This movie offers some good travel footage of Mexico, including the rarely visited (even today) Veracruz site of El Tajin, which despite the dialogue was built by neither the Toltecs, Aztecs, nor Mayans, but by Huastecan Indians of eastern Veracruz. I have seen this site and also the Voleadores flying from their high pole on festival days. Many reviewers have commented on the faded color quality. This film was almost certainly shot in the winter, when even the jungle is rather bare of leaves (dry tropical deciduous forest). Also, there is nothing close to being a desert between El Tajin and Chiapas, that must have filmed elsewhere. Description of vanilla orchid growth and artificial pollination is correct, although Mexico is the only place in the world where the natural vanilla bee pollinators live. I have this movie on a 20 Movie "Suspense" package from Mill Creek.
12 Reviews
A love triangle in the jungle
jcholguin2 June 2001
Robert "archaeologist" wants to record and study the lifestyle of an ancient civilization in the jungles of Mexico. The photographer elected to capture and record this historic moment is Catherine. A guide is needed to lead the expedition. Juan "a plantation owner" agrees to lead only because he has fallen in love with the "woman with golden hair." The aloof Robert fails in love with Catherine, but she first chooses "passionate" Juan. Robert ends up her second pick. The trio finally find the tribe but Catherine accidently leads to the death of the chief's son. She is to be sacrificed. At the end of this film the three battle the odds against the whole tribe.
Some good exterior scenes of plateaus and jungle landscape. The rest of the film suffers from the rather dullness of Robert. Even the love triangle theme fails to impact this film.
Some good exterior scenes of plateaus and jungle landscape. The rest of the film suffers from the rather dullness of Robert. Even the love triangle theme fails to impact this film.
All the Barbaric Splendour of an Ancient Culture
richardchatten27 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The most original moment of this glorified Mexican travelogue in colour is the opening scene which initially seems to be being narrated to us by William Lundigan, who then turns out to be dictating into a tape recorder. Unfortunately, with the appearance a few minutes later of gorgeous high-maintenance Peggie Castle to introduce herself as his photographer he responds with the usual boorishness towards women that heroes in these films always display and banality is the order of the day for the remainder of the film. Things actually get worse when Armando Silvestre enters the picture as their guide, since the two of them thereafter bicker incessantly over her. (She's wearing a wedding ring, but no one ever mentions that, including Ms Castle.) Peggie herself looks a treat as usual, especially after she changes into jeans and a blouse to go on safari (during which she continues to wear lipstick); but director Reginald LeBorg is perplexingly extremely parsimonious with close ups of her.
The 'plot' however is just the glue holding together the Eastman Color footage of fiestas and Mexican scenery shot by Gilbert Warrenton and local cameraman Enrique Wallace (billed as 'Henry'). Lundigan is supposed to be a famous archaeologist who has written books and given lectures about the area, yet has to keep asking Silvestre to explain everything they encounter; and at the end demonstrates his respect for the local culture by burning their village to the ground (Miss Castle's photographic film making good firelighters).
The 'plot' however is just the glue holding together the Eastman Color footage of fiestas and Mexican scenery shot by Gilbert Warrenton and local cameraman Enrique Wallace (billed as 'Henry'). Lundigan is supposed to be a famous archaeologist who has written books and given lectures about the area, yet has to keep asking Silvestre to explain everything they encounter; and at the end demonstrates his respect for the local culture by burning their village to the ground (Miss Castle's photographic film making good firelighters).
Fair Overall, With Location Photography As A Plus
Snow Leopard27 March 2006
The location photography in Mexico is a noticeable plus in this adventure feature, which is watchable but just fair overall. The story follows a very familiar pattern, yet it opens up some good dramatic possibilities. The cast and characters don't always make full use of the opportunities, but there is enough to make it worth seeing.
William Lundigen stars as a diligent but rather small-minded archaeologist, who is reluctant to take a female photographer on an important and hazardous trip to a remote part of Mexico. Once the expedition is underway, he and the group's guide find themselves rivals for the photographer's attentions, which makes the hazardous situations they face even more difficult.
The combination of a love triangle with a hazardous quest is the kind of setup that can make for a fine movie, and this one gets enough out of the setup to be interesting, but it could have been quite a bit better. The dialogue is too bland to give the actors a lot to work with, and as the lead, Lundigen is believable but one-dimensional. Peggy Castle is attractive enough to make it easy to believe that the two males could make fools of themselves over her, but likewise she and her character remain one-dimensional. Armando Silvestre is somewhat more interesting as the guide.
