks, but in that time and place the likelihood is that given the situation presented, they'd slit Joe January's throat and enslave Loren. June 19, 2008

Lost but Found

Seems that this Wayne/Loren film has been lost for many years from lists of their best work. Although it is not in the best 10% for either, I really enjoyed everything about the film and found it entertaining from beginning to end. I also disagree with another comment here on Amazon about John Wayne being miscast. I think it is a perfect vehicle for his often under-rated skills. June 15, 2008

Good quality dvd and service

The dvd arrived on time and in good condition. The quality of the dvd was good as promised. I'd recommend purchasing this dvd from this vendor. May 26, 2008

Legend of the Lost

Some of the dialog was hard to understand. The movie dragged on and on and was boring - nearly fell asleep. March 24, 2008

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