King Solomon's Mines

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Anakin R Feb 24, 2019 In 1897 Africa, a famous guide agrees to help a woman and her brother search for her husband in unknown territory they find the skeleton in the mines, and are rescued from a wild native. Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton direct this Oscar-winning romantic action-adventure, loosely based on H Rider Haggard's classic novel about the quest for legendary African riches. This is the second adaptation of the novel of the same name by H Rider Haggard and this is considered by many to be the best adaptation of the book and I strongly agree with this. However, I am not saying this just because it is in technicolour. The movie sees Stewart Granger play the role of Allan Quatermain, a hunter and guide with plenty of experience who agrees to help Elizabeth Curtis (Deborah Kerr) and her brother John Goode (Richard Carlson) search for her husband, who has vanished in Africa whilst looking for the nominal mines. Stewart Granger gives a good performance in his role as the man who acts like he is determined to help find out where Elizabeth's husband is. He suits his role very well, while Deborah Kerr is very good in her role as Elizabeth, the woman who begins to fall in love with Allan whilst going on the long journey. Kerr mentioned in an interview that she had always wanted to go to Africa and this would be an experience she would never forget. Richard Carlson is decent as John Goode, Elizabeth's brother who joins in the search. There is a decent supporting performance to be had from Hugo Hass as Van Brun, a white man who the trio encounter along the way. The direction from Bennett and Marton is excellent because they allow the facial expressions to be seen to a strong effect throughout, while the script is written to an excellent standard by Helen Deutsch as she makes the movie really easy to follow. The technical aspects that stand out best are the camera and editing. The camera makes very good use of the locations the movie uses and also captures the tense moments well, which deservedly get the edge-of-the-seat status, most notably with one scene that involves a lot of cattle. The sound in this particular scene is very decent as you have to listen quite carefully. The movie is edited to an excellent standard throughout and the music is enjoyable to listen to. The movie managed to win 2 Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Film Editing and those awards were absolutely deserved. The movie also rightly got a nomination for Best Picture. Overall, this version of King Solomon's Mines is the best adaptation of the novel of the same name, thanks to the very good performances, along with the decent direction and well written script. It also works so well due to the brilliant camerawork and fantastic editing.'Into this strange and wild interior of darkest Africa, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sent a motion picture on safari . . . where no white woman had ever been before' Great epic film See more

Feb 1, 2019 The best thrilling movie ever made!

Ron R Aug 12, 2018 Filmed in glorious technicolor, a good portion of this 2nd go-round of the story (the first was 1937 from a 1885 story) is simply watching Deborah Kerr respond to "the wilds of Africa." You know, crocs and snakes, rhinos and hippos (scared), or gazelle and giraffes (amused). Stewart Granger mainly is slightly annoyed (just as Indiana Jones, following in these footsteps years later would be). The story isn't rousing, as adventure should be, but there are plenty of second unit, in-country shots to fill in. When they find the diamonds nobody even keeps any, or slip a couple into their pockets. And so the romance is all this movie is about, and that's ... meh. See more

Theodore R Jul 7, 2018 Dull, especially by modern standards. East Africa, 19th century. Alan Quartermain, a veteran guide, is hired to take Elizabeth Curtis to search for her husband in unexplored territory. There is another reason for her expedition: to search for a treasure beyond imagination...King Solomon's Mines. Based on H. Rider Haggard's famous novel, this is a fairly conventional linear adventure tale. Basically a matter of walk - meet dangerous obstacle/foe - defeat it - walk - next problem. Makes for dull viewing. Might have been novel for its time, with grand outdoor vistas and rare wildlife, but is quite tame by today's standards. Not all bad. Some of the adventures are reasonably interesting. The cinematography is great (it would have to be, considering the setting!), the chemistry between Stewart Granger (as Quartermain) and Deborah Kerr (as Elizabeth Curtis) is good and the romantic angle isn't overdone. Ultimately, a bit so-so. See more

Han S Nov 1, 2017 The basic story structure of King Solomon’s Mines is very familiar, in fact I might have seen some other adaptation of the story before (or might have read the book.) Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr are good leads for the film because they have some subtle chemistry, and can also bicker with one another convincingly. I definitely enjoy this type of adventure story, when it’s told right. The unfortunate thing is that this adaptation seems more interested in exploring the unique aspects of Africa instead of the actual treasure hunt that they should be going on. They spend time with shots of wild animals, including some disturbing footage of some animals actually being shot and killed (the ASPCA would never sign off on this movie.) The camera glories in the big beautiful landscapes it is capturing, and the customs of African tribes takes center stage in the plot. In fact the discovery of the titular mines and the person they are seeking is almost an afterthought that brings no feeling of resolution to the story. There were certainly good aspects in King Solomon’s Mines, but I don’t think it was the best way to adapt this story, even if they had some good actors and beautiful scenery. See more

Anakin W Mar 23, 2017 A milestone in adventure genre: filmed in African locations, no music score, great editing and the beautiful Deborah Kerr.

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King Solomon's Mines

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