Elephant Walk

The story is set in the years immediately after the end of World War II. John Wiley, a tea planter from Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then called, meets a young woman named Ruth on visit England. The two fall in love, marry and move back to John's plantation, Elephant Walk, so named because it was built across a migration route used by a local herd of wild elephants to get to water. The elephants, in fact, still try to use the route, and have to be kept out by a wall or frightened away by occasional gunshots.

Ruth and John face several problems in their marriage. She feels lonely because she is the only white woman in the district. John's elderly Ceylonese servant Appuhamy takes a dislike to her, which matters because John often takes the experienced older man's advice. She in turn takes a dislike a group of white men, all of them bachelors, who regularly call at John's bungalow where their main occupations are getting drunk and playing rowdy games of indoor bicycle polo. (In Britain itself, the word "bungalow" has come to mean a modest single-storey dwelling, but in colonial usage it could also be used to mean a plantation owner's mansion, which might have two storeys, as John's indeed does). John calls these men his friends, but Ruth believes that they are parasites who are exploiting his hospitality for the sake of the alcohol he gives them.

Worst of all, John refuses to countenance any changes in the running of the plantation; he is dominated by the memory of his late father Tom, who died several years earlier, and believes that everything must be done as it was in the old man's day. Tom's study is preserved as a shrine which Ruth is forbidden to enter. Ruth feels that she is falling out of love with John, and finds herself attracted to his American manager Dick Carver.

The original intention was to have the roles of John and Ruth played by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, who were of course husband and wife in real life. Olivier was committed to other projects, but Leigh was cast opposite Peter Finch. She began filming in on location in Ceylon but had to withdraw for health reasons, being replaced by Elizabeth Taylor. I cannot help thinking that the film would have been very different had it been completed with Leigh. Finch was sixteen years older than Taylor, and the film that we have is in many ways a standard older man/younger woman romance of the sort that was so popular in the fifties. Leigh, however, was actually four years older than Finch, and had Ruth been played as a middle-aged woman rather than a young girl the relationship between the two main characters would have been altered.

There are obvious similarities between "Elephant Walk" and the Charlton Heston/Eleanor Parker vehicle "The Naked Jungle", also from 1954. Both films have at their centre a plantation owner who marries a wife who finds it difficult to fit into plantation life, leading to tensions in their marriage. (In "The Naked Jungle" the main character is American and owns a rubber plantation in South America). In both films the plantation is threatened by a seemingly unstoppable force of nature, the elephants here and an army of ants in the other movie. And the two films are similar in terms of quality. In neither case is the film its stars' greatest triumph; Heston and Parker made many films that were better than "The Naked Jungle", just as Finch and Taylor appeared in many better than this one. This does not mean, however, that either film is a bad one. Like "The Naked Jungle", "Elephant Walk" was popular with audiences in its day, and continues to be watchable today, at least by anyone with a taste for fifties melodrama. 6/10.

A beautiful shopgirl in London is swept off her feet by a millionaire tea plantation owner and soon finds herself married and living with him at his villa in British Ceylon. Although based upon the book by Robert Standish, this initial set-up is highly reminiscent of Hitchock's "Rebecca", with leading lady Elizabeth Taylor clashing with the imposing chief of staff at the mansion and (almost immediately) her own husband, who is still under the thumb of his deceased-but-dominant father. Taylor, a last-minute substitute for an ailing Vivien Leigh, looks creamy-smooth in her high fashion wardrobe, and her performance is quite strong; however, once husband Peter Finch starts drinking heavily and barking orders at her, one might think her dedication to him rather masochistic (this feeling hampers the ending as well). Still, the film offers a heady lot for soap buffs: romantic drama, a bit of travelogue, interpretive dance, an elephant stampede, and a perfectly-timed outbreak of cholera! **1/2 from ****

Agreeable romance/adventure film in which a British gorgeous woman marries a wealthy colonial owner and go to live in his huge plantation but it happens to be on the path where elephants roam. This romantic adventure movie in soap opera style was lavishly produced by Paramount Pictures with all-star-cast , glimmer cinematography and luxurious scenarios . As the young bride named Ruth Wiley (Elizabeth Taylor) of a rich planter (Peter Finch) finds herself the only white woman at Elephant Walk tea plantation, British Ceylon . In the plantation Dick Carver (Dana Andrews), works as a right-hand man and she finds certain protection , thanks to Dick the tough foreman , then a mutual attraction emerges each other , soon makes him indispensable . The jungle , of course, is endangered by some kind of wild life and some dangerous elephants , for this reason she finds herself in a strange atmosphere . Furthermore , a cholera epidemic outbursts , followed by elephants destroying the plantation . There takes places a searing story of sudden love and sudden death in the hot green hell of the Ceylon jungle , being threatened by the hovering , ominous appearance of the hostile elephants . One man and several elephants claimed the land , two men claimed the woman who lived there .

