Hatari! (1962)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Harry Kurnitz (story)
Leigh Brackett (writer)

Release Date:

19 June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Wayne means adventure!

Plot:

A group of men trap wild animals in Africa and sell them to zoos. Will the arrival of a female wildlife photographer change their ways ?

Plot Keywords:

Zoo | Animal | Photographer | Hospital | Africa

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

John Wayne	...	Sean Mercer
Hardy Krüger	...	Kurt Muller (as Hardy Kruger)
Elsa Martinelli	...	Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro
Red Buttons	...	Pockets
Gérard Blain	...	Charles 'Chips' Maurey (as Gerard Blain)
Bruce Cabot	...	Little Wolf aka The Indian
Michèle Girardon	...	Brandy de la Court (as Michele Girardon)
Valentin de Vargas	...	Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez
Eduard Franz	...	Dr. Sanderson
Queenie Leonard	...	Nurse (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

157 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swahili

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #19999) | Australia:G | Portugal:M/12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S (cut) (1972) | Finland:K-12 (uncut) (1962) | Sweden:11 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Arusha National Park, Tanzania

Company:

Malabar

Trivia:

According to director Howard Hawks, all the animal captures in the picture were performed by the actual actors; no stuntmen or animal handlers were substituted onscreen. The rhino really did escape, and the actors really did have to recapture it-- and Hawks included the sequence for its realism.

Goofs:

Continuity: Prior to the giraffe capture when Dallas is running towards the truck, then jumps in, at the compound, and tries to finish dressing, she is wearing neutral color boots. After the capture, back at the compound, she is wearing red shoes or boots that seem to match the red shirt she is wearing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sean Mercer: [over two-way radio] Kurt, can you hear me?
Kurt Muller: Go ahead, Sean.
Sean Mercer: At about eleven o'clock... right in the middle of that herd of wildebeest - see him?
Kurt Muller: Oh, that's a good one.
Sean Mercer: Let's go; start out easy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Summer in the City (1970)

Soundtrack:

Baby Elephant Walk

Fun Movie

Hatari is a fun movie to watch at any age and Red Buttons is hilarious as pockets. I saw this movie when it first came out in the 60s and as a young teenager I "fell in love" with Michele Girardon (Brandy). Unfortunately, I found out years later that she died of cancer as a result of too much smoking. The subplot of Pockets (older guy) falling in love with Brandy (the younger woman) while the other two girl chasers(Kirt & Chips) compete for Brandy's attention, is well performed. I still see Hatari whenever it comes out on AMC or Turner Classic Movies. If this type of movie was produced today, I wonder which collection of movie stars would be willing to star in it.

-Julius