Il tesoro segreto di Cleopatra

I knew nothing about this film except for the "fanciful" description in the TV listings, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised and expectant when I saw the name Nathan Juran on the screen. He had been involved in some of my favorite "fanciful" Ray Harryhausen movies.

Alas, it was not to be. This has without question the worst blue-screen work I've ever seen. Large jaggedy mattes, and blue-screen so imprecise you can see the screen through the slats of the balloon basket. Don't get me started on those fake condors. Can you imagine worse visual effects than those in Birdemic:Shock and Terror? It's right there on the screen.

The lead is more suited to a smirking, singing cowboy role than the supposed action figure he is supposed to be here. The heroine is bland.

The only thing I give this movie points for is the villain. He has a wonderful screen presence even without dialogue, but he has a magnificent voice also. I could listen to him tell legends all day.

The camera work is horrible. Many scenes of the main figures are actually out of focus for some length of time. And it must have been difficult to convey directions to the extras as they are often looking at the camera or not doing what everyone else in the background does. One native even picks his nose as the camera pans directly past him, and another turns and smiles apparently at the director when they finally break a door down.

The story is not compelling at all, and the crises they get into (all two of them) are laughable. This is a bad movie -- no wonder I had never heard of it before.