King Solomon's Mines (1950)

Adventurer Allan Quartermain leads an expedition into uncharted African territory in an attempt to locate an explorer who went missing during his search for the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon.

Directors:

Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton

Writers:

Helen Deutsch (screenplay), H. Rider Haggard (novel)

Stars:

Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Elizabeth Curtis
Stewart Granger	...	Allan Quatermain
Richard Carlson	...	John Goode
Hugo Haas	...	Van Brun aka Smith
Lowell Gilmore	...	Eric Masters
Kimursi	...	Khiva (as Kimursi of the Kipsigi Tribe)
Siriaque	...	Umbopa (as Siriaque of the Watussi Tribe)
Sekaryongo	...	Chief Gagool (as Sekaryongo of the Watussi Tribe)
Baziga	...	King Twala (as Baziga of the Watussi Tribe)

Storyline

Guide Allan Quatermain helps a young lady (Beth) find her lost husband somewhere in Africa. It's a spectacular adventure story with romance, because while they fight with wild animals and cannibals, they fall in love. Will they find the lost husband and finish the nice connection?

---

Plot Keywords:

1890s | foreign language | carving | king | fight | 

---

Taglines:

Lovers trapped in animal stampede!

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The top-grossing US film of 1950.

---

Goofs

When the cannibal tribe are doing their "pre-dinner warm up", the man leading the chanting has blue paint on his face. As "the meal-ticket" party are leaving the lead chanter has no paint on his face.

---

Quotes

Allan Quatermain: Mrs. Curtis, the average life of a man in my profession is approximately eight years. Now, I've been at it for fifteen, so you see, I've been living on borrowed time. My wife died here six years ago. Sooner or later, an animal, or an unfriendly native, or a tropical disease will get me. I have a son in England. There'll be very little money for him if anything should happen to me in the ORDINARY course of events, but the money you're offering would provide very nicely for the boy until he's old...

---

Connections

Featured in Trader Horn (1973)

User Reviews

A step forward in the use of authentic locales for Africa...

H. Ryder Haggard's adventure tale has been transposed to the screen with professional polish, given authentic African locales for all the background color, and uses no music on the soundtrack except for the chants of African tribes. As such, it's a stunning film to look at in gorgeous Technicolor and nicely played by STEWART GRANGER as the burnt by the sun Safari guide and DEBORAH KERR in another of her prim leading lady roles.

Kerr is actually seeking the best of guides so she can hunt for her husband, so she takes along her good friend RICHARD CARLSON. Naturally, a romantic attachment to Granger gradually develops once Kerr starts to melt under the African sun.

All of the scenes involving actual native tribes are beautifully staged and handled with a sense of excitement and adventure, as are the scenes of wild animals. But it's basically a showcase for MGM's new property, Miss Kerr, and their new leading man, Mr. Granger.

It kept fans happy when it opened at New York's Radio City Music Hall in the summer of '50, but today it's largely forgotten among the many gems that came out that year. It did win a couple of Oscars, one for the beautiful color cinematography.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

King Solomon's Mines

Filming Locations:

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,258,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1