Mogambo (1953)

Directed by John Ford. Starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Philip Stainton, Donald Sinden, Eric Pohlmann, Denis O’Dea.

Sparks fly between spoiled socialite Gardner and “great white hunter” Gable in a remote part of Kenya, but she’s threatened by the arrival of the wife of an anthropologist who hired Gable to take them on a journey to locate and record gorillas (and seeing as how this newcomer is played by Grace Kelly, why wouldn’t she be?). Not much of a safari adventure, as the narrative is more concerned with a sudsy love triangle that resolves itself preposterously; Kelly is in good form, and Gardner acquits herself better than usual, but Gable looks too weathered and operates too sluggishly to be effective as either a wildlands guide/hunter or a romantic hero. Alluringly photographed by Robert Surtees and Freddie Young, the landscapes and wildlife of Africa are well-represented, but not its peoples, who are often reduced to stereotyped props that provide (literal) rhythm for the tourists. Written by John Lee Mahin as a continent-shifting remake of Red Dust from 1932, which also starred Gable. The title, although advertised as being a translation for “the greatest,” actually has no meaning whatsoever.

52/100