Product Description

Based on H. Rider Haggard's celebrated novel, this "fast-moving" (Screen International) action safari is "a very wicked jungle brew" (Chicago Tribune)! Starring Richard Chamberlain ("The Thorn Birds") and OscarÂ(r) nominee* Sharon Stone (Casino), King Solomon's Mines is truly "stirring entertainment" (Variety)!Commissioned by the stunning Jessie Huston (Stone) to find her explorer father in Africa, rugged adventurer Allan Quatermain (Chamberlain) must contend with Nazis, cannibals, a jungle full of dangerous animals and the wiles of the woman who hired him! But as Allan and Jessie near the spot where her father was last seenthe legendary King Solomon's Minesthey encounter more danger and breathtaking excitement'than even they hadbargained for!*1995: Actress, Casino

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49876 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

Amazon.com
Though modern audiences may find the performances in this prototypical darkest-Africa adventure yarn somewhat creaky, vintage-film fans will relish this rousing adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's novel. Sir Cedric Hardwicke stars as Allan Quartermain, a Great White Hunter who aids a young woman (Anna Lee, who was married to the film's director, Robert Stevenson) in locating her father, who has gone missing in his search for the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. With the assistance of the regal Umbopa (Paul Robeson), Quartermain and his party locate the mines, but quickly find themselves in the midst of two warring tribes. The use of African locations and indigenous tribesmen help to give the film a gritty authenticity, and the presence of the legendary Robeson (who sings three songs) adds a degree of historical importance to this engaging action-drama. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Into the mines
There have been plenty of adaptations of "King Solomon's Mines," the first of H. Rider Haggard's adventure novels. And the 1937 version is a solid if uninspired adaptation, with some good-to-excellent acting and a fairly faithful script, although I'm not sure where the Irish pair came from.

A strange wagon arrives at the camp of hunter Allan Quartermaine (Cedric Hardwicke), who's escorting a group of Europeans to the African coast. An unlucky Irish prospector goes off with the wagon, and a copy of a treasure map that supposedly leads to King Solomon's diamond mines. When Quartermaine refuses to go back after him, the prospector's daughter Kathy (Anna Lee) secretly makes off with his wagons.

Led by a mysterious native named Umbopa (Paul Robeson), the little group faces a trek across a blistering desert that no one has (supposedly) crossed alive. But when they do make it to the other side, they find that there is something even more dangerous -- a tribe of natives ruled by a ruthless chief, who has a very personal connection to Umbopa...

This is actually a pretty faithful adaptation of the original novel, with plenty of good-ish acting and startlingly good special effects. If there's a problem, it's that there's no real character development except for Umbopa, and for an adventure tale, it's actually rather low on appreciable action (although there's one good battle scene).

But it's a magnificent spectacle, and I can only imagine what it would have looked like in color. Sweeping deserts, big African villages, and even a climax that takes place INSIDE a volcano, complete with bubbling lava and collapsing tunnels. And the slowly unfolding storyline is very well-drawn, whether it's the slow journey across the desert or the sumptuous tropics of the oasis near where the tribe leaves.

Though Hardwicke is the lead character -- and does a pretty good job -- it's Paul Robeson who really rules this movie, with his majestic demeanor and rich, rolling voice. Roland Young provides a bit of stodgy comic relief, but John Loder is forgettable and Lee is simply an embarrassing caricature of an Irish colleen. I'd love to know how she always stays spotless and perfectly coiffed too.

But viewers should be warned that time has had its way with this movie -- either it hasn't been restored, or it was in VERY bad condition to begin with. It's a bit fuzzy and crackly in places, and the sound is distinctly tinny. And when it's dark, it's very difficult to see what's going on.

"King Solomon's Mines" is a stately, well-made story that is a bit too slow to be an adventure story, but has good scenes, a taut climax, and a great performance by Robeson.

The only good movie version of this book
This is a superb film version of Rider Haggard's thrilling adventure story. The actors all perform their roles with zest and conviction, with Paul Robeson outstanding as the rightful chief of the tribe returned to claim his birthright. Best of all, the film has a satisfactorily evil and terrifying Gagool, because what is King Solomon's Mines without Gagool the Witch?She is unbelievably left out of the bland and boring Stewart Granger version. This is the only version of the film worth watching, I cannot believe another reviewer thinks that the later versions are better. He obviously wouldn't recognise a good film if he fell over it.

The best of a bad bunch
Given the uniformly awful standard of the more recent versions of Haggard's great tale, this one at least has a few elements of the original. What they all miss, however, is Haggard's sense of adventure and links, however flawed, to history. Also, why are Africans never credited with ability and self-respect. Haggard could do it, movie makers cannot. When this film was made, the popular perception of the Irish in the UK (and much of the US) was of a race of drunken, dishonest, half-wits. Though why it was necessary to include a couple of stereotypes in this movie defies reason. One can only guess at what people thought about black Africans! There are four good things about this movie, the scenery, Gagool, Twala, and Hardwick as Quatermain. Robeson simply can't act. The ending is crass, as if everyone became bored.