May 17 - King Solomon's Mines (1950)

Hello. Here is today's movie. I hope you enjoy it and watch it tonight.

KING SOLOMON’S MINES

White hunter Alan Quartermain has become disillusioned with his job. When John Goode asks him to help his sister Elizabeth, look for her lost husband Henry Curtis he initially refuses, until she offers Quartermain enough money to provide for his young son in England should he be killed. Henry Curtis was looking for the legendary lost mines of King Solomon and they have a copy of his map. The safari begins, even though Quartermain is still very skeptical about taking a woman along. They reach a native village where they learn Curtis passed through. They encounter the usual African dangers, including surviving a stampede caused by a wildfire. The group encounters a tall African named Umbopa who asks to accompany them on their expedition. All their bearers run away except for Khiva. They arrive at a village where they find a white man who calls himself Smith. He is really Van Brun, who is wanted for murder and fled to the jungle to avoid arrest. He remembers Curtis and his bearer passing through, but just the bearer returned, only to die a few hours later. The tribe are cannibals and they have to take Van Brun hostage to escape. Van Brun tries to escape, killing Khiva and is killed by Quartermain. The quartet reach the desert shown on Curtis’s map. They almost die of thirst, but on May 17, 1897 they reach the waterhole shown on the map. [1:17:26 to 1:18:23]  This enables them to press on into the mountains on the other side of the desert. Here they find a fertile valley and evidence that Curtis reached this far. They also learn that Umbopa is a prince of the Tutsi tribe that lives there and he is returning to claim his throne from  his cousin Twala who usurped the throne. The three whites have a tense meeting with Twala. Twala supporter Gagool speaks of Curtis and leads them to a diamond rich cave where they find Curtis’s skeleton. Gagool triggers a booby trap, sealing the three Europeans inside.  They escape to find Umbopa and Twala about to fight to the death for the throne. Umbopa wins and gives them enough bearers and supplies to return to civilization.

This is a passable adventure film, based on a classic novel of the genre. The film seems a little dated today with its misogynistic tinge and racist undertones. If can put this to one side and just enjoy, it is a good film. The cinematography is fantastic, as it was one of the first films set in Africa to actually be filmed there., and not in a studio. 

In the book King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Magnum Books, New York, 1968) at page 83 they reach a waterhole and spend the rest of the day beside it and when they leave it “that night we covered nearly…” (May 17/18) [page 84], they rest the next day and “at the approach of evening…” set off again (May 18/19), [page 84] the next day they find melons and “That night …” (May19/20), set out again [page 86] they continue climbing and “that night we ate our last morsel… “(May20/21). [page 87] immediately after this the date 21^st May is given on page 87.  In the movie at 2:47 the year is given as 1897. 

Producer - Sam Zimbalist

Director  - Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton

Screenplay - Helen Deutsch

Awards – The film won the Best Color Cinematography and Best Film Editing Oscars. It

                 was also nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. 

Released – November 24, 1950

Runtime – 1 hour 43 minutes

Starring –

Deborah Kerr as Elizabeth Curtis 

Stewart Granger as Allan Quatermain 

Richard Carlson as John Goode 

Hugo Haas as Van Brun a.k.a. Smith 

Lowell Gilmore as Eric Masters, District Commissioner 

Kimursi as Khiva  

Siriaque as Umbopa 

Sekaryongo as Chief Gagool 

Baziga as King Twala

Watch King Solomon's Mines trailer