The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Reviews
Wuchak
_**An agglomeration of Hemmingway stories with Peck, Hayward and Gardner**_ In the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a wounded writer (Gregory Peck) deliriously reflects on his past loves & adventures in Paris, the French Riviera and Spain during the Spanish Civil War. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1952) is a melodramatic drama/romance/adventure, the quaint blueprint for future flicks like “Legends of The Fall” (1994). It’s an assemblage of several unrelated Hemmingway stories, including the title one (obviously), as well as his nonfiction book Death in the Afternoon (1932). The Peck character, Harry Street, is basically a fictional version of Hemingway, who was an author/journalist attracted to traveling, adventure, war and women. He was a volunteer ambulance driver in Italy during WW1 where he was wounded by shrapnel in both legs, which is depicted in the well done “In Love and War” (1996). As a journalist, he was in Spain during much of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), hunted on safaris in Africa and was fascinated by bullfighting in Spain & Mexico. Harry Street comes across as a self-absorbed drama queen who treats gorgeous women dubiously. But the African scenery helps assuage some of the monotony, like the hippos on the river, but the rhinoceros killing is painful to watch because I hate the unnecessary killing of animals, especially mighty ones who could easily kick the hunter’s axx if he didn’t have a rifle. If you’re not in the right mode, this can be a ponderously episodic bore. But it’s rescued by featuring two of Hollywood's most beautiful ladies, Susan Hayward and Ava Gardner, not to mention Hildegard Knef. Susan’s pal, Hedy Lamarr, was originally offered the role Ava eventually took. The film runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in Nairobi, Kenya; Cairo, Egypt; and the French Riviera; as well as 20th Century Fox Studios, Century City, Los Angeles. GRADE: B-/C+
CinemaSerf
Gregory Peck is "Harry Street", a successful writer confined to bed on an African hunting trip after an accident. Drifting in and out of lucidity, and tended by wife "Helen" (Rita Hayward) he reflects on his life and loves. Much of his recollection focusses on "Cynthia" (Ava Gardner), the woman he loved but lost to his determination to be a successful author and to the Spanish Civil War. The author feels his life somewhat empty, worthless even, but can the efforts of his wife with all of her devotion bring him to his senses? The story is an amalgam of two Hemingway stories that knit together nicely, the photography does justice to the settings - grand Kenyan wilderness to Parisian scenes and it has a pleasing Bernard Herrmann score that adds much richness to the whole look. The retrospective, episodic, style of narrative doesn't' help the pace of the story though. At times it drags, and the acting seems oddly sterile for a story that is so essentially visceral. Even at his most impassioned, Peck struggled with parts that required him to demonstrate any sort of emotion; and even with two of cinema's most noted experts in that field working with him here, it still struggles to catch fire. There is some action around the Civil War scenarios, but mostly this is a fairly faithful representation of the books delivering a modestly engaging introspection from a man who's led an interesting life.
Movie Recommendation
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society2007-09-01The story takes place in the year 2034, two years after the events in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. Female cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi has left Public Security Section 9, an elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber-warfare, which has expanded to a team of 20 field operatives with Togusa acting as the field lead.More...
55 Days at Peking1963-05-06Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.More...
The Twin2017-01-06Jocelyn's boyfriend is perfect--except for his dangerous identical twin brother, Derek, who just escaped from a mental institution. When Derek unspools a twisted plan of revenge with Jocelyn in his crosshairs, her mother Ashley must act fast before she falls victim to a psychopath.More...
Carmen & Lola2018-09-07Carmen is a gypsy teenager, destined to live a life that is repeated every generation: getting married and raising as many children as possible. But one day she meets Lola, an uncommon gypsy who dreams about going to university, does graffiti and is very different. Carmen quickly develops a complicity with Lola and discovers a world that, inevitably, leads them to be rejected by their families.More...
Sí al amor1986-12-31There is no descriptionMore...
Roman Holiday1953-08-26Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.More...
Groundhog Day1993-02-11A narcissistic TV weatherman, along with his attractive-but-distant producer, and his mawkish cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.More...
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water2015-01-28Burger Beard is a pirate who is in search of the final page of a magical book that makes any evil plan he writes in it come true, which happens to be the Krabby Patty secret formula. When the entire city of Bikini Bottom is put in danger, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton need to go on a quest that takes them to the surface. In order to get back the recipe and save their city, the gang must retrieve the book and transform themselves into superheroes.More...
Modern Times1936-02-05A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time..More...
Shutter Island2010-02-14World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.More...
Titanic1997-11-18101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.More...
Oppenheimer2023-07-19The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.More...
PK2014-12-18A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, the man's innocent questions and childlike curiosity take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting go.More...
Ex Machina2015-01-21Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.More...
Inside Out2015-06-17When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.More...
Eden Lake2008-09-12When a young couple goes to a remote wooded lake for a romantic getaway, their quiet weekend is shattered by an aggressive group of local kids. Rowdiness quickly turns to rage as the teens terrorize the couple in unimaginable ways, and a weekend outing becomes a bloody battle for survival.More...
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019-07-24Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…More...
Interstellar2014-11-05The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.More...
The Truman Show1998-06-04An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.More...
American Beauty1999-09-15Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.More...
Similar Movies
Dr. No
1962-10-07Agent 007 battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder, to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.From Russia with Love...
1963-10-10Agent 007 is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.Goldfinger
1964-09-20Special agent 007 comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox -- and obliterate the world's economy.Thunderball
1965-12-11A criminal organization has obtained two nuclear bombs and are asking for a 100 million pound ransom in the form of diamonds in seven days or they will use the weapons. The secret service sends James Bond to the Bahamas to once again save the world.Ben-Hur
1959-11-18In 26 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.You Only Live Twice
1967-06-13A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.On Her Majesty's Secr...
1969-12-18James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat in the Swiss alps where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. Along the way, Bond falls for Italian contessa Tracy Draco, and marries her in order to get closer to Blofeld.The Man with the Gold...
1974-12-04Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.Monty Python and the ...
1975-04-03King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".Gone with the Wind
1939-12-15The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.The Man with the Gold...
1955-12-26When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.Jaws
1975-06-20When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.Out of Africa
1985-12-20Tells the life story of Danish author Karen Blixen, who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on her 1937 autobiographical novel.The Wizard of Oz
1939-08-15Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.THX 1138
1971-03-11People in the future live in a totalitarian society. A technician named THX 1138 lives a mundane life between work and taking a controlled consumption of drugs that the government uses to make puppets out of people. As THX is without drugs for the first time he has feelings for a woman and they start a secret relationship.The Bridge on the Riv...
1957-10-11The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.Chinatown
1974-06-20Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.This Island Earth
1955-06-01Aliens have landed and are hiding on Earth, but need Earth’s scientists to help them fight an inter-planetary war.American Graffiti
1973-08-11A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.Finding Neverland
2004-10-29During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.