Product Description

Driven with desire to find the mythical Kingdom Of Gold, conquistador Francisco Pizarro (Robert Shaw) sets sail for the Americas seeking riches beyond any man's dreams. Far from being a land of savages, Pizarro encounters the magical Inca Empire and their fabled leader Atahualpa (Christopher Plummer). The initial mistrust and suspicion between the two men is replaced by a mutual faith and respect - emotions not held by other members of Pizarro's exploration party, who are purely intent on claiming the Inca gold for themselves. Empires collide in this epic story as two civilisations, two men and two belief systems seek to find their place in a modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6304 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-19
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Dolby, PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 115 minutes

Synopsis
The screen adaptation of Peter Shaffer's stage play about the intense battle of wills between Inca leader Atahualpa and conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who seeks the golden city of El Dorado in Atahualpa's realm.

Customer Reviews

An absolutely astonishing Christopher Plummer
If you have never had the privilege to admire Christopher Plummer performing on stage, and you know him only as the extraordinarily charming blue eyed Captain Von Trapp, then this film is a must see. You will soon realize what Christopher Plummer actually is: the most talented living player in the world. A unique artist, who gives here one of his most astonishing virtuoso performances. "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" is a precious gem: I urge you all to watch it as long as it is available.

too old fashioned & dreadfuf DVD quality, but good acting
The conquest of the Inca Empire is a powerful and dreadful story. Indeed the stuff for a monumentam movie. The 1964 play by Peter Shaffer has been turned into a movie in 1969; Christopher Plummer who had played Pizzarro in the Broadway theater production stars as Atahualpa, the Inca God-King.
Robert Shaw is Pizarro. He is the birth of a hero and there the death of an Empire.

The movie looks a bit like a theatre play, especially the beginning. From the start one is strucked by how slow everything is compared to present movies. The DVD quality is fairly bad as if the movie has been tape recorded in private and then transferd to a DVD. The overall impression one gets is: all far too old. The story told does not give one a new inside and perspective of the well-known story. I enjoyed Christopher Plummers acting, but that does not carry the whole movie.

All in all, I was quite disappointed and honestly a bit bored by it all. It is not a total waste of time to watch it, but in the end one could have done easily without it. It is not a movie that will stick in your mind for any period of time.

Good fiolm holding right to the end
This is a film where the ending is known, but still holds you on your seat. The basic storyline is factual, but the story is a study iun tension.
The story is wekllk known, Pizzaro arrives and conquers the Incas, and then exdecutes Ataulpha. The film is an examination of the relationship between the two men.
Ataualpha is played by Christopher Plumber and Pizzaro by Robert Shaw. While not necesarily the best film, they aver made, it is a good one.
The end of the film is a real cliff hanger, you may know the ending, but you want to believe that the Inca will come back to life. As the sun rises over the Andes, and the music builds, the sun ray rushes across the roomj, and comes to the dead king. Sadly, he doesn't come back to life.
One of the most amszing aspects of the film is supplied by a singr called Imo Summack. Se had the ability to go the whole range of vocals, 4 octave if my memory serves me, and she sings the haunting music in this film.