The Royal Hunt of the Sun

"The birth of a hero. The death of an empire. The adventure of a lifetime."

1969 2h 1m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 12

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Spanish explorer Pizarro captures the Inca god-chief Atahualpa and promises to free him upon the delivery of a hoard of gold. But Pizarro finds himself torn between his desire for conquest and his sense of honor after friendship and respect develops between captive and captor.

“The birth of a hero. The death of an empire. The adventure of a lifetime.”

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Cast

Robert Shaw
Francisco Pizarro
Christopher Plummer
Atahualpa
Nigel Davenport
De Soto
Leonard Whiting
Young Martin
Michael Craig
Estete
Andrew Keir
Valverde
William Marlowe
Candia
James Donald
King Carlos

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Irving Lerner
Writers: Peter Shaffer, Philip Yordan
Languages: English, German
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Irving Lerner, shot by Roger Barlow. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marc Wilkinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Shaw and Christopher Plummer and Nigel Davenport carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The birth of a hero. The death of an empire. The adventure of a lifetime.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Irving Lerner directs. Roger Barlow behind the camera. Marc Wilkinson scores. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

157 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Irving Lerner, shot by Roger Barlow. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Marc Wilkinson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Robert Shaw and Christopher Plummer and Nigel Davenport carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The birth of a hero. The death of an empire. The adventure of a lifetime.".
9IMDB entry: tt0064907 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "gold", "peru", "based on play or musical", "incan empire".