Mon 7 Jun 2010
Movie Review: KING SOLOMON’S MINES (1937).
Posted by Steve under Action Adventure movies , Reviews[15] Comments
KING SOLOMON’S MINES. Gaumont British Pictures, 1937. Paul Robeson, Cedric Hardwicke, Roland Young, Anna Lee, John Loder, Arthur Sinclair, Arthur Goullett. Michael Hogan, primary scriptwriter; Roland Pertwee, dialogue; based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard. Director: Robert Stevenson.
In 1950, when the next adaptation of King Solomon’s Mines appeared — the one with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr — everybody I knew went to see it, my parents and everyone in our extended family, everybody in my grade, including me.
But I was only eight years old, and while bits and pieces sound familiar to me from reading reviews in Maltin and online, I don’t remember much more than that and I haven’t seen it since.
I’ve just purchased it on DVD, though, and you can bet I’ll be watching it sometime soon. In the meantime, this 1937 version came up the other day (or rather overnight) on Turner Classic Movies, so of course I taped it and have even managed to find time to watch it.
I found it rather slow moving at first, but once our adventurers find their way across the desert — in search of fortune-hunting father of Kathy O’Brien (Anna Lee) — and they’re captured by natives within sight of where the famed diamond mine should be, the pace picks up considerably.
The special effects — the lake of lava inside the cave where the mine is — are special, indeed, the characters stalwart and strong, and good-looking, too, some of them!
And there’s some comedy to go along with the adventure, too, not to mention a couple of stout-hearted songs from Paul Robeson as Umbopa, their black guide who has a claim to be the true leader of the native tribe who have them all as prisoners — the leader of whom is quite a blood-thirsty fellow. Luckily one of the fortune-hunters has an entry in his diary that helps save the day, at least temporarily.
Quite remarkably, the leading billing goes to Paul Robeson, exactly as in the credits above. Cedric Hardwick, as Allan Quatermain, while sedate and professorial in nature and always with pipe in hand, is definitely the man in charge, while Anna Lee (later of General Hospital fame on TV) was quite young, high-spirited and beautiful in 1937. (She was a mere lass of 24 at the time.)
All in all, an enjoyable experience. It does cry out to have been filmed in color, but black and white it was, and as such it had to suffice until 1950 came along, and the red-haired beauty of Deborah Kerr.
June 8th, 2010 at 1:14 am
Hardwicke is closer to Haggard’s Quartermain than any of the actors playing him since (even looking a bit like Frederick Selous, one of the models for Quartermain), but Granger is the one who sticks in your mind in the splendid later (Oscar winning) version.
Neither film is particularly close to the novel (no girl in that — at least not a prim English one), though Loder and Roland Young aren’t far off Curtis (in the book they are looking for Curtis brother) and Good, and both films use the basic elements of the plot. Much of the comedy regarding Young’s Good is actually taken from the book which makes a good deal of his monocle and the natives fascination with his skinny white legs. His character is written out of the Granger version as is Curtis, in favor of Richard Carlson as Deborah Kerr’s brother.
I’ve always wondered if the novel was the first time that particular bit of the almanac and the convenient eclipse was used.
Neither film bothers to stage the violent and bloody civil war sequence with Curtis like a blonde Viking swinging his war axe, though there are enough extras in the Granger version for it if they had wanted to.
Haggard killed Quartermain off in the next book in the series, ALLAN QUARTERMAIN, then spent the rest of his career spinning tales involving him in adventures from earlier in his life (past lives included, ALLAN AND THE ICE GODS) even managing to team him with She Who Must Be Obeyed (no, not Mrs. Rumpole).
Robeson is fine here, in SANDERS OF THE RIVER, in Whale’s SHOW BOAT, and in EMPEROR JONES, though all remind you just how wasted he was in a Hollywood that didn’t know what to do with an attractive and intelligent and highly gifted black actor and singer.
This may be his most subdued performance though. He’s apt to hamming it up in the others — a fact sometimes laid at the feet of the racism of the script and film makers, but a critique of his stage performances too in non musical roles (though ironically his Othello was attacked as being too subdued). Like many primarily stage actors he didn’t work enough in film to learn less is more, though the hamming fits better in EMPEROR JONES (which he played on stage as well). This is likely the most naturalistic performance he gives on screen, a commanding presence even when he doesn’t have a lot to do. And even when the songs aren’t memorable, that voice is.