On the plus side, the settings and the situation are interesting, and they offer a slight change of pace from the usual action film premises. Even with some of the color having faded from the print, the rugged scenery is often well worth seeing just for itself, and the outdoor photography adds considerably to the atmosphere. Overall, though it has some apparent flaws, it's not bad and it has some definite pluses.
William Lundigen stars as a diligent but rather small-minded archaeologist, who is reluctant to take a female photographer on an important and hazardous trip to a remote part of Mexico. Once the expedition is underway, he and the group's guide find themselves rivals for the photographer's attentions, which makes the hazardous situations they face even more difficult.
The combination of a love triangle with a hazardous quest is the kind of setup that can make for a fine movie, and this one gets enough out of the setup to be interesting, but it could have been quite a bit better. The dialogue is too bland to give the actors a lot to work with, and as the lead, Lundigen is believable but one-dimensional. Peggy Castle is attractive enough to make it easy to believe that the two males could make fools of themselves over her, but likewise she and her character remain one-dimensional. Armando Silvestre is somewhat more interesting as the guide.
On the plus side, the settings and the situation are interesting, and they offer a slight change of pace from the usual action film premises. Even with some of the color having faded from the print, the rugged scenery is often well worth seeing just for itself, and the outdoor photography adds considerably to the atmosphere. Overall, though it has some apparent flaws, it's not bad and it has some definite pluses.
Love triangle, jealousy and Aztecs
Chase_Witherspoon8 September 2012
More a postcard of Mexico than a movie, despite which, actor William Lundigan stars as a straight-laced archaeologist who reluctantly takes stand-in photographer (Castle) along on an expedition where tensions grow as a love triangle evolves with local guide (Silvestre).
Interesting cast features the young Rosenda Monteros as Silvestre's scorned woman, the ill-fated Peggie Castle as the seductive snapper, and Latin heart-throb Silvestre as the bane of Lundigan's dapper but ultimately bland existence. The soap opera treatment services the romantic melodrama and sexual tension, leaving the action to compete for the sloppy seconds. At times, Lundigan looks like coitus interruptus personified, such are the provocative glances and horny exchanges between Castle and her Latin tease.
Despite colourful landscapes and an attractive cast, the film never elevates beyond B-grade fodder, incapable of conjuring any excitement or palpable tension, weighed down by inane dialogue ("merely a vampire bat") and a plot that prefers melodrama to action (60 minutes passes before the first glimpse of something more fervent than tent buddies on heat). The climax and conclusion offer some redemption, with a fiery Aztec encounter, but it's all too little too late to resurrect the picture from 'average' status.
Interesting cast features the young Rosenda Monteros as Silvestre's scorned woman, the ill-fated Peggie Castle as the seductive snapper, and Latin heart-throb Silvestre as the bane of Lundigan's dapper but ultimately bland existence. The soap opera treatment services the romantic melodrama and sexual tension, leaving the action to compete for the sloppy seconds. At times, Lundigan looks like coitus interruptus personified, such are the provocative glances and horny exchanges between Castle and her Latin tease.
Despite colourful landscapes and an attractive cast, the film never elevates beyond B-grade fodder, incapable of conjuring any excitement or palpable tension, weighed down by inane dialogue ("merely a vampire bat") and a plot that prefers melodrama to action (60 minutes passes before the first glimpse of something more fervent than tent buddies on heat). The climax and conclusion offer some redemption, with a fiery Aztec encounter, but it's all too little too late to resurrect the picture from 'average' status.
White Orchid is a snotflower
yonhope3 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Hi, Everyone, I wonder who put up the money for this travesty of a Mexican adventure. It moves along slowly then it changes pace by stopping and going backwards.
This is sort of a documentary about some lost tribe in Mexico that looks like underfed Tonto impersonators. It has preposterous characters and situations. It held promise until the very beginning and then it started falling apart.
A woman photographer is the lead character more or less, although I think the guy is supposed to be the star. The reporterette has connived her way into an assignment with William Lundigan in Mexico to cover something. He realizes she is a woman and therefore not capable of clicking a camera. So he beats up her boyfriend after she pretends to be in love with a guy who becomes their unwilling guide into the woods.
The guide is actually an acrobat who is not supposed to have his picture taken. You talk about a great story. Then he tries to kill a deer but accidentally murders someone, but it's OK because they leave him behind to fight the whole village. They burned their pictures though when they set the film on fire to set all the huts on fire and escape from the Pyramid.
The movie star's hair is not messed up after she sleeps in a tent and never takes a bath for several days. The three leads have great hair.
