This film, hardly promoted as much as lesser ones, is highly significant in that none of the protagonists portrayed were White in the 1960s. While today that casting would be severely criticized, for a film aimed as edu-tainment of a largely White moviegoer in 1963, it would have been impossible to finance as well and commercially disastrous without the draw of Yul Brynner, and, to a lesser extent, other Hollywoodian actors of some note.
The importance is that it FINALLY introduced that the Mayan civilization pre-Columbus was more advanced in several areas than anything in Europe. Where they were not - in weapons, in ground and maritime transport - led to their demise, and, perhaps unintentionally, European borne diseases like smallpox, influenza etc. Wiped out perhaps 80% of Mesoamericans in the 16th Century. That last humanitarian disaster gets almost no mention in typical North American or European authored history books, but the statististics are glaring. There may have been as many as 120 million Mesoarmericans in 1492 (the lowest estimates are about 30 M) - that would be much more populous than ALL of EUROPE at that time; even Spain probably had only 8 million inhabitants. The 80% loss to disease, slaughter, abuse and starvation in ONE CENTURY makes the Black Plague seem "mild". From 1335-1443, for example, the English population is estimated to have gone from 4 million to 2 million; in the same period, France went from some 22 million to 17 million. It took Europe, on average, about 125 years to replemish their populations; it took Mesoamerica more than 300, with Mexico's population pre Columbus only recovering in the 1950s!
From that point of view, it was a seminal film - much as Brokeback Mountain, despite its ridiculously implausible portrayal of gay sex and relationships and tone-deaf casting, was able to introduced homosexual protagonists who were not laden with the stereotypes - even though the ending was highly stereotypical. It at least introduced the concept of homosexuality as an innate, unchosen phenomenon, and that the trouble with it is the extreme intolerance of society.
The other good things about the film is Yul Brynner. He could physically pass as a Metis today, which he was in that he was mixed European Russian, Central Asian and East Asian. He also always brings presence, 100% committment and embodiment of a warrior chief very convincingly. The other secondary actors were either White or mixed in what could be ungraciously nicknamed "Blackface". The blue-eyed English woman cast as the Mayan princess, the blue-eyed high priest played by American Richard Baseheart etc.; such casting would not happen today. However, at least the background characters seemed to be local Mexicans Metis or Indigenous, and Chichen Itza was one of the sites. It was good that so many would have the work and that Mexico's Indigenous sites, culture and technology were, at least, mentioned.
Now the criticism. The historical accuracy has already been criticized by people more informed than I about that. What I don't understand is how a civilization that cuts stone to build pyramids, crafts wood to make water wheels and planes wood smooth DID NOT HAVE metal tools. Their arch enemies did, and it beggars belief that they could not have not only acquired metal swords from slain enemies but also compel captured enemies to divulging the technology to make metal weapons.
The next issue is storyline credibility even for fiction. The protagonist tribe had maritime technology with sails and used it to escape their less technologically advanced enemies who could not pursue them. Yet, a mere few years later, they were discovered by former enemies is what seemed to be even more advanced ships. Sloppy content writing.
Nonetheless, I value this film for its introduction to an "ignorant" (in the academic sense) American audience of some of the valuable advances of Mayan that were, unfortunately, completely discarded by invading Spaniards. Imagine if the astronomy level achieved by the Mayan had been integrated into European knowledge for example.
Not enough is still not part of major historical texts as regards the technological, engineering and societal development in Mesoamerica, nor about the near genocide as a result of first the Spanish and then other Europeans arrival in the late 15th Century.
The importance is that it FINALLY introduced that the Mayan civilization pre-Columbus was more advanced in several areas than anything in Europe. Where they were not - in weapons, in ground and maritime transport - led to their demise, and, perhaps unintentionally, European borne diseases like smallpox, influenza etc. Wiped out perhaps 80% of Mesoamericans in the 16th Century. That last humanitarian disaster gets almost no mention in typical North American or European authored history books, but the statististics are glaring. There may have been as many as 120 million Mesoarmericans in 1492 (the lowest estimates are about 30 M) - that would be much more populous than ALL of EUROPE at that time; even Spain probably had only 8 million inhabitants. The 80% loss to disease, slaughter, abuse and starvation in ONE CENTURY makes the Black Plague seem "mild". From 1335-1443, for example, the English population is estimated to have gone from 4 million to 2 million; in the same period, France went from some 22 million to 17 million. It took Europe, on average, about 125 years to replemish their populations; it took Mesoamerica more than 300, with Mexico's population pre Columbus only recovering in the 1950s!
From that point of view, it was a seminal film - much as Brokeback Mountain, despite its ridiculously implausible portrayal of gay sex and relationships and tone-deaf casting, was able to introduced homosexual protagonists who were not laden with the stereotypes - even though the ending was highly stereotypical. It at least introduced the concept of homosexuality as an innate, unchosen phenomenon, and that the trouble with it is the extreme intolerance of society.
The other good things about the film is Yul Brynner. He could physically pass as a Metis today, which he was in that he was mixed European Russian, Central Asian and East Asian. He also always brings presence, 100% committment and embodiment of a warrior chief very convincingly. The other secondary actors were either White or mixed in what could be ungraciously nicknamed "Blackface". The blue-eyed English woman cast as the Mayan princess, the blue-eyed high priest played by American Richard Baseheart etc.; such casting would not happen today. However, at least the background characters seemed to be local Mexicans Metis or Indigenous, and Chichen Itza was one of the sites. It was good that so many would have the work and that Mexico's Indigenous sites, culture and technology were, at least, mentioned.
Now the criticism. The historical accuracy has already been criticized by people more informed than I about that. What I don't understand is how a civilization that cuts stone to build pyramids, crafts wood to make water wheels and planes wood smooth DID NOT HAVE metal tools. Their arch enemies did, and it beggars belief that they could not have not only acquired metal swords from slain enemies but also compel captured enemies to divulging the technology to make metal weapons.
The next issue is storyline credibility even for fiction. The protagonist tribe had maritime technology with sails and used it to escape their less technologically advanced enemies who could not pursue them. Yet, a mere few years later, they were discovered by former enemies is what seemed to be even more advanced ships. Sloppy content writing.
Nonetheless, I value this film for its introduction to an "ignorant" (in the academic sense) American audience of some of the valuable advances of Mayan that were, unfortunately, completely discarded by invading Spaniards. Imagine if the astronomy level achieved by the Mayan had been integrated into European knowledge for example.
Not enough is still not part of major historical texts as regards the technological, engineering and societal development in Mesoamerica, nor about the near genocide as a result of first the Spanish and then other Europeans arrival in the late 15th Century.