Mogambo (1953)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Wilson Collison (play)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 October 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

Actually filmed by M-G-M on safari...amid authentic scenes of unrivalled savagery and awe-inspiring splendor!

Plot:

Victor Marswell runs a big game trapping company in Kenya. Eloise Kelly is ditched there, and an immediate attraction happens between them...

Plot Keywords:

Safari | Gorilla | Anthropologist | Hunter | Kenya

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Clark Gable	...	Victor Marswell
Ava Gardner	...	Honey Bear Kelly
Grace Kelly	...	Linda Nordley
Donald Sinden	...	Donald Nordley
Philip Stainton	...	John Brown-Pryce
Eric Pohlmann	...	Leon Boltchak
Laurence Naismith	...	Skipper
Denis O'Dea	...	Father Josef
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Asa Etula	...	Young native girl (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Wilson Collison		(play)
John Lee Mahin		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sam Zimbalist	....	producer

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography)
Freddie Young		(director of photography) (as F.A. Young)

Film Editing by
Frank Clarke

Art Direction by
Alfred Junge

Makeup Department
Colin Garde	....	makeup artist
Maude Onslow	....	hairdresser (as Maud Onslow)

Production Management
Roy Parkinson	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cecil F. Ford	....	assistant director (as Cecil Ford)
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director
John Pallatt	....	assistant director: gorilla footage (uncredited)

Sound Department
Amy Fisher	....	sound recordist (as A.S. Fisher)
A.W. Watkins	....	recording director
Hugh Strain	....	sound assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Tom Howard	....	special effects
Bert Monk	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bunny Allen	....	stunt double: Clark Gable (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cecil R. Cooney	....	camera operator (as Cecil Cooney)
Skeets Kelly	....	camera operator (as Graham Kelly)
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator: gorilla footage (uncredited)
Stephen Dade	....	additional photographer (uncredited)
Jackson Drury	....	camera operator: gorilla footage (uncredited)
Kelvin Pike	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Jack Whitehead	....	director of photography: gorilla footage (uncredited)
Doug Wolf	....	camera operator: gorilla footage (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Helen Rose	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Joan Bridge	....	color consultant: Technicolor

Other crew
Angela Martelli	....	continuity
Bunny Allen	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Frank Allen	....	researcher (uncredited)
Frank Allen	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt	....	director: gorilla footage (uncredited)
Eva Monley	....	production coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm Technicolor & 16mm prints)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1980) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bahaya Tribe of Tanganyika  group cast members
• Government Officials of Kenya Colony  grateful cooperation
• Government Officials of Tanganyika  grateful cooperation
• Government Officials of The Republic of French Equatorial Africa  grateful cooperation
• Government Officials of The Ugandan Protectorate  grateful cooperation
• M'Beti Tribe of French Equatorial Africa  group cast members
• Samburu Tribe of Kenya Colony  group cast members
• Wagenia Tribe of Belgian Congo  group cast members

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #16530) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Congo

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Deborah Kerr and Lana Turner were sought for the female leads.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: After Victor rescues Mrs Nordley when she wanders off, a sudden storm blows in. But only the trees and bushes near the actors are blown about by the 'storm', the trees visible a short distance behind them are completely calm.

Quotes:

Eloise Y. 'Honey Bear' Kelly: You and nobody else is gonna wring me out and hang me up to dry again.

Movie Connections:

References Dumbo (1941)

Soundtrack:

COMIN' THROUGH THE RYE

Exciting jungle adventure, boasting outstanding direction and first-rate performances (especially Ava Gardner's)

In all earnestness, can you imagine a more enjoyable way of spending two hours than journeying through the jungles of Africa with Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly, in a film directed by the legendary John Ford? Neither can I, and `Mogambo' does not disappoint.

It is a remake of `Red Dust,' a film made by Gable over twenty years earlier, and here (remarkably enough) Clark reprises his role from the first film, with a few small changes. This time around he plays Victor Marswell, a rugged big game hunter and safari leader. Into his African camp comes Gardner, a wisecracking American chorus girl stranded in the jungle and none too happy about it. She and Gable have a brief affair, but the arrival of a British anthropologist and his sheltered wife (Kelly) quickly puts an end to it. Gable agrees to lead the anthropologist on an expedition into gorilla country, and along the way he falls deeply in love with Kelly, and she with him. Gardner, feeling rejected by Gable, first tries to make his life miserable with constant innuendos, but later admits defeat and becomes his ally. In the midst of the gorilla hunt, Gable and Kelly try to find a way to explain their situation to her husband.

Their main problem is that the husband is just too likable. He is a decent, good-humored man who loves Kelly dearly and is filled with admiration for Gable, so neither wishes to hurt him. Meanwhile, developments occur in the Gardner character – she once loved and lost, and is now on the lookout for another man, setting her sights on the macho Gable. She, too, is impossible to dislike, with her sharp wit and ability to size up every situation. She knows where she stands.

This is one of the few remakes in Hollywood history to equal, and in my opinion surpass, its predecessor. Of course, this film is not constrained by indoor sets as was the previous one, but there is much more to it than that. `Red Dust' was directed by Victor Fleming, certainly a competent filmmaker, but Ford was a master. He cleverly decided not to use a musical score, but instead to rely on jungle sounds and tribal chants for the soundtrack. Gable is more confident here than before, replacing his earlier smugness with a more mature and hard-bitten performance. Kelly, on the brink of achieving stardom, is rightly prim and proper but still produces a strong, rich characterization.

However, the film belongs to Gardner, who admittedly has all the best lines but makes even the mundane ones sound appealing. She lights up every scene she is in, and unfortunately those she is not in are weaker by comparison. Her performance is at once radiant, robust, perceptive and exuberant, and yet somewhat sad. She really gets under the skin of her character and gives arguably the finest performance of her career.

The bottom line is that this movie is downright fun. Everyone involved does a top-notch job, and not once does the story drag. It is beautifully photographed in Technicolor, and the animal sequences are exciting and well paced. It's a joy to watch from start to finish, and is highly recommended to all those who love movies. Enough said.