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.

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.

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.

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