Mogambo
Short description
In Kenya, Victor Marswell runs a business capturing wild animals for sale to zoos. Eloise Kelly, an American dancer who has been left stranded at his remote camp, becomes romantically involved with him despite their clashing temperaments. Their relationship is complicated by the arrival of Donald and Linda Nordley, a married couple who hire Victor to lead a safari while they document gorillas. The reserved Linda proves attractive to Victor, and the feelings that develop among the four people set up a difficult situation in the African bush.
Clark Gable plays Victor, with Ava Gardner as Eloise and Grace Kelly as Linda; Donald Sinden appears as Donald Nordley, alongside Philip Stainton and Eric Pohlmann. John Ford directed the film, which followed The Quiet Man and preceded Mister Roberts among the thirty-one features credited to him in chronological order. John Lee Mahin wrote the screenplay, and Sam Zimbalist produced for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film runs 116 minutes.
Mogambo drew a mixed critical response, with a critics' rating of 5.9 out of 10 from twelve reviews. On TMDB it holds 6.4 out of 10 from around 180 votes, a modest audience score that sits slightly above the critical figure. Both measures point to a film regarded as a solid studio adventure rather than an outstanding one, carried by its stars and its African locations.
What's left behind the scenes
- Despite a substantial budget, almost the entire film was shot at one of the Hollywood studios.
- Donald Sinden and all other members of the film crew who went shirtless had to shave their chests every day. This was demanded by Clark Gable (1901-1960), who did not have hair on his chest and considered vegetation on anyone else's chest almost a personal insult.
- During the filming of the scene with the baby elephant, the animal knocked Ava Gardner (1922-1990) into the mud. The actress fell and screamed for help, but director John Ford signaled the crew to stay in place and continue filming. This is how one of the funniest scenes in the entire film was shot.
- Spanish censorship stated that it would not tolerate the depiction of an adultery scene. In the dubbed version prepared for release in Spain, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer changed the degree of kinship between the characters of Grace Kelly (1929-1982) and Donald Sinden (1923-2014) from husband and wife to brother and sister. Nevertheless, the scene where they sleep in the same bed remained in the film.
- The original trailer claims that the word "mogambo" means "the greatest," but in reality, the word is fictional. The film's producer, Sam Zimbalist, invented it, slightly altering the word "Mocambo" – the name of a famous Hollywood nightclub.
- For filming the scene of the rhinoceros attack on the jeep, hunter Frank Maurice Allen (1906-2002) was placed inside with cinematographer Robert Surtees (1906-1985). The rhinos turned out to be so ferocious and attacked with such fury that the jeep, with the two men inside, was thrown over 30 meters through the air by the impact. The animals subsequently had to be shot.
- Spanish censors stated that they would not tolerate the depiction of adultery. In the dubbed version prepared for release in Spain, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer changed the relationship between the characters played by Grace Kelly and Donald Sinden from husband and wife to brother and sister. Nevertheless, the scene in which they sleep in the same bed was left in the film.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
