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Legend of the Lost

1957 1h 49m Adventure List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 37% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Brit Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi) enlists gruff American Joe January (John Wayne) to help him find a hidden treasure that is worth a fortune. Before long, they are joined by prostitute Dita (Sophia Loren), who is moved by Bonnard's earnestness, and the three embark on a journey through the wild in hopes of finding an ancient lost city. They finally stumble upon the riches, but, after Bonnard feuds with Dita, he angrily takes the jewels and supplies, and leaves his partners to die in the desert.
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Legend of the Lost

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews This was the only time Loren and Wayne appeared together on film. Rated: C May 26, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kevin F Epic desert tale, with classic Wayne lines and Sophia Loren at the height of her career. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/26/23 Full Review H W Unusual John Wayne outing. Very well done with good acting and great scenery. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/15/23 Full Review Daniel P Little bit of a different picture for John Wayne but solidly entertaining. Not great but good Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/09/23 Full Review martin b John Wayne played the only roll he is capable of and was good. Loren was the star of this movie, a riveting, beautiful character with an array of facets to be revealed. Lazy writing. A series of impossible events save their desperate trek to catch the person that left them stranded with no food or mules. Capped by the most impossible happenstance as the Duke is lying wounded at the end of the movie. Not a good movie but it's the Duke and Sophie Loren which makes it worth enduring the bad script. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member John Wayne plays desert guide Joe January. The clever dialogue and insightful nuggets of wisdom that his character shares alone are worth the price of admission. Sparks fly between Wayne and Sophia Lorens characters- one wishes they would have made more movies together-Loren/Dita- You never kissed me like that before! Wayne/Joe-I always wanted to. Beautifully shot in Libya Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Legend of the Lost benefits from great locations, especially the magnificent Leptis Magna ruins. Unfortunately, that is the only great thing it has going for it. John Wayne plays his usual rough hero, this time named Joe January, just as well as he always does and is able to deliver a few funny lines amongst otherwise bland and repetitive dialogue. Sophia Loren, as Dita, manages to be enjoyable as well, even though her character follows a predictable arc. The main detraction from the movie is Rossano Brazzi who's lines are so heavily accented and delivered with unnecessary excitement that they are practically impossible to understand. His character, Paul, isn't very strong either as he takes a sharp turn from overambitious explorer to selfish maniac. It is difficult to understand why Dita has any interest in him or why Joe has so many admirable things to say about him at the end. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Brit Paul Bonnard (Rossano Brazzi) enlists gruff American Joe January (John Wayne) to help him find a hidden treasure that is worth a fortune. Before long, they are joined by prostitute Dita (Sophia Loren), who is moved by Bonnard's earnestness, and the three embark on a journey through the wild in hopes of finding an ancient lost city. They finally stumble upon the riches, but, after Bonnard feuds with Dita, he angrily takes the jewels and supplies, and leaves his partners to die in the desert.
Director
Henry Hathaway
Producer
Henry Hathaway
Screenwriter
Ben Hecht, Robert Presnell Jr.
Production Co
United Artists
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 49m
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