The Macomber affair
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Macomber affair |
| Original title | The Macomber Affair |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1947 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Zoltan Korda |
| script |
Seymour Bennett Frank Arnold Casey Robinson |
| production |
Benedict Bogeau's Casey Robinson |
| music | Miklós Rózsa |
| camera | Karl Struss |
| cut |
George Field Jack Wheeler |
| occupation | |
| |
The Macomber Affair is a 1947 American drama directed by Zoltan Korda . The script is based on the short story The Brief Happy Life of Francis Macomber by Ernest Hemingway , which was published in 1936.
action
A plane lands at the Nairobi airfield . On board are the hunter Robert Wilson, the American Margo Macomber and the corpse of her husband Francis. The dead person has a gunshot wound in the back. Wilson explains the shot accidentally came off. Inspector Smollett has Wilson write a report in which the cause of death is an accident. But when he remembers his first meeting with the Macombers, he throws the report away.
Francis Macomber is a wealthy and easily irritable American who wants to go hunting in Africa. To this end, he hires the experienced hunter Wilson as a guide. His wife Margo, for whom the marriage to Francis is now an imposition, is impressed by Wilson's courage and good looks. On the first night at camp, Francis explains to his wife that he has fallen in love with her again, just as he had promised her. He wants to start over with her, but Margo shows no reaction.
Francis wakes up in the night to the roar of lions. The next morning he decides to hunt and kill the big cat. Francis manages to shoot the lion, who is wounded and retreats into a bush. Francis becomes frightened while Wilson insists on releasing the lion from his suffering. Margo is angry about her husband's cowardice. She turns to Wilson and kisses him in the presence of her husband. Francis feels sorry for himself and hits an African servant. Wilson intervenes. This incident deepens Margo's dislike for Francis. When her husband sleeps, she goes to Wilson's tent. Francis wakes up and misses his wife.
The next morning they should go hunting again, which Francis is looking forward to. Margo tells him that she hates him. Francis regains his courage and kills a buffalo. Wilson congratulates him and admits that he loves Margo. The two shake hands. When an injured buffalo leaves the herd, he is in Margo's line of fire. She shoots the buffalo, but accidentally hits Francis in the back.
Wilson now suspects that the shot was not accidentally fired. Margo admits that at first she tolerated her husband's brutality towards weaker people, but that over time she developed feelings of hatred. When she saw Francis and Wilson shake hands, she thought that it was over with Francis for good. She admits that she deliberately shot her husband. Wilson tells her that he cited an accident as the cause of death. But he had reservations and wanted to know what kind of woman she was. He promises to support her, but Margo leaves him and goes alone to the upcoming court hearing.
Reviews
The lexicon of the international film about the film: "A well-acted adventurous melodrama based on a story by Ernest Hemingway."
The variety describes the film adaptation as not particularly sympathetic in terms of content, although there are exciting action and moments of tension. But the artificial representation and unrealistic dialogues work against the film.
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times, on the other hand, attests to a dense and compelling character study. Korda's pointed staging and the portrayals of Preston, Bennett and Peck are highlighted.
The "TimeOut Filmguide" describes the film as surprisingly convincing, which is due to the admirably concise script and the excellent performance of the actors. The last third, however, falls back a little.
background
The film premiered in the USA on April 20, 1947 and was released in German cinemas on December 19, 1950. The film was also shown under the titles Big Hunt in Africa and Passion in the Jungle .
The film was shot near the Mexican city of Tecate . The hunting scenes were made in Kenya .
The later director Freddie Francis worked on this film as a camera technician for the African scenes. The Macomber Affair was the last film by British actress Jean Gillie before her untimely death in 1949.
Web links
- The affair Macomber on Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- The affair Macomber in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Macomber Affair. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2019 .
- ^ The Macomber Affair. In: Variety . Archived from the original on February 10, 2013 ; accessed on May 1, 2019 (English).
- ↑ Bosley Crowther : 'The Macomber Affair,' a Film With Joan Bennett, Gregory Peck and Robert Preston, Has Premiere at Globe Theater . In: The New York Times . April 21, 1947 ( online at NYTimes.com [accessed May 1, 2019]).
- ^ The Macomber Affair. TimeOut, archived from the original on February 4, 2013 ; accessed on May 1, 2019 (English).
- ^ The Macomber Affair (1947) Notes. Turner Classic Movies , accessed May 1, 2019 .
- ^ Geoff Mayer, Brian McDonnell: Encyclopedia of Film Noir. Greenwood Press, Westport 2007, pp. 164-165.