"Congo Crossing" is a fine example of the Universal Studio ethos of the fifties. The powers that be at Universal decreed that films were all about look with content a whole lot less important. Audiences did not come to the cinema to be educated or enlightened, they came to be entranced by great looking charismatic leading actors, lit and costumed to perfection. The screenplay was simply to service the stars. It would take the genius of a Douglas Sirk to transfer Universal's mediocre screenplays into great cinema. Joseph Pevney, the director of "Congo Crossing", was not able to able to perform such a feat and clearly had no such aspiration, but he fared well with "Congo Crossing" and even better with Universal's "Foxfire" and "Female on the Beach".
The studio look included the often hand painted posters that accompanied the film, usually featuring the male lead clutching the female lead (check out the aforementioned films). The aesthetic of many Universal films was meticulously crafted by their superb art direction department headed by Alexander Golitzen and highly skilled cameramen such as Russell Metty. Actors George Nader and Virginia Mayo were blessed with captivating looks as were all the studio's leads, but when well-costumed, beautifully lit and filmed by Metty, you simply can't take your eyes off them. The entire film takes place in the heart of Africa yet Mayo's hair and make-up remain perfect and she appears in a whole range of eye-catching designs, from the shortest of shorts to slinky evening wear. How she managed to pack them all in her suitcase remains a mystery, but who cares. Nader is more appropriately dressed, but even his jungle wear is casually elegant and his hair of course virtually unruffled.
"Congo Crossing" has a totally absurd narrative but Universal works its usual magic and affords an entertaining 85 minutes.
