King Solomon's Mines

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...

One of the better versions of the original ripping yarn
Over the years Gaumont British's ambitious 1937 version of King Solomon's Mines has developed a reputation as something of a stinker, which is rather unfair. It's certainly no more faithful to H. Rider Haggard's novel than any of the other screen adaptations, starting the trend for adding a female companion to the quest to attract a wider audience. Unfortunately in this case it's a rather annoying Anna Lee, complete with unconvincing Irish accent, who is particularly awkwardly grafted into the story. Yet in most other departments the film delivers rather well, with Cedric Hardwicke an older than usual but still convincing Allan Quatermain and Paul Robeson easily dominating the supporting cast as the exiled chief Umbopa (yes, he does get to sing). The African footage gives it a broader scale than most British films of its day, and the climax in the volcanic mines is still impressive stuff. Dated, certainly, but not without its pleasures by any means.

MGM /UA's DVD is a...

Pure Classic Adventure
This version of K.S.M. is quite good. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is great in anything, you might remember him as Seti in The Ten Commandments or dozen of other films. He plays hero Allen Quatermaine, an adventurer who comes in contact with a young Irish woman and her father whom are seeking riches in Africa. They soon chance upon a map leading to the famed diamond mines. Along for the ride is singer Paul Robeson, who sounds a lot like James Earl Jones. Robeson's character seeks to regain his throne from a tribe that guards the entrance to the mines. There's also a tribal witch, whom chooses victims for sacrifice by swatting them with what looks like, an elephant's tale.Fun and adventure for all indeed.

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