KING SOLOMON'S MINES: Blu-ray (MGM, 1950) Warner Archive
A perennial fav’ at the movies –
adapted for the screen no less than 7 times, of which its 1950 reincarnation,
co-directed, Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton remains the highwater mark all
others are judged, King Solomon’s Mines is a curiosity in MGM’s post-war
canon. H. Rider Haggard’s adventure yarn, the result of a five-shilling wager
with his brother, who challenged Haggard to write a novel better than Robert
Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, was first published in 1885, and with
audacious marketing to declare it the ‘most amazing book ever written’
easily became a runaway best seller. Haggard had, in fact, tapped into Britain’s
marauding 19th century verve for hidden treasure and far off lands untouched
by the hand of ‘civilized’ man. King Solomon’s Mines was one of the
first, if not the first novel to explore the darkest reaches of Africa,
with Haggard – a world traveler – basing the exploits detailed within, only
partly on his own time spent abroad during the Anglo-Zulu and First Boer wars.
And in King Solomon, the legendary Biblical ruler renowned for both his wisdom and
wealth, Haggard had his perfect subject matter. The Bible mentions a partnership
between Solomon and the Phoenicians, with lucrative trading expeditions along
the Red Sea. Muslim traders in Sofala would later suggest the vast gold mines
in their region belonged to Solomon who had used part of their infinite wealth
to build the defunct Great Zimbabwe.
Haggard’s alter ego/adventurer, Allan
Quatermain, was based on Frederick Selous, a famed Brit African explorer. And
although much of Selous’ feats of daring-do were thinly reconstituted in the
novel, Haggard was also not above plagiarizing from Scot-explorer, Joseph
Thomson who, having already written factually about them, and, outraged over
Haggard’s use of his ‘legit’ first-hand accounts, decided to try his hand at
writing an escapist/adventure novel to put Haggard’s wildly popular prose to
shame. Alas, Thomson’s Ulu: An African Romance, failed to sell
and was quickly forgotten thereafter. Like Treasure Island before it, King
Solomon’s Mines is written in the first-person, in contrast to the highly
popularized, all-knowing/third-person narrative. The book was considered ‘ground-breaking’
for Haggard’s frank reflection on racial politics. While several African
characters are depicted as barbaric, their barbarism is an extension of their
character (or lack thereof) and is not corelated to their race. Furthermore,
there are ample encounters throughout the story with noble Africans. And the
novel’s hero, Allan Quatermain, refuses to regard virtually any of them as his
inferiors, even going so far as to suggest some are more worthy of the title of
‘gentleman’ than the Europeans, newly arrived to take dominion over their lands.
Somewhat shocking for its time, Haggard also writes of an interracial romance
between Englishman, Captain Good and a Kukuana woman, Foulata, who later dies
in his arms.
As a novel, King Solomon’s Mines
won high praise amongst the literary critics as a “peculiarly thrilling and
vigorous tale of adventure.” The
book is also credited with creating a whole new sub-genre in literature: the ‘lost
world’ novel, later to give inspiration to the likes of such literary giants as
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and H. P.
Lovecraft. Hollywood could not resist the urge to attempt a movie adaptation of
the book in 1919. Then, in 1937, King Solomon's Mines became a B&W thriller
directed by Robert Stevenson. In the post-war era, MGM was searching for
properties regain its former glory as a ‘the king of features’. And thus,
shortly before his ousting from power, Metro’s raja, Louis B. Mayer, greenlit,
the Bennett/Marton version – the first adaptation to be shot in blazing
Technicolor. In preparation for this remake, Mayer had purchased the rights to
both the novel and the 1937 Gaumont British version. Determined his should have
the ‘authenticity’ of a Brit-based adventure yarn, Mayer cast Deborah Kerr (top
billed) and another import, Stewart Granger as Allan Quatermain, though only
after Errol Flynn turned the role down. Granger’s lengthy gestation in his
native UK divided his efforts between the theater and movies, making a splash
in each. On the advice of his agent, Granger (born, James Stewart) changed his
name so as not to be confused with the ‘other’ Stewart. His arrival in
Hollywood could not have been more perfectly timed, just as MGM was preparing its
re-launch of the period costume drama, very much in Flynn’s retired
swashbuckler’s image, even as his own popularity in that genre had run its
course. With dashing good looks, Granger became Flynn’s valiant successor, and King
Solomon’s Mines, an American foray to mark him as the new – and ever so
slightly more sophisticated stud du jour.
Deborah Kerr’s stardom on this side
of the Atlantic preceded Granger’s by nearly 3 years. The auburn-haired,
Glasgow-born goddess had come to America by way of considerable successes in
Britain, first, on the stage, then, in films, marking her movie debut in Love
on the Dole (1941), in which she replaced the stage’s Wendy Hiller and made
of it, as critic James Agate wrote, “a charming piece of work by a very
pretty and promising beginner.” Kerr’s immediate popularity with audiences
on both sides of the Atlantic led to her eventual casting in Michael Powell and
Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). When
the movie landed on American soil via a distribution deal with MGM, Mayer took the
time to craft an add that read, “Deborah Kerr. It rhymes with Star!” Following the picture’s success, Mayer made
the outright offer to Kerr’s agent to buy out her contract – a decision ending her
affair with Michael Powell. Kerr’s debut for Metro - The Hucksters
(1947) was swiftly followed by a pair of leaden melodramas - If Winter Comes
(1947) and Edward, My Son (1949), the latter, for which she
earned an Oscar nod. At MGM, Kerr’s genteel manner led to a succession
of roles as a ‘proper’ English lass – typecasting Kerr mildly abhorred and
longed to escape. King Solomon's Mines (1950) would offer Kerr only a
slight departure from that screen brand, but also marked the first of several
outings with Stewart Granger. Kerr would follow up its hit-making status with a
string of successes, including the Roman epic, Quo Vadis (1951), the WWII
classic, From Here to Eternity (1953), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
beloved, The King and I (1956) and three-hanky romantic weeper, An
Affair to Remember (1957).
