Hatari!
by Howard Hawks
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elsa Martinelli, Gérard Blain, Hardy Krüger, John Wayne, Red ButtonsDirector: Howard Hawks
Brand: WAYNE,JOHN
Cinematographer: Russell Harlan
Producer: Howard Hawks
Editor: Stuart Gilmore
Producer: Paul Helmick
Writer: Harry Kurnitz
Writer: Leigh Brackett
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 157 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-07-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Hatari!
Movie Review: Romance, Laughs, & Family Entertainment: A Light-Hearted Adventure About Chasing/Capturing Zoo Animals In (Tanganyika) Africa
Summary: 5 Stars
"Hatari!" has long been a personal favorite for its adventure, excitement, thrills, laughs, cinematography, sound track, and overall entertainment. "Hatari!" was the first movie I ever went to see more than once; I wore out two sound track records listening to Henry Mancini's marvelous music; and the film was the first VHS I ever purchased. As my tapes were starting to go bad, I finally purchased the DVD. I was quite relieved that all 157 minutes are on one disc, and in wide screen. (How I long for more movies that dare to defy the establishment and release films that take their time to evolve). Having just watched it, I felt compelled to write a review for this epic movie.
"Hatari!" (which means "danger" in Swahili) is in some ways a "modern" day western: jeeps and trucks have replaced the horse, but the "cowboys" are still using ropes to capture (or round up) the animals to take to "market" (the zoo, in this case). But "Hatari!" is also a bit of a documentary (and lampoons this through Elsa Martinelli's character Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro, who is there to photographically "document" the catching of the animals). And it is very good; albeit the portrayal of the local native populations and the attitudes of the non-Africans are aloof and condescending (a "portrait of Africa still dominated by non-Africans").
True to nearly all of John Wayne's movies, the actor did nearly all of the scenes himself--for which much of the audio had to be re-dubbed due to John Wayne's cursing while wrestling with the animals--which inspired the other actors to be fully involved as well:
"According to director Howard Hawks, all the animal captures in the picture were performed by the actual actors; no stunt men or animal handlers were substituted on screen. The rhino really did escape, and the actors really did have to recapture it--and Hawks included the sequence for its realism." (IMDb)
"Hatari!" utilized an international cast (unlike many westerns that really should also have multiple nationalities representing the "cowboys"), reflective of the types of people that actually worked in the "business" at that time. "Hatari!" gathers its several characters (roles) from different parts of the world: "Sean Mercer (John Wayne), Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli), Kurt Mueller (Hardy Krüger), Brandy De la Court (Michele Girardon), Charles 'Chips' Maurey (Gerard Blain), Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez (Valentin De Vargas) are, respectively, from USA, Italy, Germany, France, France and Mexico (Wikipedia)." Through this cast, as well as the use of locals (stereotyped or not), "Hatari!" rings out the excitement of the chase, the comradely interpersonal relationships, and the wonderful world of animals. (According to IMDb, "Jan Oelofse, the animal supervisor, captured and tamed all the animals in Africa; the elephants, leopard, the cheetahs, and flew with 40 animals aboard a DC6 across Africa, through South America to Hollywood to continue scenes shot in Hollywood). As with many other "less popular" movies, John Wayne exhibits an unexpected ability to keep up with the comedy in the film.
Indeed, in the final analysis, "Hatari!" is about the animals; first and foremost. As such, it is a wonderful movie for the whole family (the only real "violence" is when "the Indian" is slightly "gored" in the leg by a rhino at the beginning of the film). I introduced my sons to John Wayne with my favorite, "Stagecoach," but they were less than thrilled, being in black and white. So, I showed them "McLintock!" (See my review of the later for more comments on this), and they were sold. They then chose "Hatari!" to watch, and it remains their favorite John Wayne movie. I have since loaned "Hatari!" to others with children, and unanimously, they have all enjoyed it. And why not? John Wayne, baby elephants, wondering cheetahs, feisty ostriches, towering giraffes, stampeding animals and lots of laughs, all in one movie! (And don't forget the great musical score!).
Please Note: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.
Summary of Hatari!
John Wayne heads a group of highly skilled professional game hunters in Africa to capture animals for zoos and circus attractions.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: NR
Release Date: 13-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD
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