King Solomon's Mines

6/20/2022

A super boy's-own adaptation of the H. Rider Haggard story. At first, Sir Cedric Hardwicke comes across as a slightly stilted "Allan Quartermain" but he soon finds his rhythm and together with John Loder and Anna Lee sets off to find her long lost father as he searched deepest Africa for the legendary treasure of King Solomon. Along the way they encounter an outcast "Umbopa" (Paul Robeson) who helps guide them. Clearly they have spent some cash on this production and I think it shows; the story is fluidly directed by Robert Stevenson and we even get a song! It's riddled with colonial attitudes - almost unimaginable now - but some really grand cinematography and quite an exciting denouement make for a timeless adventure film.