Blu-ray Review Secret of the Incas (Kino) – Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[t1g3r5fan]

Beginning his career in the editorial department at Paramount Pictures, Jerry Hopper got his first directorial break in 1946 by working on several installments of their Musical Parade short film series. He soon ascended to feature film directing with The Atomic City (1952) but had his most notable success with working with Charlton Heston on three films from 1953 to 1955; right in the middle of that time period came Secret of the Incas. Previously released on Region Free Blu-ray by Imprint, Kino has licensed the movie from Paramount for its latest Blu-ray release.



Secret of the Incas (1954)



Released: 06 Jun 1954
Rated: Approved
Runtime: 100 min




Director: Jerry Hopper
Genre: Action, Adventure



Cast: Charlton Heston, Robert Young, Nicole Maurey
Writer(s): Ranald MacDougall, Sydney Boehm, Boehm Maximum



Plot: An...

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[Wayne Klein]

A very nice transfer overall. Color could be a bit bolder.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I'm undecided about upgrading to blu ray. Much as I like Heston and Nicole Maurey, the film is slow and very talky with a lack of action, it should have been much better.

 

[Douglas R]

I'm undecided about upgrading to blu ray. Much as I like Heston and Nicole Maurey, the film is slow and very talky with a lack of action, it should have been much better.

I agree. I wasn't familiar with the film but after all the eager anticipation from many, I found the film very dull indeed. Only good thing was seeing some Machu Picchu location shots although even that was mixed with a lot of studio work.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I watched this blu recently and thought it was great. I've not seen the film look this good. I think it is an entertaining picture with Heston doing sleaze really well. I enjoy seeing him play these type of characters, Major Dundee was another great one, where he is incredibly flawed rather than a hero.

It seems pretty obvious that they borrowed several things from this for Indiana Jones, which is also cool to see. It's not paced like a modern day action film, we get to hang out with Heston's sleazebag which is fun, seeing how he works over the tourists to make a living. In the end, this to me is really a fun Heston movie and he does a great job in this role. I think seeing him in stuff like this really makes you appreciate him more as an actor.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched this blu recently and thought it was great. I've not seen the film look this good. I think it is an entertaining picture with Heston doing sleaze really well. I enjoy seeing him play these type of characters, Major Dundee was another great one, where he is incredibly flawed rather than a hero.

It seems pretty obvious that they borrowed several things from this for Indiana Jones, which is also cool to see. It's not paced like a modern day action film, we get to hang out with Heston's sleazebag which is fun, seeing how he works over the tourists to make a living. In the end, this to me is really a fun Heston movie and he does a great job in this role. I think seeing him in stuff like this really makes you appreciate him more as an actor.

I'm going to eventually purchase the Kino Blu-ray, but waiting on a lower price point since I already purchased the Imprint Blu-ray and have the iTunes HD digital.

 

[Flashgear]

Another fine, informative and detailed review, Mychal!

I have both the earlier ViaVision Imprint Blu and the new KL Blu release of Secret of the Incas, and the KL source and transfer is heads and shoulders above the Imprint disc...greatly superior in resolution, both in middle ground and backgrounds...but (as Mychal and others have mentioned) with slightly muted color palette compared to the Imprint version, that is nonetheless more evident in some outdoor scenes. Studio shots are much more vivid on this newer Paramount remaster than Imprint's earlier source. Close-ups are sharp!

I'm very happy with the new KL Blu, buy with confidence!

As to the movie itself, it had all the elements of a fine 1950s adventure film...suspenseful, with a solid storyline. Great cast, with Charlton Heston as a believably complex hero, Nicole Maury is a truly gorgeous girl and more than competent, Thomas Mitchell really projects an air of menace about him, driven both by the quest for the gold Incan 'Sunburst' and his visceral resentment of Heston's hero...and then you've got the fine ensemble of supporting cast and familiar faces...Robert Young, Glenda Farrell, Michael Pate, Leon Askin, Alvy Moore and others...and Yma Sumac's singing is hypnotic and her vocal range is impressive...all in all, a wonderfully nostalgic cinematic artifact from the 1950s!

Toby Roan contributes another very interesting and informative commentary also!

 

[billO']

So nice to see this finally get a legit release. For some reason this never got shown on TCM (at least when I was subscribed); the only way I ever got to see it was a so-so copy that someone had up on youtube.

 

[winstoncarolina]

I have fond memories of this movie from childhood. I saw it in first release back in the late 1950s. Two things really stuck with me: the ending and Yma Sumac! After "Raiders," its sort of passe, but this mostly entertaining.