The Macomber Affair (1947)

Robert Wilson leads safaris on the Kenyan savanna. On this occasion, he takes Mr. and Mrs. Macomber out to hunt buffalo. The obnoxious ways of Margaret Macomber make the three of them get ... See full summary »

Director:

Zoltan Korda

Writers:

Ernest Hemingway (story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"), Seymour Bennett (adaptation)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Robert Wilson
Joan Bennett	...	Margaret 'Margo' Macomber
Robert Preston	...	Francis Macomber
Reginald Denny	...	Police Inspector
Jean Gillie	...	Aimee
Carl Harbord	...	Coroner
Earl Smith	...	Kongoni
Frederick Worlock	...	Clerk
Vernon Downing	...	Reporter Logan

Storyline

Robert Wilson leads safaris on the Kenyan savanna. On this occasion, he takes Mr. and Mrs. Macomber out to hunt buffalo. The obnoxious ways of Margaret Macomber make the three of them get on each others nerves. During the hunt Francis Macomber is shot by his wife. An accident or an attempt to get rid of Francis?

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Plot Keywords:

safari | hunter | guide | africa | hunting | 

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Taglines:

ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S Great African Adventure Story!

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1947 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

Filming Locations:

Tecate, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benedict Bogeaus Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fifteen years after competing for Joan Bennett's affections in this film, Gregory Peck and Robert Preston would again find themselves playing romantic rivals, this time over Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won (1962).

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Goofs

Incorrectly regarded as a goof: viewers have frequently cited the spear sticking out of the dying lion's side as a goof. The lion is killed when Robert Wilson shoots it with a rifle, however, one of the Kenyan guides throws a spear at the lion as it charges. Even though the lion is brought down by by Wilson's bullet, the spear from the guide's throw is still lodged in the animal's side.

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Connections

Featured in O ziliarogatos (1956)

User Reviews

White Hunter, Black Hearts

This Zoltan Korda adaptation of Hemingway's bitter tale of big game hunting and marital infidelity is the best movie adaptation of this author's work I have ever seen. Only Gregory Peck seems miscast in what is basically a Trevor Howard part, but this doesn't bring the movie down, it merely limits it. As the superficially charming, boyish, gregarious and basically not very nice Macomber, Robert Preston is brilliant, and he gives a daring, emotionally open performance. Joan Bennett is good as his wife, better than Peck but not perfect casting, either. What makes the movie work is its nasty story, and Casey Robinson's excellent and correct interpretation of it. The Hemingway mood, macho and misogynist, and misanthropic more than anything else, is caught to such perfection one might almost suspect that he was technical adviser (he wasn't). British East Africa is given the Tarzan treatment on screen, typical of the forties but for some difficult to take now. I find that it works, as Tarzan and Hemingway weren't a million miles apart in temperament and values, though I imagine that Tarzan was nicer fellow to get along with.