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| Kings of the Sun | 
 enlarge | Director: J. Lee Thompson
Actors: Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field, Richard Basehart, Brad Dexter
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $8.11
You Save: $6.87 (46%)
Buy New/Used from $8.11
Avg. Customer Rating:  (24 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4648
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 108 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MGMDM110301D
UPC: 883904103011
EAN: 0883904103011
ASIN: B0010YSDA4
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: 1963
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/23/2008 Run time: 108 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
Fans of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto may well enjoy J. Lee Thompson's 1963 Kings of the Sun, an exotic, widescreen adventure about the ancient Mayan civilization and its rocky relationship with a nomadic tribe. George Chakiris plays Balam, a young and inexperienced Mayan king who must lead his people from one part of Mexico to another via ships. Arriving at a seemingly uninhabited coast, Balam oversees the construction of a new kingdom, complete with a tall temple upon which an altar for human sacrifice rests. The problem for Balam is that he doesn't believe in the need for sacrificing people, creating a conflict when his own high priest (Richard Basehart) demands that Black Eagle (Yul Brynner), wounded chief of a local Indian tribe, be offered up to the Mayan gods. Complicating Balam's life even more is that his love interest, Ixchel (Shirley Anne Field), falls for Black Eagle while nursing him back to health. Everything leads to a kind of social experiment in coexistence that gets shaky whenever the subject of Ixchel comes up. Screenwriter Elliott Arnold (Broken Arrow) does a fine job of alternating the big picture of conflicting traditions and peoples with intimate moments of passion and disappointment. Thompson wraps the story in a fever-dream intensity, underscored by the undeniable sexuality of Brynner (who moves like a bronze cat) and Chakiris (who looks like a haughty demigod). The characters' lurches toward a more modern view of sacrifice and cooperation are fascinating and make Kings of the Sun as thoughtful as it is bigger-than-life. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Yul Brynner at his best... December 6, 2008
Kings of the Sun, a 1963 movie starring Yul Brynner and George Chakiris is another classic not to be missed. We acquired this movie because we are die-hard fans of Mr. Brynner, who born on July 11th, 1920, lived to the age of 65, when he died of lung cancer. A Russian-born actor, Yul Brynner brought magic to the screen in roles as the King... in the King and I, "The Magnificent Seven" and in his unforgettable performance as Rameses II in the epic "The Ten Commandments."
Those of us who admire Yul Brynner can not forget and truly miss the grand figure, the deep voice and his exotic looks, for he brought elegance and presence to men with shaven heads.
In this movie, Brynner again delights with his star power as he plays the role of ruler of an indigenous nomadic American civilization. The story starts with ancient members of the Mayan civilization fleeing their kingdom because they are persecuted by a tribe with more advanced weapons.
Balam is the son of the king of this group who believes in human sacrifice to prosper. You see they are wise and have thought of many interesting ways to protect themselves, for as they escape, they do so through an elaborate sequence of secret passages that allow them enough time to go to the shore, where they meet villagers with boats they take, setting out to unknown lands.
The villagers want nothing to do with Balam, but they understand he is being followed by men who will not hesitate to kill them, and the leader of the village makes Balam promise that if they give them the boats, he will marry and make his daughter their queen.
Ixchel, beautifully played by Shirley Anne Field is upset that her father has made Balam agree to marry her because she wants to marry for love.
They set out to sea and arrive at what appears to be uninhabited lands, and soon they set out to build homes, recreating their previous way of life, but this time, in the absence of human sacrifice, something that Balam dislikes.
They are so advanced that they record their history through artisans that carve the tribe story onto walls and trees. Balam is a bit of an engineer and an architect and we see him creating dams to benefit from river waters to irrigate fields to plant crops and have food available for their people.
But, there are people that live on this land, and Yul Brynner enters as the ruler of the nomadic tribe, Black Eagle, who upon discovering ships by the shore, travels to discover those that arrived on his land. Black Eagle attacks Balam and is wounded, taken prisoner, and tended to in preparation for human sacrifice to the Gods.
Ixchel nurses Black Eagle back to health and when he discovers that it was all in preparation to be killed, he tells them that superstition is wrong, that the preservation of life is the essence of civilization, and both Black Eagle and Balam begin to learn much from the other's point of view.
The plot thickens and without giving away the story, Yul Brynner achieves much in changing Balam as he realizes that Balam has wisdom, knowledge, and much that his nomadic tribe can benefit from. Hunac Ceel, played by Leo Gordon follows Balam to the new land, and attacks them... Will the tribe survive? Well... Black Eagle and Balam join forces and you will see magnificent lessons on how to accept change to foster an environment of peace. Without a doubt, a magnificent film, great performances, and another classic to enjoy with friends and family!
Don't miss it!
First time viewing this film October 27, 2008
How have I not seen this movie before now?? It's true that it's very simplistic, for todays' standards, but for it's time, it is wonderful. I see NOTHING wrong with Yul Brynner strutting around half naked, showing off his shaved head. He is perfect for this role, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well George Chakiris fit his own role. The tale assumes the viewers know about the whys and whynots of human sacrifice, so it's really not necessary to explore it further. In my humble opinion, it is a movie that deserves a place on your DVD shelf if you love action, period pieces, or Yul. I'm glad to have it.
Kings of the Sun September 6, 2008
This is one of my all time Favorite movies.
Again I saw this movie a child, it was great
then, today it's even better!!
The Maya on the Big Screen August 19, 2008
Kings of the Sun has a lot of historic maybes. According to my reading on Ancient Mexico, there was a conqueror named Hunac Ceel(but I don't think he died somewhere on the Texas-Louisania coast). The time period looks around 800-1000AD, and there were temple mounds along the Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri rivers at about that time. Those cultures received at least some influence from the south. Maybe a refugee group of Maya did reach the Gulf Coast. The movie ends with a hint that was indeed the case. The Maya also conducted a coastal trade along the Gulf using canoes with 30-50 rowers, so the story has some factual basis(although using sails is in dispute).
I first saw this movie when it was released in 1963, and it started a personal interest in the Maya and other groups in preColumbian America. I was really happy to finally get a copy.
Expected Better Quality July 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I received this DVD quickly and it was in fine shape - no problems.
However, the picture and sound quality were not as good as I expected.
It is about as good as high quality VHS.
5 star transaction though.
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