Snows Of Kilimanjaro (Koch)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Film: B-
Another film bouncing around in the public domain that
probably should not be is the Henry King-directed hit version of Ernest
Hemmingway’s Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952), where a very injured man
(Gregory Peck, looking very stylish for being in such awful shape) must reflect
on his life and try to survive until help arrives. We learn how things went wrong as he wonders if he has spent his
time in life wisely as he is so close to death. This DVD is sold as highlighting Ava Gardner, but Susan Hayward
is as much the lead, if not more so.
Leo G. Carroll also stars.
This is a very average version of the film, making one
wonder that as this is originally a 20th Century Fox release, where
is their version? They likely have the
original camera materials, unless the Hemingway estate somehow had or has some
ownership of the film. Either way, this
was a three-strip Technicolor release, but this version is dulled and likely an
analog NTSC 1.33 X 1 transfer a generation down. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono has signs of wear from the print used,
which itself is down a few generations by default. That is particularly noticed in the score by Bernard Herrmann,
who brings this film above the pitfalls of melodrama the film could have
permanently been caught in. His score
alone deserves better.
As it stands, this is a serviceable DVD of the film, but
especially with HDTV here tired. The
film is politically incorrect at times, but still has some great stretches
where that are not the problem and it was certainly edited and pulled back
versus the actual book. We look forward
to the next DVD of it to compare.
- Nicholas Sheffo
