White Hunter Black Heart (1990)

A thinly fictionalized account of a legendary movie director, whose desire to hunt down an animal turns into a grim situation with his movie crew in Africa.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Peter Viertel (novel), Peter Viertel (screenplay)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, Charlotte Cornwell

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	John Wilson
Jeff Fahey	...	Pete Verrill
Charlotte Cornwell	...	Miss Wilding, Wilson's Secretary
Norman Lumsden	...	Butler George
George Dzundza	...	Paul Landers
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Reissar - a British Partner (as Edward Tudor Pole)
Roddy Maude-Roxby	...	Thompson, British Partner
Richard Warwick	...	Basil Fields, British Partner
John Rapley	...	Gun Shop Salesman
Catherine Neilson	...	Irene Saunders
Marisa Berenson	...	Kay Gibson, Film Star
Richard Vanstone	...	Phil Duncan, Film Star
Jamie Koss	...	Mrs. Duncan
Anne Dunkley	...	Scarf Girl in Nightclub Show
David Danns	...	Bongo Man in Nightclub Show

Storyline

The world famous movie director John Wilson has gone to Africa to make his next movie. He is an obstinate, contrary director who'd rather hunt elephants than take care of his crew or movie. He has become obsessed with one particular elephant and cares for nothing else.

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | director | elephant | africa | antonyms in title | 

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Taglines:

An adventure in obsession...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cazador blanco, corazón negro

Filming Locations:

Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$165,450, 16 September 1990, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,319,124

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Productions,Rastar Pictures,Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the documentary Biography: Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1994), Eastwood states how [in real life] he never knew John Huston [the person his John Wilson character in this film is based on].

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Goofs

The map detailing the crew's trip by plane from England to Uganda shows Germany with pre-WWII borders. The movie is set around 1950.

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Quotes

Pete Verrill: [looking at elephants through binoculars] Oh. I've never seen one before, outside the circus or the zoo. They're so majestic. So indestructible. They're part of the earth. They make us feel like perverse little creatures from another planet. Without any dignity. Makes one believe in God.
[chuckles]
Pete Verrill: In the miracle of creation. Fantastic. They're part of a world that no longer exists, Hod. Feeling of unconquerable time.
Hodkins: You certainly have a way with words, Pete. No wonder you're a writer.

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Connections

Featured in Biography: Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1994)

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Soundtracks

Massa's In de Cold Cold Ground
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
Arranged by Lennie Niehaus

User Reviews

All about narcissism

Narcissists are the bane of existence, unless they happen to be on stage and entertaining us. Aside from that, I find it best to stay far, far away from such folks. Some call such people "characters," I call them a**holes. They make life difficult for those around them and John Wilson is no exception. In fact, Eastwood's egocentric behavior causes life to become fatally difficult for one poor soul.

I am puzzled by those who see this as some of Eastwood's greatest acting. It soon becomes clear that he is doing an impression of John Huston, which is fine, and is recognizable, however I don't think he delivered a single line which I believed. I was constantly taken out of the movie by what I considered to be in fact very bad acting by Eastwood, at least vocally. Supporting actors were not much better, that one guy attempting a poor German accent I believe, and I felt they were all blown out of the water acting-wise by the folks who only had a couple of lines. The spectacle of this narcissist's self centered romp through his life provides a number of action sequences which do suit Eastwood, including a bit of "Any Which Way You Can" bare knuckle fighting. The film is sparse, probably intended to give a documentary feel. Very little in the way of soundtrack. Photography was disappointedly lame. In a movie such as this where I am looking for something to distract me, interesting photography can help. However, probably due to the documentary style choice, the only vaguely interesting shots were brief transition shots between scenes.

Ultimately the narcissist is forced into some realization of his gross selfishness and negligence, and finally comes to accept his obligations to others, although it seems more out of defeat than anything else.