If you want to see a movie with a strong intelligent female lead, this isn't it. Try Gone With The Wind, Double Indemnity or Sunset Boulevard.
There is one big dance number on the Pyramid and a song sung by two guys with a guitar. The guys harmonized beautifully.
There is a scene with a nice old reel to reel portable recorder. It is bigger than the iPods of today.
I give it one thumb... on the "off" switch.
Tom Willett
This is sort of a documentary about some lost tribe in Mexico that looks like underfed Tonto impersonators. It has preposterous characters and situations. It held promise until the very beginning and then it started falling apart.
A woman photographer is the lead character more or less, although I think the guy is supposed to be the star. The reporterette has connived her way into an assignment with William Lundigan in Mexico to cover something. He realizes she is a woman and therefore not capable of clicking a camera. So he beats up her boyfriend after she pretends to be in love with a guy who becomes their unwilling guide into the woods.
The guide is actually an acrobat who is not supposed to have his picture taken. You talk about a great story. Then he tries to kill a deer but accidentally murders someone, but it's OK because they leave him behind to fight the whole village. They burned their pictures though when they set the film on fire to set all the huts on fire and escape from the Pyramid.
The movie star's hair is not messed up after she sleeps in a tent and never takes a bath for several days. The three leads have great hair.
If you want to see a movie with a strong intelligent female lead, this isn't it. Try Gone With The Wind, Double Indemnity or Sunset Boulevard.
There is one big dance number on the Pyramid and a song sung by two guys with a guitar. The guys harmonized beautifully.
There is a scene with a nice old reel to reel portable recorder. It is bigger than the iPods of today.
I give it one thumb... on the "off" switch.
Tom Willett
Technicolor adventure in Mexico
ksf-228 August 2007
Opens with Robert Burton (William Lundigan "Santa Fe Trail") dictating into his recorder. He is giving the story of El Taxim, the Mayan Temple, but during this and other parts of the film, the sound is choppy and small portions are missing. This disc is part of a 50 film collection of "action classics" from Treeline/TCM, and much of the color is also faded and washed out . Burton meets up with Kathryn Williams, ( Peggy Castle, who made lots of westerns in the 1950s) who has been assigned as his photographer. Burton doesn't like the idea of having a female photographer along, but later decides she's not so bad. We also get to witness some interesting native Mexican festival rites which may or may not be authentic. Local native Juan Cervantes (Armando Silvestre, actor from Mexico who made many movies from the 1940s right up until 1999) promises to help her find the jungle to research a more primitive, traditional population, but of course this only causes more friction with Burton, her boss. Through Burton's stupidity, they lose supplies in a sandstorm; moving on, they stop at Juan's ranch before continuing on their expedition, with their singing band of helpers. At one point, they cross paths with a raccoon, and Kathryn asks "What's that?" One might think she would recognize a raccoon, on either side of the border...Then the troubles begin... and things get a little unbelieve-able, but I guess we're just along for the adventure. The travel to exotic lands would have been quite interesting before people did as much travel as they do today.
"You better run along, Nature Boy is calling you."
classicsoncall27 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
For the life of me I couldn't figure out who the female lead was here even though I've been watching a half dozen episodes of 'Lawman' each week right up to the middle of the third season now. Most reviewers on this board rate her highly in the looks department in this flick, but you really need to catch Peggie Castle as Miss Lily Merrill opposite John Russell in the popular TV Western from 1959 to 1962. That's when she was really something to see.
Well anyway, Miss Lily, er, Kathryn Williams plays a couple of amorous adventurers against each other in this somewhat muddled film. She portrays a photographer hired by archaeologist Robert Burton (William Lundigan) to record an expedition into an uncharted Mexican jungle to get the goods on a lost tribe of Toltec Indians. Rugged Juan Cervantes (Armando Silvestre) is schmoozed into serving as a guide for the expedition by the sultry Miss Williams. The men were nominally positioned as adversaries over the blonde babe but I never got the impression that this was ever a serious rivalry. A better one was John Wayne squaring off against Rossano Brazzi over Sophia Loren in 1957's "Legend of the Lost".
The picture has some interesting sequences early on with that colorful dance and procession by the locals of Papartla town, and those human 'flying eagles' on the towering maypole whirling around. Even with all the jungle intrigue to follow though, I had to sigh over the lame save at the end of the story when it looked like Miss Williams was a goner. Whenever it's like a hundred against three and the three win, there should at least be a little suspense to the situation.
