Very recent classic viewing ...King Solomon's Mines (1950)

[trekgeezer]

King Solomon's Mines (1950) Stewart Grainger, Deborah Kerr,  Richard Carlson

Stewart Grainger stars as safari guide and adventurer  Allan Quartermaine who is hired by Elizabeth Curtis (Kerr) and her brother  John  Goode (B movie veteran Richard Carlson)  to find Henry Curtis (Elizabeth's husband) who has been missing for two years.  He had attempted to hire Quartermain to be his guide on a trip into unexplored parts of central Africa looking for the fabled King Solomon's mines.

Along the way they run into hostile animals, hostile natives, and an exiled Prince looking to regain his throne. Some will find what happens when they find the mines a bit anticlimatic, but they did find what they were looking for.

This story has been made into film 4 times and I haven't  really seen the other three, except for enough of the Richard Chamberlain version to know it was a cheap Indiana Jones knockoff.  The 1937 version sounds interesting just for the fact the cast includes the black opera singer Paul Robeson. There is a 2004 miniseries, but Patrick Swayze playing Quartermain just has an air of wrongness about it.  I 've never read any of the Allan Quartermain books, but  I have heard people say that Sean Connery's portrayal in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is closet to the books. Grainger comes off as a man tired of life who wants his kid in England to be taken care of when he is gone and doesn't really care what happens  with his own life.

This is a great classic  movie which features fantastic cinematography  and downright  gorgeous scenery. It was probably one of the first movies about Africa that was actually filmed there.  It was also probably one of the first to include real Africans in the cast..

If you're up for an old time adventure, this is a great one.  It was nominated for a best picture Oscar.

[Scott]

Sounds like a good one. I think they tried to remake it in the 80's. Is that the same Stewart Grainger from the Euro-Westerns in the 60's? Old Surehand?



Post Edited (01-29-05 16:56)

[Scott]

Just looked it up and that's him. They also gave the film great reviews over at imdb.com

[BoyScoutKevin]

I've seen both this one and the 1937 version. They both have their merits.

Actually, I believe it was 1931's "Trader Horn" w/ Harry Carey and Duncan Renaldo, which was one of the first, if not the first Hollywood production, to be filmed mostly in Africa. Of course, the Depression, then the War, made filiming in Africa prohibitive until 1950. Then the fact that Renaldo died prematurely of a fever that he contracted in Africa, didn't help any.

H. Rider Haggard is a name mostly forgotten now days, but at one time he was considered the classic writer of African adventure stories. He was also the author of "She," which has been turned into a film numerous times. His sequel to "King Solomon's Mines" was "Allan Quartermain," which has also been turned into two films: "King Solomon's Treasures" w/ John Colicos and David McCallum and "Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold" w/ Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone. As I can remember, neither film had much in common with the novel, which I actually liked better then "King Solomon's Mines."

Do you have all that? Good. Because outtakes from the 1950 production of  "King Solomon's Mines" were used in the 1959 film "Watsui" w/ George Montgomery and David Farrar.

Happy B-movie viewing.

[Steven Green]

This film ain't that bad.The locations are great,the acting is plausible.
Deborah Kerr is bloody gorgeous as ever.The story is what you would expect of an adventure.Take a look at 1953 Mogambo,for a similar type film.

[kriegerg69]

Too much colorful "MGM look", IMHO. I much prefer the 1937 version with Cedric Hardwicke as Quatermain (there's no e at the end of his name), and Paul Robeson (who sings that terrific and appropriate tune "Mighty Mountain").

The 30's version is much, much better.