Something of Value (1957)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Robert C. Ruark (novel)
Richard Brooks (writer)

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Even though Peter and Kimani grow up together, Kimani soon finds that different races are treated differently...

Plot Keywords:

Tribal Customs | Custom | Death | Rebel | Children

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Rock Hudson	...	Peter
Dana Wynter	...	Holly
Sidney Poitier	...	Kimani Wa Karanja
Wendy Hiller	...	Elizabeth McKenzie Newton
Juano Hernandez	...	Njogu, Oath Giver
William Marshall	...	Leader, Intellectual in Suit
Robert Beatty	...	Jeff Newton
Walter Fitzgerald	...	Henry McKenzie
Michael Pate	...	Joe Matson, Vengeful White Settler
Ivan Dixon	...	Lathela, Loyal Gun-Bearer
Ken Renard	...	Karanja, Father of Kimani
Samadu Jackson	...	Witch Doctor
Frederick O'Neal	...	Adam Marenga, Mau-Mau Leader

Also Known As:

Africa Ablaze (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Africa

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Rock Hudson himself drove the film crew round the Nairobi National Park, with the stand-in for his co-star next to him. The crew and game warden were in the back of the semi-open Land Rover. Although all the animals in the park were wild they were used to vehicles. Many shots of various animals were taken, including baboons. For the latter Hudson threw peanuts onto the front of the vehicle. One half-grown male, seeing the actual source of this food, jumped through the half-door onto Hudson's lap, stole some extra peanuts and even snatched a lipstick from the hand of the stand-in. Hudson grabbed the baboon by the scruff of the neck, calmly took back the lipstick and threw the animal out.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Something of Value Really Isn't **1/2

This Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter film deals with the Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya in 1952. At least, it attempts to.

As the wife, Wynter is completely wasted her. She has few lines to convey.

Yes, a racist bigot slapped Sidney Poitier several years before the uprising. During the rebellion, the man's wife is killed. Poitier's father was imprisoned prior to the uprising because he killed a baby that came out feet first. He would have to be defended by a sociologist to get off from this. Poitier turns smoker and militant.

Even more ridiculous than the sub-plot is the fact that Wendy Hiller, who really looked her age in 1957, becomes pregnant in this film and gives birth! Along the way, her family is wiped out by the Mau Mau's in a massacre. Mau Maus march along like Margaret Hamilton's army in "The Wizard of Oz." Their supposedly strong leader, who never took the oath, for a ridiculous reason, melts when captured. Some leadership, but some picture!

The Mau Maus were a militant band who protested the English colonial policy of exploitation. The movie-goer is certainly exploited when viewing this utterly cliché-worn film.