The fall of the kingdom of the sun
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The fall of the kingdom of the sun |
| Original title | The Royal Hunt of the Sun |
| Country of production |
United States , Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1969 |
| length | 111 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Irving Lerner |
| script | Philip Yordan |
| production |
Eugene Frenke , Philip Yordan |
| music | Marc Wilkinson |
| camera | Roger Barlow |
| cut |
Bill Lewthwaite , Peter Parasheles |
| occupation | |
| |
The Fall of the Sun Empire is a historical film by director Irving Lerner from 1969 . The screenplay for the US-American-British co-production is based on the play The Royal Hunt for the Sun by Peter Shaffer , which premiered in London in 1964 .
action
The Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro was able to convince his king to finance an expedition to Peru that was supposed to loot the gold treasure of the Incas . Two priests and the royal representative Estete are placed at his side. Pizarro is recruiting 167 volunteers. He makes Hernando de Soto his deputy .
Arrived in South America, Pizarro meets the Inca king Atahualpa , who was warned about the Spaniards by his supporters. Pizarro reveals himself to the Inca priests as a god. The Inca ruler visits the Spanish camp. The Dominican Valverde wants to convert him to Christianity. However, the conversion remains unsuccessful, the Spanish priests want Atahualpa to be captured. Pizarro agrees, arrests the ruler and has his escort killed. As much gold is to be delivered as ransom as fits in Atahualpa's cell. While the Incas are getting ready to get the gold, Pizarro gets to know the Inca ruler better and over time is partly convinced of his divinity.
When the gold was delivered, the Spanish officers were worried. They fear that the Incas want revenge and demand the execution of Atahualpas. The priests, whose attempts at conversion were unsuccessful, consent to the execution. Atahualpa guarantees Pizarro's safety, but despite Pizarro's objection, he is sentenced to death. Atahualpa wears a golden mask and assures that the sun god will not allow him to die. After the execution, Pizarro, believing in Atahualpa's prophecy, takes off the dead man's mask. When he realizes that the Inca ruler is really dead, he realizes the magnitude of the crime that has been committed against the Incas.
Reviews
Lexicon of international film : “Peter Shaffer's ambitious, religiously critical play about the clash of two cultures and the clash of Christianity and solar cult was largely deprived of his intellectual debate in favor of an elaborate adventure film. Impressive are the theatrical highlights, which, beyond the external effects, achieve some depth effects. "
The film was described by the film magazine Cinema as a "historically guaranteed culture clash".
The Variety certified the film plus points in the cast of Shaw and Plummer, the intelligent script by Yordan and the supporting tone.
background
The world premiere took place on October 6, 1969 in New York. The film was first shown in Germany on July 15, 1970.
The film was shot in Peru and Spain .
The production designer Eugène Lourié was responsible for the equipment .
Web links
- The sinking of the Sun in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The fall of the empire of the sun. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Critique of Cinema
- ↑ criticism of Variety (engl.) ( Page no longer available , searching web archives ) Info: The link is automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
