Elizabeth Taylor plays a newlywed who accompanies Finch to his sprawling tea plantation called ELEPHANT WALK...and falls for overseer Andrews. But this love triangle is soon dwarfed by other events. A cholera epidemic breaks out, drought blights the land and herds of thirst-maddened elephants devastate the plantation in a thundering stampede. The palatial "bungalow" is reduced to rubble as onrushing elephants pound across polished floors, rip walls from their foundations and knock over kerosene drums to ignite a terrifying inferno.
It's never been as revered as The African Queen, but Elephant Walk is a similarly prestigious entry in the exotic adventure movie trend of the 1950s. This is one of those glossy Technicolor melodramas that inevitably climaxed in a scene of tragic destruction, typically intended to teach men a humbling lesson about the forces of nature. In this case, a seemingly delicate newlywed (Elizabeth Taylor) joins her husband (Peter Finch) on his tea plantation in Ceylon, only to uncover mysteries about the plantation and her husband's long-dead father, whose ghostly presence looms over the stately estate where elephants once roamed freely. Dana Andrews is the plantation foreman who catches Liz's attention when Finch is injured during one of many drunken interludes with a band of snobby sycophants; she grows intolerant of them, and impatient with the enigmatic Appuhamy (Abraham Sofaer), a Ceylonese valet who knows more than he's telling. After the plantation endures an outbreak of cholera and a drought that sends thirsty elephants into an stampeding frenzy, Elephant Walk delivers a spectacular finale that's still quite impressive; the sight of Liz fleeing from a pack of rampaging pachyderms is enough to make this a worthwhile diversion. With its exotic settings and fashionable wardrobe, Taylor's fans should consider Elephant Walk a must-see, and everyone else will enjoy the fiery climax. It's this movie's version of the burning of Atlanta, which is fitting because Gone with the Wind star Vivien Leigh was replaced by Taylor shortly after filming began, and can still be glimpsed in a few long shots. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Journey back in time:
I saw this movie back when it first came out back then. It's a little quaint by today's standards. However, Elephant Walk, The Naked Jungle, Foxes of Harrow, Blood on the Moon, etc., etc. where post-WWII films made back in the days of innocense and great filming and action. The days of big bands and great films are gone, and pretty soon I will follow. Thanks. George W. Barclay Jr.
Elephant Walk is Great!:
This film is a great Elizabeth Taylor flick. She is absolutely gorgeous and makes the right decision in the end. I liked that for a change. Good family night movie.
"Elephant Walk" An "Almost" Epic of Drama & Intrigue!:
This sweeping, almost epic film, opens in a quaint little book store in London, England. Colonial tea planter John Wiley (Peter Finch), is visiting England at the end of World War II, and during his visit to the book store, he encounters "love at first sight" with lovely English rose Ruth (Elizabeth Taylor) and after their wedding (which the viewer never sees the courtship or the wedding) he takes her home to Elephant Walk, Ceylon. A vast plantation of beauty and wealth, where the local elephants have a... more info
Good movie:
I remember watching this movie when I was younger and loved it, then!
It just didn't do for me now what it did back then. Still, I'm glad I bought it. It's nice to watch them good ol' classics when you don't have cable:) Besides, they don't make them like they use to!
