Die Stadt der Verlorenen (1957)

Die Stadt der Verlorenen: Directed by Henry Hathaway. With John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Rossano Brazzi, Kurt Kasznar. American ne’er-do-well Joe January is hired to take Paul Bonnard on an expedition into the desert in search of treasure.

“Henry Hathaway had something in his hands few directoru0026#39;s would ever dream of having. A winning combination, to include the screen strength of John Wayne (Joe January) the sexual allure of beautiful Italian goddess, Sophia Loren (Dita) and dashing leading man, Rossano Brazzi (Paul Bonnard,) all in the same film. The Legend of the lost is one of those particular film which should have become a superb adventure/drama, which in turn should have evolved into a classic. But like a Formula One Car which should win the international Gran Prix, unfortunately run short of fuel. The story is that of three people all searching for something which it seems lies beyond them. January seeks enough money to break free of the monotonous cycle of drunken nights in jails, Dita hoping to find someone who appreciates her for herself and not just one night stands and Bonnard, hoping to find a desert treasure left to him by his father. All three struggle against themselves and their weaknesses and then at the temptations which cause them to remember why they failed the first time. Against them is the limitless Shahara which is unforgiving and more than a challenge to lesser adventurers. Expected steamy scenes between the story characters in the novel are abandoned and disappointed viewers are resigned to the u0026quot;Romance-Liteu0026quot; they are given. A good film if you donu0026#39;t expect too much from such international greats. ***”