The White Orchid

I was hung up between 5 and 6 stars. I opted for 6 probably because I admire Peggy Castle. She is playing a similar role to Grace Kelly's part in "Green Fire". Not as good a film. But It moves okay. Ms Castle actually highly resembles Princess Grace but their lives and careers couldn't have been more different. Grace had a storybook life. Wealthy background, great career, Academy Award marriage to the Prince of Monaco. Died in an automobile accident still too young.. Peggy followed a different path Raised in Appalachia. Went to Hollywood, like so many other beautiful young women. "discovered" based on her stunning good looks. Basically a B movie and TV career. Fell victim to the high life. Partying. Alcoholism. Her third husband found her body on the couch of her apartment. Diagnosis, cirrhosis of the liver. She was 46 years old Grace's death was tragic, but Peggy's whole life was tragic. Yet Peggy showed some real talent; had things gone another way, who knows? Beauty is a two edged sword. It can bring happiness and success or pain and sorrow.

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.

I will never get tired to discover this kind of movie from the fifties, adventure in desert, jungle, mountains, full of charm, even old fashioned charm. Splendid colors for a classic topic without any surprises, only the guilty pleasure of discovering, watching, enjoying. Reginald Le Borg is a film maker whose filmography deserves to be purchased; especially his second part of career: DIARY OF A MADMAN, DALTON GIRLS, BLACK SLEEP, WAR DRUMS. I repeat, don't expect anything exceptional, it is not Henry Hathaway's LEGEND OF THE LOST, but for moviegoers in love with old time adventure films,I highly recommend it.

Robert "archaeologist" wants to record and study the lifestyle of an ancient civilization in the jungles of Mexico. The photographer elected to capture and record this historic moment is Catherine. A guide is needed to lead the expedition. Juan "a plantation owner" agrees to lead only because he has fallen in love with the "woman with golden hair." The aloof Robert fails in love with Catherine, but she first chooses "passionate" Juan. Robert ends up her second pick. The trio finally find the tribe but Catherine accidently leads to the death of the chief's son. She is to be sacrificed. At the end of this film the three battle the odds against the whole tribe.

Some good exterior scenes of plateaus and jungle landscape. The rest of the film suffers from the rather dullness of Robert. Even the love triangle theme fails to impact this film.

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.