This movie, about writer Harry Street who reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, is an okay romance movie.
It was engaging enough to begin with. Harry's past contained much conflicts, but much of it was his own fault, or at least he was complicit in several of them. He was his own antagonist, and that affected his previous partners. I think the story about Harry and Cynthia Green was the most interesting one. Their story began with a fresh romance at their first glance, but Cynthia's inner conflict, about herself and Harry having a baby that potentially could ruin Harry's life ambitions, led to fatale consequences, speaking of the baby. This was pretty much exciting and dramatic, and it got my attention. However, since the story about these two was the most interesting one, the engagement after this slightly decreased.
From when Cynthia left Harry, the story became quite rushed until the third act. It didn't really settle down enough. My interest suddenly returned when Harry received his legacy from his uncle Bill Swift. When Harry told about this riddle in the present, I thought this riddle was going to be the big conclusion of the story, but this third act became suddenly slow and uninteresting, all about his condition. I personally didn't really care much about Harry, but rather his partners. I wish the long runtime in the third act was rather used for his past.
I think the technical aspects were mostly good. I like drama, but some lines were a bit melodramatic, speaking of the script by writer Casey Robinson. However, the cinematography by cinematographer Leon Shanroy felt natural, the editing by editor Barbara McLean was mostly precise, and what I really loved was the soundtrack by composer Bernard Hermann. The soundtrack has overall a very classic style, but its romantic string melodies really strengthened the movie's romance and drama.
Overall, this is an okay romance movie with some interesting moments. The story about Harry and Cynthia is the most engaging, but the third act is slow and uninteresting. The technical aspects are mostly good, with cinematography, editing, and the soundtrack all being highlights. However, the script is a bit melodramatic at times.
It was engaging enough to begin with. Harry's past contained much conflicts, but much of it was his own fault, or at least he was complicit in several of them. He was his own antagonist, and that affected his previous partners. I think the story about Harry and Cynthia Green was the most interesting one. Their story began with a fresh romance at their first glance, but Cynthia's inner conflict, about herself and Harry having a baby that potentially could ruin Harry's life ambitions, led to fatale consequences, speaking of the baby. This was pretty much exciting and dramatic, and it got my attention. However, since the story about these two was the most interesting one, the engagement after this slightly decreased.
From when Cynthia left Harry, the story became quite rushed until the third act. It didn't really settle down enough. My interest suddenly returned when Harry received his legacy from his uncle Bill Swift. When Harry told about this riddle in the present, I thought this riddle was going to be the big conclusion of the story, but this third act became suddenly slow and uninteresting, all about his condition. I personally didn't really care much about Harry, but rather his partners. I wish the long runtime in the third act was rather used for his past.
I think the technical aspects were mostly good. I like drama, but some lines were a bit melodramatic, speaking of the script by writer Casey Robinson. However, the cinematography by cinematographer Leon Shanroy felt natural, the editing by editor Barbara McLean was mostly precise, and what I really loved was the soundtrack by composer Bernard Hermann. The soundtrack has overall a very classic style, but its romantic string melodies really strengthened the movie's romance and drama.
Overall, this is an okay romance movie with some interesting moments. The story about Harry and Cynthia is the most engaging, but the third act is slow and uninteresting. The technical aspects are mostly good, with cinematography, editing, and the soundtrack all being highlights. However, the script is a bit melodramatic at times.