Adventure yarns don't come more ripping than King Solomon's Mines, the classic Great White Hunter tale. Novelist H. Rider Haggard's hero, Allan Quatermain (Stewart Granger), reluctantly agrees to lead an Englishwoman (Deborah Kerr) and her brother (Richard Carlson) deep into uncharted territory in Africa, in search of the lady's lost husband. What follows is a cavalcade of boys' adventure stuff: charging rhinos, cannibals, an incredible wildlife stampede, and the back-of-the-neck-tingly thrill of venturing into unmapped lands. The location shooting, including tribal rituals, is marvelous throughout, and the movie manages to pack a great deal of material into 102 minutes without ever seeming rushed. A remake of a 1937 film, King Solomon's Mines was itself remade badly, with Richard Chamberlain, in 1985, and Quatermain was essayed by Sean Connery in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but purists will prefer Stewart Granger's stalwart-yet-sardonic hero--his career never quite got over the role. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
King Solomon's Mines:
King Solomon's Mines is truly one the best movies about Africa. The scenery is spectacular. The story seemed to be a never-ending confrontation with wild animals however it was interesting to see the
the variety. The native tribes were also interesting, especially the very tall Watusi and their dance. The actors portrayed believable roles and the movie deserved the two Oscars it received. I will watch it again and again.
More Hollywood than Haggard, but still a terrific yarn:
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... more info
King Solomon's Mines:
What can I say? It's a classic, and I love it. The stampede scene is worth the price all by itself.
A Vehicle For Its Stars:
Hollywood kept very little of author Sir H. Rider Haggard's plot in this version of his book. In actuality, so much is changed that the movie bears little resemblance to the original. For instance, Deborah Kerr's character is not in the original. It is Sir Henry Curtis' brother, along with a friend, Capt. Good, who convince Mr. Quatermain to conduct their safari. The love interest in Haggard's original involves an inter-racial affair between an indiginous girl, Faulata (who, unfortunately does not survive... more info
