August 4 - The Flame Trees of Thika

Today’s movie is period drama with a scene that happens on August 4. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA     

Captain Robin Grant, his wife Tilly and daughter Elspeth move to British East Africa (now called Kenya) to set up a coffee plantation. The meet Piet Roos, a Boer big game hunter and Njombo, a native who goes to work from them. The Grants face many travails in getting established, but these improve after they hire Sammy as the headman of the plantation. Hereward and Lettice Palmer move to the area.  There is a fight between Roos and Sammy. Then Njombo kills Kimon, who was the Palmer’s headman. As a result his chief strips him of his property and Sammy marries the girl Njombo wanted. Elspeth has a very interesting New Year’s Eve party with Mrs. Nimmo and a newcomer to the area Alec Wilson while her parents and the Palmers go to Nairobi. A big game hunter, Ian Crawford arrives in the area and becomes infatuated with Lettice Palmer, who gives a pony to Elspeth. We learn Lettice left her first husband to elope with Hereward and Elspeth develops an intense dislike for Hereward Palmer after he shoots a baby antelope on a hunt. Sammy arranges for a curse to be put on Njombo, and it literally takes an “Act of God” to get it lifted. After the railroad reaches Thika, Lettice gets a piano, but during a party held to celebrate its arrival, a leopard kills one of her dogs.  During the hunt to get it, Hereward kills the leopard, but is almost killed by its mate, but saved by Roos. The Palmers, Tilly and Crawford go on a safari, during which Lettice and Crawford have an affair. Hereward and Crawford are about to have a brawl when Crawford’s servant stabs Hereward. As a result Crawford leaves and Lettice stays with Hereward. Then on August 4, 1914 [Part 6 44:53 to 47:08] the Grants learn war has been declared on Germany. Robin joins the army, while Tilly becomes a nurse and Elspeth goes to school, where she is bullied for being a know-it-all. She runs away back to Thika. Ian Crawford is killed. Then Robin is transferred to France so all the Grants leave Africa and return to Europe for the duration.

           

The First World War by John Keegan (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999) at page 69 gives the date war was declared

Producers - John Hawkesworth, Verity Lambert and Christopher Neame

Director - Roy Ward Baker

Screenwriter - John Hawkesworth

Runtime – 5 hours 50 minutes

Released – September 1, 1981

Starring –

Hayley Mills as Tilly Grant

Holly Aird as Elspeth Grant

David Robb as Robin Grant

Ben Cross as Ian Crawford

Mick Chege as Njombo

Sharon Mughan as Lettice Palmer

Steve Mwenesi as Sammy

Nicholas Jones as Hereward Palmer

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015