El Condor (film)
El Condor is a 1970 American western film directed by John Guillermin.
| El Condor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Guillermin |
| Produced by | André De Toth |
| Screenplay by | Larry Cohen Steven Carabatsos |
| Story by | Steven Carabatsos |
| Starring | Jim Brown Lee Van Cleef Patrick O'Neal Marianna Hill Iron Eyes Cody |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Cinematography | Henri Persin |
| Edited by | Walter Hannemann William H. Ziegler |
| Distributed by | National General Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef lead a band of Apaches (including Iron Eyes Cody) against a fortress commanded by Patrick O'Neal. The fortress is said to contain the gold reserves of Emperor Maximilian.
The movie was shot in 35mm Technicolor in Almería, Spain, and involved the construction of the huge adobe fortress set that was re-used in later films, including Conan the Barbarian (1982) and March or Die (1977)'.
El Condor was among the first movies rated R (for violence, explicit language, and nudity).
Plot
In 1860s Mexico, Luke, an escaped convict, and Jaroo, a loner gold prospector who is not very bright, team up with a band of Apache Indians to capture a heavily armed fortress for the thousands of gold bars said to be stored within. The fortress is commanded by the sadistic Chavez, whose mistress, Claudine, Luke becomes attracted to the moment he sees her.
Cast
- Jim Brown as Luke
- Lee Van Cleef as Jaroo
- Patrick O'Neal as Chavez
- Marianna Hill as Claudine
- Iron Eyes Cody as Santana
- Imogen Hassall as Dolores
- Elisha Cook Jr. as Old Convict
VHS and DVD releases
The movie was released on a fullscreen VHS in 1994, and a widescreen DVD by Warner Archive in 2009.
Critical reaction
Roger Ebert's review of August 27, 1970 in the Chicago Sun-Times began: "Lee Van Cleef's last words in 'El Condor' are, 'What am I doing here?' Amen, brother."
See also
References
Bibliography
- The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States – Feature Films, 1961–1970. University of California Press, 1997, page 298.
- Greenspun, Roger “Screen: `El Condor’ Bows, Mexican Treasure Tale Comes to the Forum”, New York Times, June 20, 1970, page 22.