Secret of the Incas

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jerry Hopper directs. Lionel Lindon behind the camera. David Buttolph scores. Eda Warren cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian, Quechua, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Italian, Quechua, Spanish.
• 3Directed by Jerry Hopper, shot by Lionel Lindon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by David Buttolph. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Eda Warren shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Charlton Heston and Robert Young and Nicole Maurey carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "Marrying Doc is my one chance ... Don't kiss it away for me, Harry ... please ... please ... please ...".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0047464 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Lionel Lindon

Original score

David Buttolph

Editing

Eda Warren

Costume design

Edith Head

Makeup / hair

Wally Westmore

Runtime

100 min · 1h 40m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Secret of the Incas (1954) ↗

Also by

Jerry Hopper

• 
  Sweet and Low

  1947 · ★ 10.0
• 
  Everything But the Truth

  1956 · ★ 8.2
• 
  Valentine's Day

  1964 · ★ 8.0
• 
  Get Smart

  1965 · ★ 8.0
• 
  The Addams Family

  1964 · ★ 8.0
• 
  How to Marry a Millionaire

  1957 · ★ 8.0

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Secret of the Incas (1954) | HD Trailer

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  Indiana Jones Copied Secret of the Incas?

  Behind the Scenes
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  "Secret of the Incas" (1954) clip

  Clip
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  Secret of the Incas (1954) - Proto-Indy finds the treasure

  Clip

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Wuchak2022-11-24
  ★ 6/10

  Indiana Jones three decades before the character existed An American adventurer in Cuzco, Peru, halfheartedly works as a tour guide, but his real interest is a priceless Incan artifact. He schemes to steal a Romanian official’s plane to make it to the lost city of Machu Picchu in the remote high country of the Andes, where he’s surprised to discover an archaeological dig is taking place. Robert Young plays the leader of the scientists. "Secret of the Incas" (1954) is an adventure flick that became the blueprint for Indiana Jones in the 80s, the first film of course being the exceptional “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” While Harry Steele (Heston) certainly dresses like Indiana Jones, he’s not a noble professor; he’s a cynical and avaricious treasure hunter, not to mention opportunist. In the last act there is a tomb sequence featuring a revealing shaft of light similar to the Map Room scene in “Raiders.” Being shot in 1953, this naturally has a quainter tone by comparison. The first 45 minutes, for instance, entirely take place in a remote Andes town with a lot of talk and little action, which might turn off fans of Indiana Jones. But I enjoyed Heston’s towering presence and nonchalant mojo. His character, Harry Steele, is similar to Taylor in “Planet of the Apes” (1968), just fourteen years younger. The Andes sequences are scenic and striking Peruvian vocalist Yma Sumac plays the role of Kori-Tica with a couple of extraordinary singing sequences. Meanwhile Nicole Maurey is sharp as the Romanian defector, Elena. The film runs 1 hour, 41 minutes, and was shot in Peru at Cuzco and Machu Picchu with (obvious) studio scenes done at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The studio sets are surprisingly well done and convincing enough. GRADE: B-/B

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Paramount Pictures

  US

Key crew

• ProducerMel Epstein
• Art DirectionHal Pereira
• Art DirectionTambi Larsen
• Special EffectsJohn P. Fulton
• Set DecorationSam Comer
• Set DecorationFrank R. McKelvy
• Assistant DirectorDaniel McCauley
• EditorEda Warren
• Costume DesignEdith Head
• Makeup SupervisorWally Westmore
• Sound RecordistHarry D. Mills
• Sound RecordistJohn Cope
• Camera OperatorEulogio Nishiyama

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• treasure
• peru
• archeology
• indigenous peoples
• treasure hunter

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1954-06-06

Also known as

International titles

• Il Segreto Degli IncasIT
• El Secreto de los IncasES
• Le Secret des IncasFR
• Das Geheimnis der InkasDE