Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilamanjaro.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro 1952 HD by Henry King | Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner | Adventure & Romance Film
Previous Movie
Watch English Movies- The Most Dangerous Game 1932
Watch Movie Now
Movie Info
The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a 1952 American Technicolor film based on the The Snows of Kilimanjaro (short story) by Ernest Hemingway. The film version of the short story was directed by Henry King (director), written by Casey Robinson, and starred Gregory Peck as Harry, Susan Hayward as Helen, and Ava Gardner as Cynthia Green (a character invented for the film). The film’s ending does not mirror the book’s ending.
Considered by Hemingway to be one of his finest stories, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” was first published in Esquire (magazine) magazine in 1936 and then republished in The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (1938).
The film was nominated for two Oscars at the 25th Academy Awards, for Academy Award for Best Cinematography and Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Lyle R. Wheeler, John DeCuir, Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox).
Plot
The film begins with the opening words of Hemingway’s story: “Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called the Masai ‘Ngje Ngi,’ the House of God. Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.”
The story centers on the memories of disillusioned writer Harry Street (Gregory Peck) who is on safari in Africa. He has a severely infected wound from a thorn prick, and lies outside his tent awaiting a slow death. The loss of mobility brings self-lection. He remembers past years and how little he has accomplished in his writing. He realizes that although he has seen and experienced wonderful and astonishing things during his life, he had never made a record of the events. His status as a writer is undermined by his reluctance to actually write. He also quarrels with the woman with him, blaming her for his living decadently and forgetting his failure to write of what really matters to him: his experiences among poor and “interesting” people, rather than the smart Europeans with whom he has been lately.
He lives to see morning come. He watches vultures gather in a tree as he lies in the evening. He recapitulates his life and talks to his current girl-friend Helen (Susan Hayward). He tells her about his past experiences; then arguing, then coming to realization about his attitude, and finally reaching a sort of peace, even love, with her.
Cast
- Gregory Peck as Harry Street
- Susan Hayward as Helen
- Ava Gardner as Cynthia Green
- Hildegard Knef as Countess Elizabeth
- Emmett Smith as Molo
- Leo G. Carroll as Uncle Bill
- Torin Thatcher as Mr. Johnson
- Marcel Dalio as Emile
- Leonard Carey as Dr. Simmons
- Paul Thompson as Witch Doctor
- Ava Norring as Beatrice
- Helene Stanley as Connie
- Vicente Gómez as Guitarist (as Vicente Gomez)
- Richard Allan as Spanish Dancer
Next Movie
Watch English Movies- Beneath the 12-Mile Reef 1953
Watch Movies for English Listening Practice
HiCafe site has 1000+ movie related contents in 35+ genres for practicing English listening. Visit Improve English Listening Skills page to learn more.
