Search - King Solomon's Mines on DVD

My all-time favorite movie - but it's evidently been edited

Barb | Florida | 07/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first saw this movie as a little girl and watched it on TV a couple more times over the years. It's absolutely the most thrilling, wonderful movie ever made. But WHAT HAPPENED??? There is at least one tribal dance that has just disappeared -- nowhere to be found in this video. There is one dance still left in the movie, near the end, that is also exciting, but the one I remember the most is where the natives do these incredible jumps and the most wonderful, amazing movements that were all synchronized and fascinating to watch. You could tell they were working themselves into a frenzy to attack the whites, and they were very hostile and truly frightening, so maybe that's not acceptable by today's standards. Did the PC police get to this tape? The VHS running time is 103 minutes. I wonder what the running time of the original film was. I would have given this 5 stars except for my awful disappointment about the omitting of the dancing. Does anyone know where I can get an uncut version? Also, why isn't there a DVD? Maybe there would be an explanation or even out-takes of the dancing."

One of the greatest Adventures of alltime!

Daniel G. Madigan | Redmond, WA United States | 03/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"King Solomon's Mines features breathtaking photography of African wild life with the main stars in the actual locales. The stampede scene with Kerr and Granger left to their own devices along with the directors, is unbelievable in every sense.Nothing like it until the Buffalo stampede in the otherwise dismal How The West Was Won."
Kerr and Granger are great actors;they invest their roles with great faith in what they are doing,entirely missing in current films of the same genre.

The gorgeous Technicolor, the Watusi dances, later inspiring Bob Fosse, and the great Andrew Marton at the healm, directing with flair and wit and uncommon daring. No computer driven action scenes here.

I love the cynicism of the film, Quatermain's idea of life summed up for him in the games the natives play. And Deborah Kerr, stepping into every dangerous hole and crevice where terrible creatures lurk..excellent in every way.

Buy this and be amazed."

A stunning adventure movie.

AJ | Delaware, USA | 05/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even fifty years after its original release, King Solomon's Mines is still one of the best adventure movies ever. Featuring a talented cast and beautiful outdoor camerawork this movie is an often copied, but never surpassed forerunner of the Indiana Jones' style stories. Granger and Kerr make the most of their respective roles creating real live human beings instead of the usual cardboard action figures that the audience has come to expect in this sort of movie and the animal stampede scene, often replayed in later movies' makes for one of the greatest motionpicture events ever."

SEVERAL SCENES ARE TRULY AMAZING

Waitsel Smith | Atlanta, GA USA | 11/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film is not to be confused with others by the same title. This is the only KING SOLOMON'S MINES that is worth watching, and it is amazing. It is Stewart Granger's first American film. Warner Bros. was looking for an English actor to replace Errol Flynn as their swashbuckling hero, and man did they hit pay dirt. Between this film and SCARAMOUCHE, Granger established himself as just that: lady's man, man's man, action hero par excellence in both contemporary and costume roles. My only complaint is the gray above his temples, which was added by the make-up and hair department. I never did like that feature because I thought it made him look too old - but he certainly doesn't act that way.

Deborah Kerr is also excellent as the woman-out-of-her-element. She provides the over-reactions to everything from giant centipedes to natives spearing each other. She and Granger start out at odds with one another, as he leads her into the jungle to look for her father, who went in search of the famed King Solomon's Mines. But they end up in each other's arms - big surprise. But the journey along the way is more than entertaining, with several scenes that are downright amazing.

First of all, there is a native village like nothing ever seen before, and authentic in every detail. The "architecture" is like something out of a designer's dream, as are the costumes and hairdos. No costume or hair designer could have come up with anything this exquisite. Since most of the film was shot on location in Africa, I believe the village and natives were real. Nevertheless, they're unbelievably wonderful, and show the people as anything but primitive, unless it's Primitive Modern.

Second, there is a stampeding scene that, even though I've seen it, I still can't believe. Not only are there tens of thousands of animals participating in a real stampede (wonder what their union rates were); there are also quite a few shots of the animals leaping over Granger and party, who are hunkered down behind some low-lying rocks. I cannot for the life of me figure out how they filmed this, because these are real African animals and they are really leaping over Granger and his party. Because of the primitive nature of many of the special effects from this period, you can usually tell when something is being faked. But not this: these animals really are leaping in front of and over the party - or it sure seems that way. At any rate, it's impressive, as is most of the film.

They don't make movies like this anymore, and you're not going to see this kind of African footage in any other film past, present or future. So enjoy this well-made classic.

Waitsel Smith"