Not much else to say about this flick except I can't sign off without mentioning a single great line of dialog when the expedition got under way. When the intrepid trio saw what looked like a temple in the middle of the desert, Professor Burton had to impress us with his knowledge - "It's just an optical illusion caused by the variation of the refractive index of the atmosphere and sunlight". He could have said it was just a mirage.
Well anyway, Miss Lily, er, Kathryn Williams plays a couple of amorous adventurers against each other in this somewhat muddled film. She portrays a photographer hired by archaeologist Robert Burton (William Lundigan) to record an expedition into an uncharted Mexican jungle to get the goods on a lost tribe of Toltec Indians. Rugged Juan Cervantes (Armando Silvestre) is schmoozed into serving as a guide for the expedition by the sultry Miss Williams. The men were nominally positioned as adversaries over the blonde babe but I never got the impression that this was ever a serious rivalry. A better one was John Wayne squaring off against Rossano Brazzi over Sophia Loren in 1957's "Legend of the Lost".
The picture has some interesting sequences early on with that colorful dance and procession by the locals of Papartla town, and those human 'flying eagles' on the towering maypole whirling around. Even with all the jungle intrigue to follow though, I had to sigh over the lame save at the end of the story when it looked like Miss Williams was a goner. Whenever it's like a hundred against three and the three win, there should at least be a little suspense to the situation.
Not much else to say about this flick except I can't sign off without mentioning a single great line of dialog when the expedition got under way. When the intrepid trio saw what looked like a temple in the middle of the desert, Professor Burton had to impress us with his knowledge - "It's just an optical illusion caused by the variation of the refractive index of the atmosphere and sunlight". He could have said it was just a mirage.
Another case of uh oh, there goes the neighborhood!
mark.waltz4 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
No wonder some people believe in the saying, "Stay in your own back yard!" Peggie Castle's magazine photographer longs to get a look at the natives of the land now known as Mexico who still live according to the old tribal customs far away from civilized society. She is sent to Mexico on assignment and finds herself not very welcomed by William Lundigan's archaeologist who expected a man to be tagging along to help record their findings. But after he agrees to take her, they enlist the help of quiet Mexican plantation owner Armando Silvestre who at first wants no part of their quest but agrees after some persuading from the seductive Castle. Their trek to his plantation is difficult enough with Castle encountering supposedly harmless iguanas and the group dealing with sand storms and excessive heat. Silvestre's love-lorn servant girl (Rosenda Monteros) is immediately jealous of Castle and pleads with Silvestre not to take them on any further but he refuses, having found himself falling in love with the beautiful blonde vixen. The attractions towards Castle from both Lundigan and Silvestre makes for a pretty rocky journey, but nothing as rocky as when they do find the natives which leads to a violent encounter.
The story of the white orchid is explained by Silvestre as being made from the blood of two star crossed lovers, and this is a metaphor for the encounter with the seemingly peaceful natives who have traded with Silvestre in the past but don't trust outsiders. For good reason, it seems, because Lundigan's use of a gun and a fight between him and Silvestre changes the native's minds towards receiving North American outsiders. This is a story of nosy civilized people going where they shouldn't, much like how the cultured Europeans took over much of North and South America in an effort to convert what they considered pagans to Christianity. Obviously by seeing the civilization they live in, they are fine without outside help, and when one of the tribesmen is killed, it is justified revenge that one of the trio heading into the jungle is made a sacrifice. This brings on more destruction caused by the outsiders and one of the three must make a sacrifice of their own in order to save the others.
Certainly I can understand a love of exploration and a need for a greater understanding of what happens outside the world close by us, so I can't fault the characters for their desires to explore. However, Lundigan's character seems to have no feelings outside his own lust for Castle and certainly has no appreciation for the privacy of cultures he has no real understanding of. Silvestre is quietly passionate, masculine rather than macho, and a much more desirable man in my mind, making me question Castle's taste in men. There is a fascinating scene of a carnival where Silvestre and five other men perform a flying stunt that has to be seen to be believed. This is a beautifully filmed adventure which has many life lessons that society still hasn't seemed to pick up on. The color on the public domain print which I purchased isn't as crisp as other color movies of the period which indicates that it needs some sort of restoration, but as an independent production, it is still extremely well made. Hopefully the survivors of the group in real life would come out of this adventure learning some major lessons, but something tells me probably not.