This exciting film has emotion , romance , intrigue , exotic landscapes , colonial settings and results to be pretty entertaining . Ceylon's balmy jungles provide the backstage for a triangular torrid love between Elizabeth Taylor , Peter Finch and Dana Andrews , in this post-prime William Dieterle effort . Intelligent and engaging script which uses intriguing situations to give us an acceptable movie in a high sense and intimate sensitivity and that kept me entertained for the almost 100 minutes of duration . ¨Elephant walk¨ is an enjoyable adventure movie , a menace melodrama with a wide view of a huge tropical bungalow , exotic scenarios with rage excessively colorful , big bull elephants , an amazing mansion , a love story , drama and many other things . The movie is very persuasively made , usually rise to a crescendo of emotion and had at the time a remarkable success. Entertaining romance/adventure is visually striking with a spectacular final . I liked everyone in the excellent cast, and the male and female actors , especially Elizabeth Taylor , were all very attractive . The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching and attractive Elizabeth Taylor who gives one of her best screen acting . Elizabeth wears lush gowns splendidly designed by expert costume designer Edith Head . Although Vivien Leigh was originally cast, but her mental illness begun affecting things during filming, and so she was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor ; many long shots and shots from behind are still of Leigh . Furthermore, a thrilling as well as breathtaking climax at the mansion in which the protagonist are besieged by a herd of elephants . This picture bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Escape to Burma¨ (1954) by Allan Dwan that contains a similar jungle scenario (Sri Lanka) , elephants and known actors as Barbara Stanwyck , Robert Ryan and David Farrar . It also has several points in common with ¨The naked jungle¨ by Byron Haskin regarding a woman , Eleanor Parker , who marries a planter , Charlton Heston , living in jungle until a final tragedy takes place . ¨Elephant walk¨ packs a colorful cinematography print in Technicolor 1.37:1 and composed for Widescreen presentation, by Loyal Griggs considered to be one of the best cameramen of the 40s and 50s . Sensitive as well as evocative musical score by the classic Franz Waxman .

This adventure yarn from the golden age of Hollywood was well directed by William Dieterle as a classic example of drama/romance/adventure of the fifties . Dieterle is a German director who was in Hollywood by 1930s and directing dramas (Scarlet down, Fog over Frisco, Fashions) , costumer (Hunchback of Notre Dame,Kismet,Omar Khayyan) and biopics (Life of Emile Zola, Dr Ehrlich, Juarez, Madame Curie, Reuter) that were a revelation at the box-office. Rating : 6,5/10 , better than average . Well worth watching . The picture will appeal to Elizabeth Taylor fans .

Corny but fun film of the 50's. Except for her first scene in the bookstore, Liz Taylor looks gorgeous, especially outfitted as she is. Every curve and then some shows. A bit talky at first, but gains momentum as picture goes on. Lush scenery, although some process shots look...well like process. Peter Finch is good as the head of the tea plantation and is a bit ruthless at times. Good guy Dana Andrews shows up as a good romantic interest when needed. Whom will Liz end up with? The elephant stampede at the end is well worth the price of admission. By the way, the DVD transfer is great. Worth a look just to see the 50's style filming..No sex, violence, foul language. OK for the whole family.

Although not nearly as ludicrous, this could be seen as Paramount's companion piece to its 'Naked Jungle' from the same year and instead of hordes of killer ants we have herds of marauding pachyderms. The presence of William Dieterle in the director's chair is a definite plus.

Distinct echoes here of 'Rebecca' with Peter Finch and Elizabeth Taylor as Maxim and Mrs. De Winter and Abraham Sofaer as Mrs. Danvers. Ironic indeed that Mr. Finch was Laurence Olivier's protegé as Olivier was prevented by prior commitments from appearing in this. Miss Taylor was replacing the indisposed Vivien Leigh whose interest in Mr. Finch was more than purely professional.

The film itself boasts the customarily splendid Paramount production values, is beautifully shot by Loyal Griggs with a suitably dramatic score by Franz Waxman. Mr. Finch glowers magnificently, Miss Taylor at twenty-two is in the full bloom of her beauty and the always excellent Dana Andrews has a thankless role as 'the other man'. Following his 'greylisting' William Dieterle was to find worthwhile directorial assignments increasingly elusive but he does his very best here with the material at his disposal.

People see films in surprisingly different ways and an earlier reviewer has suggested that the stampeding elephants represent 'resistance to British colonialism.' Yes, well.....