SECRET OF THE INCAS (1954) – Considering that some of the costume and design staff members for Raiders of the Lost Ark have openly stated that they did repeated viewings of this neglected Charlton Heston film while putting together the “look” of that 1981 blockbuster I admit to being as puzzled as they are that Secret of the Incas isn’t mentioned as much as old serials are as an influence.
And let me emphasize that I do mean “influence”, and not imitation or rip-off. In my opinion, the most that could be said is that this 1954 flick is like Raiders of the Lost Ark before they added the choreographed action scenes and special effects. The storyline in Secret of the Incas involves violent, double-crossing and deadly attempts by shady and not-so-shady figures to discover and claim/ steal an ancient Inca relic … from Machu Pichu itself!
Location filming in Peru greatly improves the quality of this overlooked film. Footage of Machu Pichu’s 1950s condition is fascinating and Peruvian singer Yma Sumac as priestess Kori-Tica performs a few folk songs in honor of Inca culture. Expect a movie closer to Film Noir with archeological trappings rather than an action spectacle and you may enjoy Secret of the Incas as much as I do. Beautiful Nicole Maurey plays Heston’s love interest.
Moving on to the elephant in the room, Charlton Heston as Harry Steele wears beard stubble and what is now called “an Indiana Jones hat” in addition to an Indy jacket. Heston’s character is also a pilot so the jacket has logo patches on each side and is accessorized by a flight scarf but otherwise he looks every inch the visual basis for a certain two-fisted archeologist.
Remember when Marion Ravenwood tells Dr. Jones “You’re not the man I knew ten years ago.” Well, it’s tempting to think that Harry Steele IS what Indy was like ten years ago. Brasher than Jones in Raiders and as ruthless as Han Solo, Steele is also fluent in multiple languages, including Quechua. As a veteran relic hunter he’s also well-versed in ancient cultures and is buddies with the scholars at Cuzco’s museum. Continue reading
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