Hatari! (1962)

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:

In an interview for a shooting and hunting magazine, Wayne related that in the original cut he killed an elephant, shooting it with the .458 Winchester Magnum rifle he is seen carrying in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening sequence, chasing the Rhino, the catching truck is turning left and you can see half of the windshield is missing and the character of Dallas is in the cab. In the preceding few seconds and the following scene Pockets is alone in the cab. An almost identical take is later used in the buffalo chase.

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 "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Deadly Bees (#10.5)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Baby Elephant Walk

so much fun

HATARI! is a film I could watch over and over for all eternity. I've loved it since I was a kid. John Wayne and a great ensemble cast are fun to watch as they have adventures in Africa capturing wild game for zoos around the world. Most of the laughs come from Red Buttons's comic relief Pockets, who does everything from make sly comments to building a giant rocket in order to capture monkeys. The capture sequences with the larger animals (especially the first and second rhino chases) are thrilling, with the actors themselves right in there with the animals. The almost three-hour running time flies by before you even know it. Throw in one of Henry Mancini's greatest scores and two pretty girls, and you've got a fun-filled adventure the whole family can enjoy for years and years.