"Here's an obscure, highly original adventure story that's better than APOCALYPTO and PATHFINDER put together! A United Artists release from the 60's, it's a macho field day for Brynner, who plays a native North American butting heads with the Mayas - particularly chieftan Chakiris. It's eccentric matinee fun, nicely staged, beautifully shot and filled with a pulsating, trademark score by the great Elmer Bernstein. An out-of-print, letterboxed DVD was available in Japan, but this MGM DVD is the first time this picture has been viewed in anamorphic Panavision since it's theatrical run. Terrifically enjoyable stuff!"
Wonderfull movie !!!!
Shy Member | Pembroke Pines, FL USA | 12/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a such a wondefull movie!!. I can not believe is finally going to be available. I have been waiting years to get a copy. I have no idea it was projected to be release on DVD. What a nice surprice. Sorry I know I do not sound too profesional on my review. I just watched this movie once 35 years ago, and that was enough for me to love it for the rest of my life. 5 stars? 10 stars? ...you name it"
FINALLY
celestial3 | DALY CITY, CA. USA | 12/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOVIE FOR SO LONG". THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND SAY EL CID ( WHICH IS ALSO "FINALLY" COMING TO DVD IN JAN ) WHICH WAS AVAILABLE ON OTHER FORMATS, I'VE NEVER SEEN KINGS OF THE SUN AVAILABLE ON VHS OR LASERDISC, AND REMEMBER IT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND WATCHED IT MANY TIMES ON TV. THIS IS A FINE ADVENTURE AND EVEN WITH ANY HISTORICAL COMPLAINTS IT IS WELL ACTED BY ALL ESPECIALLY MR. YUL BRYNER AND MR. GEORGE CHAKRIS. ALSO IN WIDESCREEN AT LAST. I'M NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY ABOUT THE STORY BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE IT ALL, ACTION, LOVE, EMOTIONS, MORAL REVELATIONS, EVERYTHING. I'M SURE SOMEONE WILL SOON ENOUGH, BECAUSE I JUST SAY, BUY IT. REALLY, FINALLY!"
From the sixties........... Great for those times...
Andre Villemaire | Canada | 05/06/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you loved Kings of the Sun when you saw it many moons ago...you will
still love it... If you are 25 years old or less, please take in consideration the year the movie was made. There was no CGI in those days,
actors/actresses physically worked for a living and it was not a blue/green screen world. These types of movies were rare, as most movies
dealts with guns/crime/war/murder.
So when a big adventure movie came up we jumped on it and ...this movie
looked big...big cast...pyramids....it was a kid's dream....
So today the movie still hold, is entertaining and Yule never looked better."
KINGS OF THE SUN -finally gets its chance to shine!
Graham Hill | HOLLYWOOD Calif. | 05/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having been given a home video release years earlier in Asia of all places, KINGS OF THE SUN finally arrives on these shores. If you're expecting plenty of extras and a really pristine print, unfortunately this is not the case as noted by other reviewers. But we do have a great action/adventure from British director J. Lee Thompson fresh off completing TARAS BULBA with the same star Yul Brynner. Now theres plenty of stunt action in this picture with hundreds of extras and so on, but the added bonus is the pulsating music score of master maestro Elmer Bernstein. In fact as he said himself on a TCM TV screening with Robert Osborne, it's his most requested score by his loyal fans. He was about to re-record the score before he died, but it never happened.
Shot on location on the beaches of Mazatlan and at the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan of Mexico back in 1963, you just know that there are plenty of beach resort hotels spoiling the same views these days. It's a B-movie story that is livened by the action, music, great photography of Joe MacDonald and the uncredited narration of James Coburn, years before he found a retirement career voicing commercials.
It's Yul Brynner's picture for sure and it's his last iconic period piece prior to finally playing the robot gunslinger in WESTWORLD. George Chakiris is passable coming off WEST SIDE STORY, but Shirley Anne Field and her heavy British accent is way miscast. Still THE GUNS OF NAVARONE director Thompson, keeps your attention with the widescreen layout and detail of the scenes.
I personally remember seeing this in London upon it's intial release and I loved it then. So much so, that I saw it three or four times in the theatre."