But then notice how well the actor in the Granger version playing the same role holds your attention without so much as a single line in English — of course he is seven foot tall.
Lee would have one of her best roles soon in John Ford’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY.
If the footage from the Granger film looks familiar keep in mind it was used (like that from TRADER HORN earlier) for virtually every African movie that followed, but all shot new and specifically for the Granger version. WATUSI (1959) with George Montgomery went so far as to have GM as Quartermain’s son and utilized not only the same footage (with Tania Elg and David Farrar standing in for Deborah Kerr and Richard Carlson), but unused footage from the Granger version.
Spielberg even pays minor tribute to the Granger film in the dinosaur stampede in JURASSIC PARK.
The director of the 1937 film, Robert Stevenson (JANE EYRE), went on to direct a number of Disney films late in his career including MARY POPPINS and BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS.
One thing to keep in mind when you watch the Granger version, while we are inured to the kind of thing it does so well nothing like it had been seen on the big screen when it came out. Luckily large screen televisions and better reproduction have returned some of its glories even on the small screen, but even without that it holds up as a damn good story well acted and well told even on a regular television.
Few adventure classic have gotten this royal a treatment.
June 8th, 2010 at 1:26 am
Forgot to mention actor writer Roland Pertwee who wrote this also scripted THE FOUR JUST MEN (THE SECRET FOUR), PIMPERNEL SMITH, and DINNER AT THE RITZ among others and many novels — some of them adventure and mystery. He’s also the father of Jon Pertwee — the third Doctor Who.
June 8th, 2010 at 10:52 am
David
I really will have to watch the later movie now, while I have the first one in mind and with all of your comments still fresh — sooner rather than later. Thanks!
AS for Roland Pertwee, I wish I’d made the same connections you did, but I missed them.
According to IMDB, the writing credits are as follows:
Michael Hogan, primary scriptwriter; Roland Pertwee, dialogue; with Charles Bennett, A.R. Rawlinson and Ralph Spence (the latter three uncredited).
I’ll add the first two to the credits in the original post.
— Steve
June 8th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
The Robeson KING SOLOMON’S MINES is the best adaption by many miles, although it still isn’t the book. KSM is one of my favourite books of all time. I found a nice collection of H Rider Haggard books a few years ago, and really enjoyed them. It does seem a shame that most of his stuff seems to have drifted out of print.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Bradstreet
Luckily Haggard isn’t expensive to collect unless you are looking for specific editions, and many of his less well known books are available to read free on-line or as down-loads. I know many of you don’t like to read on the computer, and understand that, but Haggard is well represented there.
I agree the Robeson film is closer to the book, but in general the spectacular 1950 version trumps it, the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK of its time.
Steve
The Pertwee’s were an acting dynasty which now extends to Jon’s son Sean and others. I think Roland was from a second, maybe third generation theatrical family.
Other screen (large and small) Allan Quartermain’s include Richard Chamberlain, John Colicos, and David Keith. The Colicos version restores Curtis and Good in the person of David MacCallum and Patrick MacNee in KING SOLOMON’S TREASURE.
Charles Bennett’s credits include THE 39 STEPS, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, WHERE DANGER LIVES, THE LOST WORLD, and FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON. A. R. Rawlinson did a good many British films and some television and co-wrote THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH with Bennett for Hitchcock.
Roland Young made his film debut as Dr. Watson in the John Barrymore film of SHERLOCK HOLMES and is probably best remembered today as the big screen’s Cosmo Topper in three films based on Thorne Smith’s creations. Other notable screen roles include the title character from THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES and the tipsy uncle in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.
John Loder teamed again with Stevenson, Anna Lee, and Pertwee in NON STOP NEW YORK a fast paced and funny Hitchcockian thriller with a touch of sf. He also appeared with her in Ford’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Quatermain. I guess adding the extra “r” is human nature.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Dozy
I long ago gave up on trying to remember about that other r. It’s a sort of dyslexia. I do manage to remember to leave it out of Quatermass at least. Thanks for the heads up.
June 8th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Dozy
Thanks from me, too. I’ll go back and remove that extra “R” I included in my original review, but leave them in the comments.
