NR | 1h 54m | Adventure, Drama, Romance | 1952
Ernest Hemingway had a particular fondness for men who traveled the world, drank too much, and made a considerable mess of their love lives along the way. His 1936 short story became the basis for director Henry King’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1952).
This big, colorful production from Twentieth Century-Fox stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, and Susan Hayward. France, Spain, and East Africa all figure into the picture. Their landscapes provide plenty of colorful scenery for the film’s troubled novelist and his many adventures.
Love and Regret
Peck plays Harry Street, an American novelist whose success has left him dissatisfied with the work he’s produced. Seriously ill and trapped at a safari camp near Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, he’s got plenty of time to think. He’s developed a nasty infection in his leg and is waiting for medical help to fly in (which isn’t certain), while the vultures hanging out in the trees seem to be growing impatient for his demise. His wife, Helen, played by Hayward, does her best to care for him, although Harry isn’t making the job particularly pleasant.
As his fever worsens, Harry begins recalling, in a flashback, his younger days in Paris during the 1920s, when he was a struggling writer with grand ambitions. There, he meets Cynthia Green (Gardner) at a jazz club, and the two eventually marry.
After his first novel is published, Harry finally has enough money to pursue his dream of hunting big game in Africa. However, Cynthia begins wanting a more settled life, and their disagreements gradually take a toll on the marriage.
During his travels after breaking up with Cynthia, he becomes involved with a wealthy woman, Countess Liz (Hildegard Knef), and later goes to Spain during its civil war in the 1930s. Through these various adventures and romances, he’s managed to become a successful author, although he remains convinced that he’s wasted much of his talent writing books that fall short of his earlier expectations.
Plenty of Beauty, Some Baggage
Henry King has a lot of geography to cover, almost as if leafing through tourist brochures. The nightclub sequence in Paris is particularly enjoyable, with its lively music, dancing, and the playful chemistry between Harry and Cynthia.
Elsewhere, some scenes spend too much time discussing Harry’s unhappiness, particularly when we’ve already heard him complain about the same things over and over. As the film is nearly two hours long, a few conversations could’ve ended a bit sooner.
The African hunting scenes offer a rather amusing lesson in Hollywood geography. One moment, you’ll be watching an actual herd of animals moving across open country. A moment later, Peck appears in front of a projected background that looks suspiciously like something assembled on a studio lot.
Some of the trick photography is painfully obvious. The filmmakers went to great lengths to take audiences around the world, even if the actors probably spent much of their time looking at scenery on a studio backdrop.
Peck makes Harry’s sour disposition believable, so much so that you’d happily leave the whiny fellow back at the camp with his complaints. He can also be rather stiff in some of the romantic scenes, although Gardner brings ample charm to their encounters, especially during the earlier Paris sequences.
Cinematographer Leon Shamroy received an Oscar nomination for his gorgeous Technicolor photography; Bernard Herrmann’s music adds a wonderfully romantic touch to Harry’s memories. Despite its occasional sluggishness and some rather obvious studio trickery, I enjoyed much of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” particularly Gardner’s performance and the film’s adventurous spirit.
Interestingly, the filmmakers chose a more hopeful conclusion than Hemingway’s original story. After spending so much time dwelling on his past failures, Harry finally begins to recognize some of the good things he still has in his life.
Viewers will appreciate seeing him realize that happiness might still be within reach. If Harry can finally see that, perhaps we’ve all got some great chapters left ahead of us, despite a few disappointments along the way.
“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is available on YouTube, Apple TV, and Amazon.
‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’
Directors: Henry King, Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 23, 1953
Rated: 4 stars out of 5
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