King Solomon’s
Mines is set in British East Africa (modern day, Kenya) circa 1897. There, we
find experienced British safari guide, Allan Quatermain (Stewart Granger), a
resolute sort whose opposition to the European colonization of Africa is
unpopular. At present, Quatermain is persuaded by Elizabeth Curtis (Deborah Kerr)
to engage in an expedition in search of her husband, who vanished without a
trace while exploring uncharted territories in the African interior. Curtis was
in search of King Solomon’s mines – a mythical storehouse of untold wealth. Liz
has a copy of the map her husband used to chart his progress. Also, along for
the search is her brother, John Goode (Richard Carlson). Quatermain’s reluctance
on their journey is compounded when their expedition picks up a shadowy straggler,
Umbopa (Siriaque). As Quatermain has never had much respect for women in
general, it becomes quite a blow to his conceit he recognizes he has begun to fall
in love with Elizabeth. The search party encounters the villain, Van Brun
(Hugo Haas), who has taken up residency with a local
tribe, but confides to the group he and Curtis met along the way.
As Quatermain recalls Van Brun is a
fugitive on the lam, he takes him hostage to garner safe passage from the
village. In a feeble attempt to murder Quatermain, Van Brun fatally wounds his
faithful right-hand man, Khiva (Kimursi). Quatermain
dispatches Van Brun, forcing their party to flee from the enraged tribe. Arriving
in the region where the mines are supposed to be, Quatermain and the rest are
met by tribesmen who share an uncanny resemblance to Umbopa who is now revealed
to be royalty. Umbopa departs to raise a rebellion against the maniacal, King
Twala (Baziga), even as Quatermain, Elizabeth and John are forced into a terse negotiation
with Twala. With his last rifle bullet, John kills an assassin, temporarily to
buy them time with the natives. Twala’s counsellor, Chief Gagool (Sekaryongo) suggests
to Quatermain he can deliver them to Curtis. Instead, he leads the party deep
into a jewel-filled cavern where Curtis’ grisly skeletal remains are discovered.
Now, Gagool sets a trap to permanently seal Quatermain and his friends in a
tomb. But Quatermain finds an underground stream, using it to guide them all to
safety. They return to Twala's kraal, just as Umbopa and his followers arrive
for their showdown. Twala and Umbopa duel to the death, resulting in Umbopa’s
victory. As Umbopa is Quatermain’s ally, he provides them with safe passage on
their return home.
King Solomon’s
Mines was MGM’s biggest hit of the year and the second-highest grossing movie
of 1950, raking in a cool $5,047,000 in US/Canadian box office alone, and
another $4,908,000 abroad. Metro, still very much of the mindset all movies should
be ‘studio-bound’, spent lavishly to shoot on location – partly - with
equipment and cast making their pilgrimage to Africa on a 70,000-mile sojourn
through Uganda, the Belgian Congo and Kenya. Portions were also lensed closer
to home in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and, Sitting Bull Falls
in Lincoln National Forest. Important to note, Haggard’s book does not contain
a female ‘love interest’ for our hero. Virtually all the movie adaptations,
however, do. In re-imagining Haggard’s plot, the character of Umbopa became greatly
diminished. The reason for the picture being co-directed has been obscured with
time. Andrew Marton replaced Compton Bennett. However, depending on the source
consulted, the logic for this either has Bennett falling ill during the African
shoot, or otherwise, has him being branded as ‘difficult to work with’ and deposed
at the behest of all concerned. Whatever the reason, both Marton and Bennett
would go on to direct many more features apart from one another after King
Solomon’s Mines.
King Solomon’s
Mines arrives on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive (WAC), and, typical of the
studio’s dedication to preserving its archived heritage, it looks utterly resplendent
on Blu-ray. The careworn DVD was marred by excessive age-related artifacts and
some glaring mis-registration problems in the 3-strip Technicolor negative. Virtually,
all these anomalies have been eradicated here. The image is razor-sharp and
teeming in eye-popping hues of vintage Technicolor. The few studio-bound
inserts belie the fact they were not photographed on location, with more
controlled lighting to yield a more precisely rendered image. Contrast is excellent
throughout. A light smattering of film grain looks indigenous to its source. The
2.0 DTS mono audio is adequate, with clear dialogue and the occasional groundswell
of Mischa
Spoliansky’s sparse underscore. Apart from a behind-the-scenes featurette and
trailer – there are no extras. Bottom line: King Solomon’s Mines is a
crowd-pleaser, likely to be endlessly regurgitated at the movies. While many
versions exist, MGM’s is still likely the one to endure long after the others
have settled into the annals of time. The Blu-ray is stunning.
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
1
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