King Solomon's Mines [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Stuart Granger plays the hunter Allen Quartermain. He is asked to take on the task of leading Mrs Elizabeth Curtis (Deborah Kerr) on a safari into the unchartedAfrica so that she can find her missing husband Henry. This this respects it is different from the book, which is an all male story.

But this film has everything action, great story, super pictures, drama, suspence and so much more.

NI now have the region 1 DVD and it is a super print, at last a DVD copy.

Written as a bet that he couldn't come up with a better adventure story than Treasure Island, H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines has proved itself a hardy perennial over the years without ever getting a particularly faithful screen adaptation. MGM's 1950 version more or less keeps to the bare bones of the story, but changes the reason for the quest and those on it - not a pure treasure hunt but a search for Deborah Kerr's missing husband who may or may not have met his end searching for the fabled mines. Stewart Granger's fine as her reluctant guide Allan Quatermain (a role originally intended for Errol Flynn, who wasn't physically up to the rigors of difficult location shooting), going purely for the money but gradually thawing enough to start hoping that Kerr really is a widow.

Most of the novel's action is missing, though the climax is still present and correct, but it's still a surprisingly entertaining star vehicle that holds up much better than its reputation might lead you to believe. The film's big selling point is that it was actually shot on remote African locations, quite an achievement with the unwieldy Technicolor cameras of the day. As a result there's a travelogue feel to much of the film as it goes out of its way to stress that they're not on the backlot even though there is a fair bit of back-projection in the big stampede sequence. (MGM had enough footage left over for another three films, with Watusi, the dire 1959 Tarzan the Apeman and the 1973 remake of Trader Horn all making much use of it to keep their costs down.) It may perhaps be a little tame for those raised on Indiana Jones, but if you're not expecting a cliffhanger every reel you'll find a lot to enjoy.

The only extra is a trailer, which boasts a score by Miklos Rozsa (the film has no score at all beyond local African chants).

This is one of the finest films that Stuart Granger has ever done.He plays a white hunter named Allen Quartermain. He is asked to take on the task of leading a Mrs Curtis (Deborah Kerr) on a safari into the unmapped region of Africa so that she can find her missing husband Henry, who as the story goes asked allen to guide him to the legendary Diamond mines.

After much debateing Granger takes Kerr with him. It begins an epic journeythrough the jungle and then the desert, climaxing in a village of an african tribe.

This is one of the greatest adeventures ever to come out of the 1950's. Some of the cinematography is breath taking, especially with all the Gazzells and giraffes. You can see why it has won awards.

There is also the a few humorus conversations, the best of which comes when the group are standing in a clearing and a pride of lions goes past them.

Granger says "don't worry they're not hungry"
The response is " How do you know"
Granger says "If they eat you they're hungry"

A great film that has every thing for every body from start to finish