I watched Hatari for the first time recently ...and loved it...

The Ghost and the Darkness - big Val Kilmer fan but Michael Douglas should have ended up on the editing room floor.

For general Africa, dont forget "The Power of One" ....Good Australian author!!!

Cheers
MG

Some more additions to the list:

"Hotel Rwanda" based on a true story and the reality of tribal African politics, ie periodic tribal bloodbaths, governmental world indifference to suffering in Africa and the true ability of the UN to ffff all.

"Lumumba" - based on the first failed President of the Congo - but highly biased towards the despot murdering dictator. In fact his movie tries to portray him as "benevolent"!

"Lion of the Desert - Omar Mukhtar" - a movie financed by Moummar Quaddafi about an Arab freedom fighter fighting against the Italian invaders between WW1 and WW2.

Watching Hatari right now. PRICELESS. The baby eles are worth the whole movie....Perspective. Even a SMALL, baby ele, is near the size of a VW...and, stronger... and smarter...
The cheetah in the movie is awesome. My female cat sleeps with me every night.

The end scene, where John W. is coitus interruptus by three african baby eles is priceless. If my cat was about 10 times bigger, it would be the same... ROFL

S

"HATARI" hands down! Like the man said - John Wayne! I wore out my tape and had to buy a DVD!

I forgot about "Africa Texas Style". I saw this when I was a kid and it started my African dreams to hunt Eland.

I saw this was on about 2 years ago and recorded it on my TiVo. It is now a little corny but still fun.

I love the part where Hugh O'Brian ropes the Rhino. It's a black rhino, no a white rhino, wait.. black, no white rhino, Black? Back in those days I guess they thought we wouldn't notice.

It spawned the series "A Cowboy in Africa" with Chuck Conners (My all time favorite series when I was growing up)

Thanks for all the new movie suggestions.

I love these threads!!!!!!

"Breaker Morant" is one of my favorite movies.*

Doug

*My favorite movie about Africa that was
filmed in Australia as pointed out by NitroX
below.

Zulu: my all-time favourite movie
Zulu Dawn: While Zulu is about the defence of the mission station at Rorke's Drift, this one is about Isandhlwana. But, just as Hollywood spoiled Ghost in the Darkness with Michael Douglas, they spoiled this one by casting Burt Lancaster as Colonel Durnford! Somebody seems to think that Americans won't pay to view a movie that doesn't have at least one big-name American actor in it!
Africa Adventure: This is Robert Ruark's film of one of his hunts with Harry Selby, through Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda. Professionally filmed. A friend taped it off a TV late show one night, many years ago. I have a poor copy of the so-so quality original, but it is fabulous to watch Ruark, Selby, old Ali baking bread in a biscuit tin, Syd Downey, Andrew Holmberg, etc. It's like watching, instead of reading, Horn of the Hunter, or Use Enough Gun.

PS: Have to agree as well with Breaker Morant. Another absolutely excellent Australian film that gets drowned in all of the inane BS produced in California!

"Nowhere in Africa". It MUST be seen. Spoken in German and Afrikan...subtitled in English. I highly recommend.

"Breaker Morant" unfortunately was not filmed in South Africa but right here in South Australia at Burra in the mid-North. The fort is an old jail that can still be visited. The bush scenes are in the countryside around Burra. But great acting, and based on a true story.

A contingent of Australian horsed troops fighting in under British command during the Boer War some of whom were tried by a "kangaroo court" and two of whom were executed by the British. Caused an outrage in Australia at the time in the newly independent country.

Did they murder the Lutheran Pastor and shoot their prisoners? Probably. Under "Rule 303" .

Hatari, Zulu, Out of Africa

I also saw Blood Diamonds last week and I thought it was very good

King Solomon's Mines (the one with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr) -because of the great photography of African scenery

Snows of Kilimanjaro - only for the early scene of a charging rhino being shot. It looked genuine. I leave it to the Africa old hands to say if it was.



Mogambo - Who the heck was looking at Africa with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly to look at?

