Legend of the Lost, John Wayne, Sophia Loren, 1957

San Holo

Active member
This flic is an Indy forerunner,starring John Wayne and Sophia Loren. It's not the best movie,but it's pretty entertaining.Plus Sophia is HOT. Has anyone else seen this movie?
 

Stoo

Well-known member
I recorded it from TV about 10 years ago and have rarely watched it as I find
it quite boring. :( (The director, Henry Hathaway, made an earlier film called
"The Real Glory" which has a few, cool Indy-type moments. You might want
to check that one out, too).
 

Pilot

New member
Yes, I've seen it a number of times. It's an ok movie, but it lacks sustained suspense. It follows a pattern of a number of adventure movies in the '50's that have a good premise but could have been better.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
My VHS recording of "Legend of the Lost" was missing approx. the first half hour so I never bothered transferring it to DVD and now my tape is buried away in storage, unwatched for many moons.

However, thanks to "Secret of the Incas" maestro, James Byrne, I now have it on DVD as of yesterday! In another thread, he mentioned a similarity with "Raiders" from the beginning which I had never seen. There is a brief, street chase similar to Marion's in Cairo. Well, I noticed another à la Marion parallel:

Sophia Loren whacks John Wayne over the head with a FRYING PAN!:D
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
The film is out on DVD and I have a copy.

I posted some screen prints from the film on my website below.

The film was partly shot at Leptis Magna, an ancient Roman city in Libya.

:)
________________________________________________

Check out my website at:
http://www.brianrxm.com
Roman Coins, Mexican Coins, Favorite Coins, Movie Coins
 

James Byrne

New member
Those screen captures from LEGEND OF THE LOST are terrific. Pity the movie dragged in some places but the location shots are beautiful. John Wayne's character Joe January is a second cousin to Harry Steele in SECRET OF THE INCAS.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Some things I really appreciated in my re-visit of this were the scenery and the appearance of Kurt Kaszner.

My VHS recording was from an early '90s TV broadcast and it was an old, awful pan & scan print, so seeing the film for the 1st time in glorious widescreen was a real treat! The location shots are gorgeous and plentiful. My opnion of "Legend of the Lost" jumped up a few notches simply because of this.:)

Since I'd never seen the first 30 mins., I was pleasantly surprised to see Kurt Kaszner as the French prefect. He was someone I've always remembered from watching re-runs of the late '60s TV show, "Land of the Giants", when I was a kid (which also has my favourite John Williams music). I've only seen him in a couple of things and he plays a slimy character in each of them, including another GREAT Indy-forerunner, "Valley of the Kings".

Thanks again, James!:hat:

@WilliamBoyd (Hoppy): I didn't know that it was available on DVD.:eek:
 

Ska

New member
Just recorded this onto our DVR recently. AMC was playing it.

Haven't watched it yet, though.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Ska, make sure you drink a Red Bull before you watch the movie because it might put you to sleep.:p

Just kidding. The scenery and Sophia Loren should be enough to help you make it through. The story is character-driven with very, little action but it gets good towards the end.
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
Legend of the Lost, John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Libya, 1957

The 1957 film "Legend of the Lost" is an adventure tale set in the Sahara Desert.
It starred John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Rossano Brazzi, and Kurt Kasznar.

It has been available on DVD for some time.
Member "San Holo" posted about this film in 2005.
http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=7564

I managed to make some screen captures of this somewhat "Indy" film.

The film was partly filmed on location in the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna,
located in modern Libya, east of Tripoli.

The story is about three adventurers looking for buried treasure.

Paul Bonnard arrives in Timbuktu in search of a guide to escort him into the Sahara desert.
His father spent years looking for a "lost city" and Paul has his father's diary.
The policeman Prefect Dukas introduces him to Joe January, an American who knows the area.
Paul hires Joe as a guide.

Paul also meets Dita, a woman who introduces herself by stealing his watch.
He then gives her the watch and makes a friend.

Paul and Joe head into the desert on mules, and later Dita appears at their campground.
After some time, they find water and the "lost city", where they find the skeletons
of Paul's father and two others. They also find some treasure.

Paul and Joe get into a fight over Dita, and Paul rides off with their horses.
Joe and Dita have to hike out, and nearly out of water, find Paul collapsed in the desert.
Paul tries to kill Joe, but Dita shoots him.
About to die, Joe and Dita are rescued by the Libyan cavalry.

There are a number of "Indiana Jones" elements in this film.

There is an archaelogist and a quest for ancient treasure.
A man's father was obsessed with the "lost city" and he has a diary that his father kept.
A girl has an encounter with the local wildlife (8-legged variety).
And some pretty neat skeletons.

post_legendlost_01.jpg

Hat
A somewhat familiar looking hat.

post_legendlost_02.jpg

Joe
Introducing Joe January

post_legendlost_03.jpg

Riders
Riders in the sand

post_legendlost_04.jpg

Navigator
Joe uses navigational equipment to find their way in the desert.

post_legendlost_05.jpg

Dita has her "Indiana Jones" moment

post_legendlost_06.jpg

Dita finds something on her

post_legendlost_07.jpg

Joe and Dita

post_legendlost_08.jpg

Argument

post_legendlost_09.jpg

The two see something in the distance

post_legendlost_10.jpg

Ancient Roman city

post_legendlost_11.jpg

Ancient Roman city
"We are walking through history..."

post_legendlost_12.jpg

Trajan's arch inscription
I have seen similar inscriptions on Roman coins of the Emperor Trajan.
The arch dates to AD 109-110.

post_legendlost_13.jpg

Skeletons in an embrace

post_legendlost_14.jpg

Iron Door

post_legendlost_15.jpg

Reading from the diary

post_legendlost_16.jpg

Trek back to civilization

:)
 

AndyLGR

Active member
I watched this for the first time in years recently, and its one of those films I remember from my childhood that I'd been looking to watch again.

In the main, not a lot happens. Its not really an action film of any sort apart from a couple of fights between Joe and Paul. This stems from both main leads trying to force themselves on to Dita. Professing their sudden love for her just seem so out of touch? They only met a couple of days ago!

However this isn't a trend thats unique to this film, (Secret of the Incas immediately springs to mind). It seems so awkward that all of a sudden the woman is loved and the man is dying to marry her when he hardly knows her. Strange, but maybe that was the tastes of the cinema goers at the time.

Ultimately my take on it that was more about how Paul loses his mind in his quest to find the lost city that was his fathers obsession. I was actually really disappointed in it and remember it as being a film I enjoyed much more when I was younger.
 

James Byrne

New member
Andy
LEGEND OF THE LOST is also similar to SECRET OF THE INCAS because a gorgeous prostitute is torn between a hard as nails adventurer and an educated, sophisticated, man of the world.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Showing on Film 4

For any U.K. residents interested in seeing this movie, it's been on Film 4 channel twice during the past few days (and is playing right now). Keep your eye out because it might be showing again in the near future.
 
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