Africa Adventure

In the early 1950s, Scripps-Howard columnist Robert Ruark fulfilled a lifetime ambition; he and his wife Virginia went on an African safari. The book he got out of it Horn of the Hunter cemented guide Harry Selby's reputation as the greatest hunter in Africa. A few years later, he and Mrs. Ruark returned to Africa. This movie is the result.

Ruark was an eccentric Southern boy, and it's clear he's in love with Africa and hunting. He wrote and narrated this movie, and his passion is evident. The black-and-white camerawork by Chester Kronfeld, alas, is not so good. Perhaps it is a matter of the poor prints that survive; however considering the color photography that was being turned out in this period, it is not terribly impressive.

Neither do I believe that in our modern world, much sympathy will be extended to Ruark's view of safari. While he ably represents the attitude, its time has passed. Even those who claim to be very empathic will likely feel that such an attitude does not deserve exercising that faculty.