It’s not only human nature at work. The character that Anna Lee played on GENERAL HOSPITAL for 30 years or so was Lila Quartermaine, with the R, and her son on the show was Alan Quartermaine (and played by Stuart Damon).
I suppose there was a reason for this, that it wasn’t totally coincidental!
I’ll also add Sean Connery as one who played Alan Quatermain on the big screen, in THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. The movie I thought much less than extraordinary. I try not to think about it at all, thinking of what could have been.
— Steve
June 9th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Does anyone think that a modern film version would be possible? With a spectacular battle scene, and then an exciting escape from a huge diamond mine, it would seem tailor made for a Spielbergian extravaganza. I can see that the element of imperialism might render it a rather touchy text for a modern remake, but it’s not really what I would call ‘racist’. Have we really seen the last film version?
June 9th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Bradstreet
A modern version was done on television for the Hallmark Channel recently with David Keith as Quatermain and featuring Roy Marsden (Mystery’s! Adam Dalgliesh). As for a big screen super version I wouldn’t be surprised though I doubt it will be any closer to the book than any of the others.
Haggard really liked and admired many of the natives he knew and like fellow Brit writer Bertram Mitford made them attractive and heroic characters who have a good deal of dignity and thus are less racist than the work of other writers. That aspect wouldn’t be all that difficult to sell to modern audiences.
But while the book is one of the great adventure stories of all time I’m not sure if it could be done on screen all that faithfully. Quatermain is an older man with false teeth at the tail end of his life and the only romance in the book is a touchingly tragic but largely comic one of a young native girl who becomes enamored of the embarrassed Good because of his glass eye and pale white legs. Through much of the novel Good has to go about in his underwear because the natives fascination with his white skinny legs gives them an advantage.
Still, the Indiana Jones craze brought us the two Richard Chamberlain/Sharon Stone films so it would seem likely someone will eventually try filming it again — although that bloody battle would give pause even to the makers of 300. It may be the most bloodthirsty scene of its kind in classical literature and I don’t know if you could do it on screen even today.
August 7th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
[…] Comment: Anna Lee also appeared in King Solomon’s Mines, the 1937 version, reviewed here by me not so very long ago. […]
January 19th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Evening all,
I am on a search of a peculiar nature regarding the King Solomons Mines movies.
I believe that one of the versions was filmed in South Africa, but I cannot guess which.
At this point I suspect that it was either the 1937 or the 1950 version, but I have no way of knowing precisely as I have seen neither film. They are not readily available for purchase, is there anyone here who can contribute anything?
All comments will be appreciated. Thank-you.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
David
According to IMDB, the 1937 movie was filmed in Africa and England; as for the one with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr, I thought it was filmed only in Africa, but not so. Here’s the list of locations:
Biondo, Democratic Republic Of Congo
California, USA
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – 3225 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
(underground mines)
Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Democratic Republic Of Congo
Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya
Kenya
Lone Pine, California, USA
New Mexico, USA
Slaughter Canyon Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park – 3225 National Parks Highway, Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
Tanganjika, Tanzania
Tanzania
Uganda
January 20th, 2011 at 4:21 am
That was quick work!
Here’s the reason for my curiosity:
During his time in South Africa, Rider Haggard was employed as a farm hand by my late great great (not sure how many greats though) grandfather RJP Otto. He recorded that Rider Harggard did not make a very good farm worker because he was too much of a dreamer.
It was on the Crag’s farm near Otto’s Bluff in Natal that Haggard began work on his book King Solomons Mines, and it was here on this same farm that some of the 1937 was indeed filmed.
I was able to watch some of the ’37 film last night, and I can confirm that it was filmed in the area of Otto’s Bluff, where I live.
My grandfather remembers this filming too because our Zulu workers, as well as the Zulu workers of most of the other farmers, were the extra native warriors you see in the film. The language they speak is undoubtedly Zulu.
In the scenes portraying the native village during the later half of the film, that village was set in a cleft of the Otto’s Bluff mountain overlooking our area.
During the mountain climbing scene too is it evident.
The actor for Quartermain looks very much like an Afrikaner of the ox wagon time period (when the book was set), except that he’s English.
A little history for everyone!
January 20th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Very very interesting. I especially enjoyed your comment about how closely Cedric Hardwicke fit the part he played as Allan Quatermain. Thanks for sharing this small part of your family’s history with us!
— Steve