The African Queen -



I didn't care much for "The Ghost and the Darkness" -and only partly because the Michael Douglas character didn't belong in the movie (and I otherwise always liked seeing Michael Douglas in a movie)I was put off by Kilmer sitting in a tree ("on stand" I presume) with a rifle from which a very loose sling is swinging. As a black bear hunter I always knew not to have a sling on because a bear might hear the "swish" or even a "clink" and I would think that a lion's hearing would be no worse. Also he worked the bolt in one scene in a manner that told me he wasn't very used to a bolt action. He actually jammed himself up in the scene. (The old Roman expression applies here to using a bolt action - " Festina lente" - "Make haste slowly")

I like "Ghost and the Darkness", if I remember correctly according to his book Col. Patterson actually did have a hunter try to help him unsuccessfully. At least in the movie Michael Douglas' character becomes cat poop.

Recently saw "Blood Diamond", pretty good scenery, great battle scenes, evil white South Africans (couldn't be PC portrayed in a movie any other way) but not much in the way of wildlife.

My favorite? That's a tough one but many good candidates have been noted above. I am amazed nobody mentioned my daughter's favorite African movie though - Jock of the Bushveld!

Hatari... anyone have any info if this movie was loosely modeled on Warner von Alvensleben's Safarilandia Mozambique? Different countries and Harti's story was all catching without any hunting but otherwise many similarities.

I probably enjoyed the mini-series on Masterpiece Theatre of 'Flame Trees of thika' more than any African film. I think it's available on Netflix. Another good TV series was 'Heat Of The Sun'. Both series had excellant acting and outstandin photography and while not hunting oriented are definitely Africa. The 'Heat of the Sun' particularly portrays 20's/30's Kenya in a picture of what it was probably actually like. The places and some of the characters being based on actual places and people of the period. The infamous club and the woman pilot who was based on the real life character Beryl Markham. Excellant viewing in any case.

jock of the bushveld
walking amongst lions

and then there was a tv series on a long time ago about a boy shipwrecked on the coast of natal....john something...that was really awesome but i cant remember the full name of the story....i think it was based on a true story as wel

ah i just remembered the name of the tv series - john ross, was really an awesome program and it was based on a true story. boy shipwrecked on the coast of natal, found by zulus and raised by them.

King Solomon's Mines with Stewart Granger
The African Queen

For me, "White Hunter, Black Heart," was completely destroyed by the mere fact that the star was Clint Eastwood.

Eastwood, in real life, hates, loathes and despises hunters and hunting.

Same with Michael Douglas.

Typical hypocrites.

L.W.

quote:

Originally posted by Leanwolff:
For me, "White Hunter, Black Heart," was completely destroyed by the mere fact that the star was Clint Eastwood. Eastwood, in real life, hates, loathes and despises hunters and hunting. Same with Michael Douglas.

Typical hypocrites. L.W.

Amen to that. Both those devils made their money with guns and violence and they condemn it. It ruined Ghosts for me....

The original Snows of Kilamanjaro with Stewart Granger and Debra Kerr. As a point of interest in case some of you haven't had a chance to read "The White HUnters". In the opening scence Stewart Granger brains an elephant. In actuality, there was an elephant shot for the movie. The director said that was a wrap and all the actors and film crewed admired the fallen beast, took pictures and retired to camp. Sometime later,one of bunch, and I might have been Stewart Granger ambled off down toward the carcass only to discover there was no elephant around anywhere. Guess they never found him either.

For suspense, The Ghost and the Darkness is pretty good, less Michael Douglas of course.

I just learned something within the last month about Hatari, and yes it was great entertainment. My PH in Tanzania is named Paul Horsley. His father Norman, was a PH for 35 years, in Tanganiyka. Paul said that his father worked on the support and filming crew of the movie, got to know John Wayne, and that the Duke sold Norman his Land Rover after shooting the movie and when he left the country. Paul still has the Land Rover, restored and taken care of on his farm west of Arusha. That was 45? years ago. John Wayne always said he enjoyed making this movie more than any other because he did his own stunts, and that's pretty obvious. The next time you watch try to catch a little editing glitch. The scene occurs when the capture the rhino the first time at the end of the season. John Wayne jumps up in the truck next to the wooden crate, stepping around all the ropes, and in classic John Wayne fashion is faintly heard to say, "Watch the son of bitch." I wonder if Elsa Martinelli is still alive? Anyone know? What a sweetheart.

