Mogambo (1953)

Mogambo(1953)

John Ford’s 1953 feature Mogambo is a fun adventure movie, but nothing more than that. This adventure film is far from being Ford’s best movies, but it happens to be one of his most fun movies. I loved Ford’s spirit of adventure and this movie is somewhat of a detour for him as he mainly focuses on westerns or dramas. The movie is a remake of the 1932 feature Red Dust which starred Clark Gable (also from Gone with the Wind fame) and Jean Harlow. Twenty years later, Clark Gable returns and is joined by two of classic Hollywood’s hottest ladies, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly. The 1932 version was more somber in tone, so Ford want to inject a sense of fun and adventure in this movie, which is one of the reasons why he decided to shoot the movie in Africa. He did keep the heart of the story, the love triangle between the three aforementioned actors attached, however.

During this time period, movies that featured any depiction of Africa tended to be exaggerated. I liked how this movie made the depiction of Africa more realistic. They used actual inhabitants of Africa here. What strikes me is how instead of the musical score accustomed with classical Hollywood movies, we get traditional African music. The voices of these inhabitants were the music for the film, and it really added a much-needed sense of realism. What also strikes me is the beautiful, lush cinematography from Robert Surtees and Freddie Young. This is John Ford’s most technically-accomplished feature, and the shots of the beautiful African landscapes prove why. The use of color is also very effective. If only this was a Cinemascope film!

Victor Marswell (Clark Gable) is a trapper who captures animals for circuses, zoos, etc. He also is in charge of taking tourists around the African safari. One day, a woman named Eloise Y. Kelly (Ava Gardner), nicknamed “Honey Bear” shows up announced. She was set to marry an Indian maharajah, but he abandoned her to travel back to India. Kelly is forced to stay a week until the next boat arrives. It is clear that both Kelly and Marswell are attracted to each other. When the boat arrives, so does anthropologist Donald Norley (Donald Sinden) and his wife, Linda (Grace Kelly). They arrive to research and document gorillas. Marswell has taken an affection towards Linda as well. We see that Kelly did not escape on the boat, so she stays thus beginning a love triangle between the three of them. When they head out in the jungle to visit the gorillas, we will see what love is made out of.

The performances in the film are very good. Clark Gable reprises his role twenty years later and still shows he has what it takes to be a charming ladie’s man. But you get a sense that he is beginning to wear down. Still, he reclaims his position as the “King of Hollywood.” Poor Gable, having to choose between two immensely beautiful women. Ava Gardner’s Kelly, a New York City socialite, is real, sultry, sarcastic, and sometimes cynical. Ava Gardner really deserves her Oscar nomination here. On the other hand, Grace Kelly as Linda is prissy, nice, and has an interesting accent. She may not deserve her Academy Award nomination as much as Gardner, but she still gives a solid performance.

Overall, Mogambo is a fun adventure romantic story. The story works because of the incredible talent and charm of Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly as well as the solid direction of John Ford. Not all was swell on set as Ford isn’t the easiest director to work with and Gardner’s husband (Frank Sinatra) was on set jealous of Clark Gable, but everything turned out okay. I loved the scenes with the landscapes of Africa. Everything is so colorful and lush. The realism also works….to a degree. They decided to use stock footage of animals, and it mostly works. When it came to watching the gorillas with the actors onscreen, you can tell they used green screen and it can be distracting. I definitely recommend checking out Mogambo if you like fun adventure movies.

My Grade: B