The Snows of Kilimanjaro - A classic movie review - Immortal Hemingway

The Snows of Kilimanjaro -   A Classic Movie Review - Immortal Hemingway

     

     

              

          

The writer is a huge, huge fan of Ernest Miller Hemingway.  If you ask me, there is no other writer in this entire universe like Hemingway – popularly known as “Papa” Hemingway - who had influenced me.   There are 1952 and 2011 version of movies based on Hemingway’s 23 page work “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”.  This story  of Hemingway is an autobiographical literary master piece.   When I talk about Hemingway my throat sores with emotions and the heart pounding in my mouth.  Hemingway is such a phenomenon who finds instant cult figure status. 

I have decided to write the review of the  movie “Snows of Kilimanjaro” which was produced in 1952 and Hemingway’s role immortalized by Gregory Peck, the tall handsome, rough and rugged “Papa” Hemingway best suited for a big game hunter, a bull fighter or an army man rather than a frail novelist or a writer.  Gregory Peck, the prince charming lift the role with his own controlled aggression, poise and poignant caricature. 

The wounded writer Harry Street (Gregory Peck) after an African safari hunting adventure nursing his deeply wounded leg blood soaked through the bandage and attracting the birds (vultures) in his campsite at the height of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro attended by his wife Helen (Susan Hayward) and a team of African attendants.   

The opening paragraph of the literature is copied in the movie which goes like –

“Kilimanjaro is a snow covered mountain 19,710 feet height, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called ‘Nagaje, Ngai’ the House of God.  Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard.  No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.”

This was the riddle or puzzle the dying father of Harry who was well built and a hunter, trekker and an adventurous traveler himself handed out to him.

Harry Street through his agonies stint recall his life’s other two women in flash back.  In pursuit of all three, he has traveled the globe from the salons of Bohemian Paris to the battlefields of Spain to the plains of Africa.  Now in the shadow of the great mountain and his own approaching death from gangrene. The gangrene is a   potentially life threatening condition that happens when body tissue dies.

Harry Street lying in his deathbed, a cot, at the camp under a mimosa tree and as he look up there are three vultures squatted on them and a dozen flew across above the trees leaving  their shadow on him.  He yells for whisky and soda to escape from the pain and the odor that the blood soaked wound discharges. 

Harry in his autobiographical life of writing, big game hunting and women in love with him glance through a series of flashbacks.  His first love Cynthia (Ava Gardner) finds him not ready to settle down and enjoy wildlife adventures leaves him and one day she meets with her death.  However, Harry could not forget his first love and ponder with the memories of her. 

The second love, a filthy rich countess finds him not in her clasp of Octopussy and tantrums loses him as well.  The adventure seeking Harry did not have any problem whatsoever to abandon her.

The third one Helen to whom he gets married and started his life’s journey with her.  She was a kind and nice person always motivating Harry to cling on to his life and fight his wounds.  She serves him soup and dress his wounds after denying him whisky and soda which would have given him only a temporary reprieve.  A devoted wife nurse him well and given him courage to fight for life and makes him to wish for God's gift the invaluable treasure of  life.

In one of the sequence an oracle and black magician performs the native African rituals to cure Harry with pieces of bones and skull and biting carrots and finally an irritated Harry drives him away.

Helen along with their African servants are hoping to see a private jet which will land on their campsite to rescue the wounded Harry and her to America. 

In another horrifying  sequence a hyena smells the odor of Harry’s wound and almost attacked him in the lighted tent if not just in time Helen suddenly woke up from the vigil and shout and scares the animal away along with camp inmates.  

The film has excellent cinematography and best art direction.   The movie is a classic and survived the period of 63 years after its release.  It is still a major attraction with movie goers.  The romantic, sentimental, qualities embedded in the fine script are driven home by the background score.  Harry shooting African wild life with his camera in the midst of grave danger is an eye candy. The script has done justice to the literary master piece and making the movie a compelling viewing.

Gregory Peck is charming and lift the role with consummate ease.  Both Ava Gardner and Susan Hayward have done justice to their characters.   

The hunting and war sequences have been brilliantly photographed and African safari is an eye pleasing sight.

IMMORTAL “PAPA”   Hemingway

Before you act, listen.

Before you react, think.

Before you spend, earn.

Before you criticize, wait.

Before you pray, forgive.

Before you quit, try.

        -            Earnest Hemingway

                       

              

In this twenty-three pages sketch of life written by Hemingway and the great literature it produced is marvelous.   It is the American writer Hemingway’s forte to caricature human life in simple yet brilliant and inimitable style.  The Nobel Prize winner author had many imitators but no parallel. He wrote in an extremely unique, concise style to create an unparalleled masterpiece. He utilized a notably typical style to write his books for which was highly ostracized by the writer community in his times.  However, the students of literature over the period of time found him a genius and possessing an unmatchable talent.

The timeless movie gives a spectacular eye treat and lingers in the minds of movie goers, an experience not to be faded away and remain as an all-time classic.