NitroX and I have got to be the only 3 people (including Momar) who would remember Lion of the Desert, Omar Muhktar. I believe it starred Anthony Quinn as the Italian killing deliverer of Libya. It was filmed south of Tripoli at GarryAnn and Ghedamis. Tripoli use to have two main streets downtown. One was Omar Muhktar and the other was named 24 December, Libya's date of independence from being an Italian colony. What a crappy movie.

Does anyone remember Sophia Loren and John Wayne in Legend of the Lost? It was filmed at Leptis Magna, southeast of Tripoli in 1962. It wasn't exactly a winner either, even with those two stars.

Wow! This is a lot of fun. I think I'll go watch Born Free. NOT

AS I sit here presently surrounded by almost 300 pounds of Rottys,(only have 2 of them) I am most definitely NOT a "cat person"
BUT
after seeing Hatari, I could see a cheetah as a pet. It seemed a lot more like a dog than a cat.

quote:

Originally posted by yellowstone:
NitroX and I have got to be the only 3 people (including Momar) who would remember Lion of the Desert, Omar Muhktar. I believe it starred Anthony Quinn as the Italian killing deliverer of Libya. It was filmed south of Tripoli at GarryAnn and Ghedamis. Tripoli use to have two main streets downtown. One was Omar Muhktar and the other was named 24 December, Libya's date of independence from being an Italian colony. What a crappy movie.

Mate, I've got the movie in my African film collection. It is available on DVD again like a lot of old and classic movies.

Its not THAT bad.

But if Gaddafi financed it, I guess it may be a little biased and propaganda.

I am surprised nitrox. You are old enough to have been around for the filming of lion of the desert.

NitroX,
I am duly imnpressed that you've got an African film collection extensive enough to include Lion of the Desert. There are a few more that I would buy first, but I used to live over there it's good for the geography lesson and a personal stroll down memory lane.
Know where to pick up a copy of Trader Horn?

You guys have mentioned some great movies, some of which are my favourites, such as Out of Africa, White Hunter Black Heart, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Zulu, Breaker Morant, The Mocamber Affair and Shout at the Devil....

but noone has mentioned "NOR THE MOON BY NIGHT". This is an interesting, and entertaining African story set in a RSA National Park and while it is essentially about a love triangle, it includes lots of animal interactions - almost too many, in fact, just like the old time hollywood movies where the heroin screams about every three seconds! - and includes the on-screen dropping of a 'rouge' bull elephant who was threatening to turn the heroin into strawberry jam. This shot was engineered for the film and the shooting was done by Bunny Allen and his son (you can see the almost simultaneous bullet impacts on the forehead and chest). The movie also includes, in the storyline, the issues of poaching and witchcraft (in particular, the legend of the Tokoloshe).

Nor has anyone mentioned "HOLD MY HAND I'M DYING" which is the story of a District Commissioner in Rhodesia in the 1950s and 1960s and leading up to the start of the war of independence. This story also includes comment on the plight of the Batonka when their homeland is flooded by the rising waters of Lake Kariba. There are no hunting shots but anyone who loves Zimbabwe (as I do) will love the scenery and there are some interesting messages, about the lead up to the current tragedy of Zim, in this film. I particularly love the scene when he turns up at a remote village, on bicycle, to conduct the local court. He arrives late and when he asks the black police sergeant how late he is, the sergeant replies "the District Commissioner is never late ..... it is the others who are early!"

All my African favorites have been named, just thought I'd add why I like them.
HATARI - Watch it whenever I'm feeling depressed. Brings me right out of it. And Red Buttons was great "milking" the ram.
ZULU - Learning of how the British forces were at that time. And seeing the military medal winners as not always great heroes afterward.
WIND AND THE LION - Sean Connery! Loved the weapons of the period displayed and shot.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by GS:
Watching Hatari right now. PRICELESS. The baby eles are worth the whole movie....Perspective. Even a SMALL, baby ele, is near the size of a VW...and, stronger... and smarter...
The cheetah in the movie is awesome. My female cat sleeps with me every night.

ROFLThe end scene, where John W. is coitus interruptus by three african baby eles is priceless. If my cat was about 10 times bigger, it would be the same...

Only in Hollywood and in Thailand does the 60 year old man get the 20 year old Babe.

