Bullet Points: Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold
At first glance it might appear that 1985’s King Solomon’s Mines was a huge success. After all, money losers don’t usually get sequels. King Solomon’s Mines did turn a profit, but not a “we really need to make a sequel” profit and I imagine it was not the Indiana Jones level of success that Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus probably dreamed that it would be.
The real reason King Solomon’s Mines got the sequel, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, is because the two movies were shot back-to-back. So no matter how King Solomon’s Mines performed the sequel was likely always going to be released…
- Wedding Bell Blues: As the movie begins, Jesse Huston (Sharon Stone) is rushing to pick up a package at the train station. The package contains something special for the man she plans on marrying, Allan Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain). Inside the package is a brand new suit so Quatermain can look like a proper gentleman when the two make their way back to the United States to meet Jesse’s parents… But Jesse wasn’t the only one in a hurry when the movie begins. Dumont, a colleague of Quatermain’s, is desperately trying to evade some masked pursuers and as luck (or perhaps a great sense of direction) would have it, Dumont ends up at Quatermain’s door step. The feverish Dumont tells Quatermain that he and Quatermain’s brother, Robeson, went on an expedition to find the fabled Lost City of Gold AND that they found it… but trouble also found the Lost City (which explains the masks dudes). Allan Quatermain can’t very well return to the United States knowing his brother could be in some sort of trouble… so the trip Jesse had been planning for six months goes out the window!
- Stand By Your Man: Jesse decides Quatermain can go chase after his brother if he wants to, she is going home like she planned… meanwhile Quatermain goes into town to the guy that pointed his brother in the direction of the Lost City, Swarma (Robert Donner). Swarma ends up getting recruited for Quatermain’s search party as does the axe carrying Umslopogaas (James Earl Jones) and his loyal crew… and despite her frustration with Quatermain, Jesse ends up turning back after she convinces herself that Quatermain needs her. So the team is complete… we’ve got the hero Allan Quatermain, the archeologist Jesse Huston, the greedy “comic relief” Swarma and the muscle Umslopogaas.
- Not So Fantastic Voyage: With the team in place the journey begins… across the desert, through the jungle, avoiding booby traps (including the ground opening up after Swarma tries to steal some gold), then a trip on the river where they encounter an unfriendly tribe… then there’s the water slide scene that exposed the budget limitations of the film and “the bats” that confirmed the budget limitations.
- A Tale of Two Cities: Not surprisingly, Quatermain and his team do find The Lost City of Gold (and more importantly Robeson) although the troublesome elements of the City don’t take long to surface. There are two queens of the city, the good queen Nyleptha and the bad queen Sorais (Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark). Sorais is in cahoots with Agon the High Priest (Henry Silva wearing a ridiculous wig). The dastardly duo believe in things like human sacrifice, so it is no surprise that when Umslopogaas destroys the human sacrifice altar… that a war between the two sides follows. Agon has his army, plus the traitorous Swarma, and the unfriendly tribe that Quatermain and friends encountered on the river on their journey. Quatermain meanwhile has to rally the usual peaceful citizens of the Lost City to defend their home against Agon… with the help of his brother, his bride-to-be and his friends and their secret weapon… GOLD!
The saving grace for Cannon’s Allan Quatermain movies is that they don’t take themselves too seriously which makes it easier to forgive things like the less than special effects. Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold was a big step down compared to King Solomon’s Mines in every aspect… the score, the story, the visual effects and the action set pieces. And despite all the cost cutting measures the sequel did not strike gold at the box office… apparently the movie going public was not yearning for more Allan Quatermain and Jesse Huston after their first adventure.
If you are yearning for more bullet points, you’ll love these James Earl Jones themed Bonus Bullet Points…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see James Earl Jones (or his obvious stunt double) fight a lion, then Allan Quatermain and the Lost City is the movie for you.
- All of Us: I felt like James Earl Jones’ Umslopogaas represented every viewer at home or in the theater with his utter hatred for Swarma.
- Roots: James Earl Jones went on record that the only reason he took the gig was so he could visit Africa and explore his roots.
