AllMovie

Produced and directed by Henry Hathaway, The Legend of the Lost boasted the one-time-only teaming of John Wayne and Sophia Loren. Location-filmed in the Sahara desert, the story concerns the efforts of Wayne, Loren and Rosanno Brazzi to locate a missing treasure in the ruins of ancient Timgrad. Once found, the treasure is stolen by Brazzi, who leaves his partners in the middle of nowhere to die like rats. Fortunately, Wayne and Loren survive the ordeal, though Brazzi is not so lucky. Of the three stars, Brazzi delivers the most interesting performance, while Wayne and Loren seem ill-at-ease throughout. The best aspect of this sometimes ponderous effort is the color cinematography of the great Jack Cardiff.