''Seven Cities of Gold'' is a 1955 historical adventure

DeLuxe Color DeLuxe Color or Deluxe color or Color by DeLuxe is Deluxe Laboratories brand of color process for motion pictures. DeLuxe Color is Eastmancolor-based, with certain adaptations for improved compositing for printing (similar to Technicolor's "sele ...

film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Richard Egan,

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

and

Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the s ...

, filmed in

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

. It tells the story of the eighteenth-century

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

priest, Father Junípero Serra and the founding of the first missions in what is now

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The screenplay is based on the 1951 novel ''The Nine Days of Father Serra'' by Isabelle Gibson Ziegler. The tag line of the film was "This is the story of the making ...and the forging...of California...when men chose gold or God...the sword or the Cross".

Plot summary

In 1769, the expedition of Captain

Gaspar de Portolà Gaspar is a given and/or surname of French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish origin, cognate to Casper (given name) or Casper (surname). It is a name of biblical origin, per Saint Gaspar, one of the wise men mentioned in the Bible. Notable peo ...

(

) to California is in search of fabled cities of gold. Its religious advisor, peace-loving missionary Father Junipero Serra (

), wishes to establish good relations with the local natives and to build a string of missions, beginning at

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...

. He is unexpectedly aided when Portola's prideful second in command, Lt. Jose Mendoza ( Richard Egan), saves the life of Matuwir (

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kin ...

), the son of the local chief. But when a supply ship fails to appear and the expedition prepares to return to Mexico a failure, Mendoza betrays Matuwir's sister Ula (

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

), whom he has seduced, resulting in her accidental death by a fall from a cliff. Threatened with annihilation by Matuwir's warriors when both Portola and Father Serra refuse to turn him over, Mendoza prevents war by surrendering himself to Matuwir for torture and execution. As the Spaniards begin to leave, the supply ship appears in the bay as if by a miracle.

Cast

* Richard Egan as Jose Mendoza *

as Capt. Gaspar de Portolà *

as Father Junipero Serra *

as Matuwir *

as Ula * Eduardo Noriega as Sergeant *

Leslie Bradley Leslie Ernest Bradley (1 September 1907 – 20 July 1974) was an English actor. He died in Desert Hot Springs, California. Filmography * '' The Way of Youth'' (1934) as Lieut. Burton (film debut) * ''Play Up the Band'' (1935) as Jack Heck ...

as Galves *

John Doucette John Arthur Doucette (January 21, 1921 – August 16, 1994) was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he ...

as Juan Coronel *

Julio Villarreal Julio Villarreal (7 December 1885 – 4 August 1958) was a Spanish actor who later settled and worked in Mexico. He also directed two films in the early 1930s.Taibo p.155 Born as Julio Crochet i Martínez Villarreal in Madrid to a family of theat ...

as Pilot Vila *

Jack Mower Jack Mower (September 5, 1890 – January 6, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 520 films between 1914 and 1965. He was born in Honolulu and died in Hollywood. After studying at Punahou College, in Honolulu, Mower move ...

as Father (uncredited)

Production

The film was based on the book ''The Nine Days of Father Sierra'' which was published in 1951. The ''New York Times'' called it a "brief, tender, impressive novel." Film rights were bought by 20th Century Fox who in June 1952 announced

Charles Brackett Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Life and career Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...

would produce and John C Higgins would write the script. In April 1953 Fox announced the film would be made in CinemaScope and that Richard Breen was working on the script. (NB ''The Gun and the Cross'' was the title of a story by Gus Field that Fox purchased in 1951 about the relationship between a priest and a gunfighter. The title appears to have been re-appropriated.) In October 1954, it was reported Joseph Petracca was writing the script and that the film would star

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

. By January 1955 the film was titled ''Seven Cities of Gold''. Brackett was out as producer, replaced by the husband and wife team of

Barbara McLean Barbara "Bobby" McLean (November 16, 1903 – March 28, 1996) was an American film editor with 62 film credits. In the period Darryl F. Zanuck was dominant at the 20th Century Fox Studio, from the 1930s through the 1960s, McLean was the stud ...

, normally an editor, and Robert D. Webb, who would direct. The stars would be Richard Egan, Michael Rennie, Rita Moreno and Cameron Mitchell. Jeffrey Hunter was cast as a Native American on the basis of his success as a Native American in ''White Feather'', which he had just made for Webb. Mitchell was eventually replaced by Anthony Quinn. Filming began 15 March 1955 and included location filming in Mexico. It finished by 20 June.

Release

The film was premiered in San Diego.

References

External links