When I read a user's comment that the film had no script, I realized why the last episode of 'Dallas' suddenly walking out on Sean looked so contrived, serving as an excuse for the hilarious elephant chase which culminates in one of the best wedding-night bedroom scenes in cinema history. The film is salutary viewing in 2009, given the superb animal chase sequences done without CGI. In my 4 years in Britain, I never once saw the film telecast, although it was a runaway hit in Kolkata when it was first released in the early 1960s, kept coming back as Sunday morning screenings in various cinemas, and was re-released in the 1970s. I made my teenage daughter watch it on cable this year, and she loved it. My only gripe: Brandy is a lot better looking than Dallas! I should add that as a six-year old, this was my first encounter with John Wayne, and I became an instant devotee, which I remain to this day, although this is a film in which he has little to do except just be there. What a presence!
Review of Hatari!
