Kings of the Sun

8/12/2023

The oddest of casting here as Yul Brynner, George Chakiris and Shirley Anne Field star in a story of a Mayan population driven from their city by invaders. They take refuge in what they hope will be a safe haven far away and rebuild their temple. Brynner plays "Black Eagle" the chief of the local tribe already in-situ and after a few skirmishes, he gets captured and falls in love with Chakiris' betrothed - "Ixchel" (Field) before the invaders catch up with them... It is rare for meso-American history to be the focus of a plot and it makes for quite an interesting cultural backdrop. Sadly, it's not really capitalised upon and the writing and performances are just too stilted to make this anything much more than a typical sword-and-sandal effort set on a different continent.