King Solomon's Mines
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Movie Reviews of King Solomon's Mines
Movie Review: A Vehicle For Its Stars
Summary: 3 Stars
Hollywood kept very little of author Sir H. Rider Haggard's plot in this version of his book. In actuality, so much is changed that the movie bears little resemblance to the original. For instance, Deborah Kerr's character is not in the original. It is Sir Henry Curtis' brother, along with a friend, Capt. Good, who convince Mr. Quatermain to conduct their safari. The love interest in Haggard's original involves an inter-racial affair between an indiginous girl, Faulata (who, unfortunately does not survive the adventure), and Capt. Good. Two other major differences - - in the original the party helps itself to pocketfuls of diamonds when departing the treasure chamber (more in keeping with the true colonial spirit that you take what you can), and Sir Henry's brother is found alive (but for a broken leg he might have walked out on his own)!
Obviously, you don't watch this movie to see a faithful adaptation of the novel. We watch it because of its two main stars, Kerr and Granger. Enough of the period, location and the rigors of the expedition is captured to provide context for the love story /adventure film this movie was engineered to be. As it is, it is an enjoyable, wonderfully filmed (in Technicolor) "matinee" movie, made interesting more by Kerr and Granger than by anything associated with the mission that obstensively brought them together in the first place. But be warned, kids! No one should ever write a book report based on what you see in this film!
Movie Review: Cinematic Safari
Summary: 3 Stars
This classic movie appeared when I was about ten, and I can remember laughing at some of the more unlikely moments in the film. Now that I'm a geezerly age I feel rather nostalgic about it. I have a friend who told me he gets together annually with a buddy to view King Solomon's Mines yet again. There is much stock studio footage of central Africa used here, and it shows peoples and traditional dancing that I suspect is no longer present on today's African continent. The storyline is just barely plausible, but compelling enough to have been filmed at least three times: first in the '30s, then this version circa 1950, and most recently in the '70s. Maybe it's not the acting or the story, but all that wonderful African scenery that captivates me. One disadvantage for me now is that all the actors are dead...Deborah Kerr just recently...and I wonder what the hell has happened and where did my life go.Movie Review: PROTOTYPE FOR INDIANA JONES?
Summary: 3 Stars
KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950) not only introduced adventurer Allan Quartermain, but also provided the prototype for Indiana Jones. The screen adaptation of Sir Henry Rider Haggard's famous first novel stars Stewart Granger as Quatermain, the disgruntled British hunter in Africa, persuaded by a whopping cash advance by a British woman (Deborah Kerr) to locate her missing husband.
While searching together in unmapped territory among the wild animals and cannibals, they -- surprise! -- find themselves falling in love.
Richard Carlson plays Kerr's brother who tags along for man hunt and Solomon's fabled diamond mines.
Beautifully filmed on African locations, this somewhat talky, meandering film won an Academy AwardŽ for cinematography. Note: the opening scenes include the cruel slaughter of an elephant.
Movie Review: Living White Man Superiority
Summary: 3 Stars
A 1950-year movie (first in the line of the followed?) is a perfect example of how viewers' taste shifted from the middle of the last century, even not since 1897 the story is of.
Splashing money inherited on finding her husband lost in his search for "terra nullius" treasures, a brave young London female went Africa to save a spouse.
However, this place is not Piccadilly and different values required to survive.
A really nice folklore, interesting depicting of wild animals and landscapes exotic for non- Africans could hardly much entertain contemporary kids used to Hi-Tech effects as sex-hints combined with white man superiority arrogant on modern merits, annoy a maturer viewer.
Three star rating is for then technical advances of an ancient movie.
Movie Review: How Many Times Are They Going to Make This Doggy Movie?
Summary: 1 Stars
You know, usually I am a big fan of older movies as they were typically made better and had better writing, etc. One strong exception that I just watched was "King Solomon's Mines" from 1950. What a doggy movie! It makes even the lamest Disney movie watchable. Basically, it is "Hey, look at that animal!" and then a cut to some stock footage, except in one case where a giant rubber spider creature creeped along like a relative of "The Tingler". Star Stewart Granger also seemed to understand every African language dialect except when it was really important. And, there was also an emphasis on how much ammunition was left, so the final bullets were used on certain natives to great effect. Once they got to the mine itself, it was still snoresville and basically a letdown. This was made before in 1937 and again in 1985 and in 2004 which seemingly the same results according to other reviews. Why do they keep making this same stupid movie???