The story of the white orchid is explained by Silvestre as being made from the blood of two star crossed lovers, and this is a metaphor for the encounter with the seemingly peaceful natives who have traded with Silvestre in the past but don't trust outsiders. For good reason, it seems, because Lundigan's use of a gun and a fight between him and Silvestre changes the native's minds towards receiving North American outsiders. This is a story of nosy civilized people going where they shouldn't, much like how the cultured Europeans took over much of North and South America in an effort to convert what they considered pagans to Christianity. Obviously by seeing the civilization they live in, they are fine without outside help, and when one of the tribesmen is killed, it is justified revenge that one of the trio heading into the jungle is made a sacrifice. This brings on more destruction caused by the outsiders and one of the three must make a sacrifice of their own in order to save the others.
Certainly I can understand a love of exploration and a need for a greater understanding of what happens outside the world close by us, so I can't fault the characters for their desires to explore. However, Lundigan's character seems to have no feelings outside his own lust for Castle and certainly has no appreciation for the privacy of cultures he has no real understanding of. Silvestre is quietly passionate, masculine rather than macho, and a much more desirable man in my mind, making me question Castle's taste in men. There is a fascinating scene of a carnival where Silvestre and five other men perform a flying stunt that has to be seen to be believed. This is a beautifully filmed adventure which has many life lessons that society still hasn't seemed to pick up on. The color on the public domain print which I purchased isn't as crisp as other color movies of the period which indicates that it needs some sort of restoration, but as an independent production, it is still extremely well made. Hopefully the survivors of the group in real life would come out of this adventure learning some major lessons, but something tells me probably not.
Sex in the Jungle
asinyne9 May 2011
Peggy Castle was one lovely female...yessir. She was basically a dead ringer for Lana Turner. Unfortunately Hollywood already had Lana. Oh well. This film worked well for me. This is not your typical jungle adventure that looks to impress Tarzan fans first. No, this is a very adult Jungle adventure that should appeal to all of us who at one time or another have participated in the game of love.
Peggy Castle plays a photographer who skillfully plays one man off another in order to get what she wants. Of course it all blows up in a film noir kind of way and ends tragically. The little three way game of sexual one upmanship is directed well and reasonably well acted. The steam that Castle emanates goes a long way towards making this work. The color photography was nice, especially considering the great locales.
I enjoyed this quite nicely, in a weird way it reminded me of the second half of Gone With The Wind with the way the steamy melodrama unfolded. The action scenes that depicted the final events would have been better with slightly more authentic looking Indians. The rescue of the girl was highly improbable but the finale included an interesting little twist there with the unusual demise of the guide. I found this an interesting movie with very cool sexual undertones that kept me glued to my TV set. Unique...worth a look for a glimpse of Peggy Castle at her apex.
Peggy Castle plays a photographer who skillfully plays one man off another in order to get what she wants. Of course it all blows up in a film noir kind of way and ends tragically. The little three way game of sexual one upmanship is directed well and reasonably well acted. The steam that Castle emanates goes a long way towards making this work. The color photography was nice, especially considering the great locales.
I enjoyed this quite nicely, in a weird way it reminded me of the second half of Gone With The Wind with the way the steamy melodrama unfolded. The action scenes that depicted the final events would have been better with slightly more authentic looking Indians. The rescue of the girl was highly improbable but the finale included an interesting little twist there with the unusual demise of the guide. I found this an interesting movie with very cool sexual undertones that kept me glued to my TV set. Unique...worth a look for a glimpse of Peggy Castle at her apex.
Fairly engaging exotic adventure
gridoon202414 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"The White Orchid" is a little on the meandering side and short on thrills (for example, every single animal the heroes meet during their journey turns out to be harmless! They should have thrown a little more danger in there), but it's a good-looking film (even in its current jumpy and somewhat deteriorated DVD prints), and it's also interesting for its morally ambivalent characters; you can even say it was progressive for its time, since the main "foreign" person turns out to be the noblest of the three main characters. Oh, and Peggie Castle looks absolutely yummy, and you can easily see why she made so many films in similar genres - she feels right at home away from home. **1/2 out of 4.
Good forgotten adventure gem
searchanddestroy-116 September 2022
I will never get tired to discover this kind of movie from the fifties, adventure in desert, jungle, mountains, full of charm, even old fashioned charm. Splendid colors for a classic topic without any surprises, only the guilty pleasure of discovering, watching, enjoying. Reginald Le Borg is a film maker whose filmography deserves to be purchased; especially his second part of career: DIARY OF A MADMAN, DALTON GIRLS, BLACK SLEEP, WAR DRUMS. I repeat, don't expect anything exceptional, it is not Henry Hathaway's LEGEND OF THE LOST, but for moviegoers in love with old time adventure films,I highly recommend it.
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