Oh, and while we are including movies from Northern Africa, as well, how about "THE WIND AND THE LION" starring Sean Connery as the Barbery pirate and Brian Keith as Teddy Roosevelt. Good movie with a good story and lots of action and I love Brian Keith as TR because in almost every scene which shows him, he is handling either a Winchester 1895, Springfield or some other rifle. Indeed, he spends as much time, on screen, berrating the Winchester company for stuffing up the stock dimensions of his 1895 as he does dictating US Foreign policy - love it!

Another which I don't think has been mentioned (at least using a word search):

"White Mischief" featuring a beautiful and topless Greta Scaatchi swimming off the Mombasa coast. About the "Happy Valley Set" and their affairs and downfalls.

quote:

Originally posted by Mickey1:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by GS:
Watching Hatari right now. PRICELESS. The baby eles are worth the whole movie....Perspective. Even a SMALL, baby ele, is near the size of a VW...and, stronger... and smarter...
The cheetah in the movie is awesome. My female cat sleeps with me every night.

ROFLThe end scene, where John W. is coitus interruptus by three african baby eles is priceless. If my cat was about 10 times bigger, it would be the same...

Only in Hollywood and in Thailand does the 60 year old man get the 20 year old Babe.

Or with a serious bank account!!

Gold - Out of Africa

Silver - I Dreamed of Africa

Bronze - Hatari

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:

quote:

Originally posted by Mickey1:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by GS:
Watching Hatari right now. PRICELESS. The baby eles are worth the whole movie....Perspective. Even a SMALL, baby ele, is near the size of a VW...and, stronger... and smarter...
The cheetah in the movie is awesome. My female cat sleeps with me every night.

ROFLThe end scene, where John W. is coitus interruptus by three african baby eles is priceless. If my cat was about 10 times bigger, it would be the same...

Only in Hollywood and in Thailand does the 60 year old man get the 20 year old Babe.

Or with a serious bank account!!

BTW Mick, anything to share.


***

Talking about coitus interruptus, check out the closing credits in "Tarzan the Ape Man" starring Bo Derek where the orangutang (yep not very African) keeps pulling off "Tarzan" and wrestling with him, off the topless Bo Derek. Because the Ape is jealous and wants to drag Bo off into the bushes himself.

Out of Africa,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Gods Must Be Crazy 1 and 2

Or how about the movie "GAME FOR VULTURES" starring Richard Harris and Richard Rowntree. This is set during the bush war with Richard Harris as the sanctions buster and Richard Rowntree as the liberation fighter. A good story which captures some of the real story behind the Rhodesian war and also shows the futility of the whole conflict. In one scene, after some desperate hand to hand fighting, the freedom fighter, who is having some problems with his conscious, asks "who is winning?" to which the sanctions buster replies "No one!" - which, as we all know, is so true (although it could be easily said that while all of the rest of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe lost, one man did win - Bloody Mugabe!)

I got "Game for vultures" a few weeks ago, and its very good. "Hatari" the same is very good. "The Wild geese" and "dogs of war" is good, and Zulu and Zulu dawn is very good, but the Zulu Dawn is abit too americanized in the style , but they are good films that makes you find more about Africa .

I second 'Nowhere is Africa,' great film. _Baxter

I am surprised no one mentioned THE NAKED PREY.

Tarzan

The Snows of Kilimanjaro starred Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward. Stewart Granger & Deborah Kerr were in King Solomon's Mines. I've never seen that Richard harris movie regardin the Rhodesian Bush War. Sounds like a good one. jorge

Four more that I liked:

"Sands of the Kalahari"
"Gold"
"The Wilby Conspiracy"
"A Good Man in Africa"

RCG

quote:

Originally posted by blackbearhunter:
The naked prey-I think was the name where this guy runs across africa trying to flee for his life from the kings warriors,......,and there was one 60s movie where the baboons were killing people to drink their blood because of drought!I think that actually happened in real life.

The best scene in the Naked Prey was when they baked the one guy in the clay pot as you heard muffled screams...

I recall the Baboon movie you are referring to... I wish I could recall the title.

Also the mention of Trader Horn - I recently saw a bit of it. Giant pith helmets and pancake make-up - splice in actual provoked black rhino charge - you got a winner!

The Last King of Scotland - Forrest Whitaker as Idi Amin - I would like to see this one.