There have been three attempts
to take the story written by H. Rider Haggard,
entitled King Solomon's
Mines, and put it on the silver screen.
Arguably the best and most influential version
of the story is the one starring Stewart Granger
and Deborah Kerr from 1950. Yes, yes, there was
one in 1985
starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone,
but that one was literally a rip off of Indiana
Jones and is best left forgotten.
Expedition
camp. |
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The 1950 version of King
Solomon's Mines tells the story of a prim
English woman (Kerr) who hires the expert hunter
Allan Quatermain (Granger) to help find her husband,
who has vanished into the darkest, most uncharted
regions of Africa searching for the legendary
mines of King Solomon. Quatermain, reluctant to
go gallivanting of into the darkest jungles in
Africa but desperate for money to send his son
to college, agrees and a quest filled with danger
across the African wilderness begins.
This film was the first one to use
extensive footage of actual wildlife in Africa
intercut with the actors to simulate their experiences
in the jungle. While by today's standards it looks
like "stock footage", it was amazing
and awe-inspiring in its day, garnering an Oscar
for cinematography.
Allan Quatermain. |
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While many other films are credited
with influencing the Indiana Jones series, King
Solomon's Mines has its place among the
Indiana Jones legacy if not specifically the actual
films that inspired George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Allan Quatermain is arguably the first Indiana
Jones-type adventurer with his khaki clothes and
his broad brim hat. His relationship with Kerr's
character is a much more serious version of Indiana
Jones' relationship with Willie from Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom, with Kerr
playing the "city girl" suffering the
treacherous jungles of Africa while Quatermain
continually tries to keep her alive. The difference
between Kerr and Willie is the simple fact that
Kerr is more reserved and intelligent, and only
screams a quarter as often as Indy's female companion.
There is a moment in the film especially
similar to Temple of
Doom in which a tarantula attacks Kerr
while they are camping in the jungle. This scene
evokes memories of Willie running into all sorts
of wildlife while trying to dry her clothes in
Temple of Doom.
Again, the angle on comedy is less in King
Solomon's Mines than the Indiana Jones
counterpart.
Trapped
in a cave. |
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Probably the most Indiana Jones-like
aspects of the film are Quatermain's dealings
with a hostile tribal king and his warriors towards
the end of the film. Their discovery of King Solomon's
Mines is an extremely "Indyesque" moment
for the film. The caves they go through look almost
exactly like the caverns Indy and Shorty traverse
after escaping the spike room from Temple
of Doom. When they find the body of Kerr's
dead husband, it resonates much like Indy's discovery
of Forrestal in Raiders
of the Lost Ark. After the discovery, they
become trapped when a huge round boulder falls
and blocks the way out, much like the boulder
trap from Raiders.
And how do they escape? Well, let's just say that
Allan Quatermain utilizes a little trick Indy
uses in Temple of Doom
when making a discovery.
King Solomon's
Mines is a wonderful film that takes the
most amazing wildlife footage and combines it
with stellar performances for a sweeping African
trek. For people interested in African cultures,
this film might as well be a documentary at times
as the filmmakers capture real tribes performing
real ceremonies, making the movie seem like an
anthropological study.
Quatermain hunting. |
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For animal lovers, this film may
be uncomfortable to watch at times. Seeing as
how this film was before Humane Society regulations
for filmmakers and before big game hunting was
made illegal in Africa, the filmmakers captured
some disturbing footage of elephants being shot
and killed. This footage, in light of our regulations
and environmental views today, can be abhorrent
and unnerving. You have been warned.
Indiana Jones fans may find this
film enlightening if a bit slower than modern
adventure movies. (MF) |