Congo Crossing

A passable noirish African adventure in derivative Casablanca type style , dealing with a fugitive from the law : Virginia Mayo, gathering together with other peculiar characters as George Nader , Michael Pate , Peter Lorre in a fictitious country of Congotanga where extradition laws are not practised . Later on , the geographer Nader , the pursued Mayo and the mysterious Michael Pate sets out to a dangerous expedition through Congotanga and Belgian Congo .In Africa's savage city of outcasts they met un a rendezvous with terror!.

One of the colorful , moving and action features that Universal International trotted out with polish , profesionality and much regularly in the 50s. It has a solid cast that beefs up this standard and enjoyable African jungle story with attractive settings from Robert Boyle and Alexander Golitzen. It arranges to be , at least , an agreeable adventure movie because of it packs action , breathtaking outdoors and outlandish , risked situaciones abound .It bears remarkable resemblance to another Universal film titled "Tanganyka" 1954 by Andre De Toth with Van Hefiln , Ruth Roman , Jeff Morrow , Howard Duff . The routine happenings are lit up only by the gorgeous presence of the always beautiful Virginia Mayo and , of course, the astringent Peter Lorre, returning to weightier after five years , due to previous illness .This one was third film on his comeback to the big screen after a long absence brought on mainly by alcoholism sickness .He went back splendidly and more ironical than ever. These roles are well accompanied by other important secondaries giving enthusiast interpretations such as Rex Ingram , Michael Pate , Raymond Bailey and George Ramsey .

It contains Russell Metty's brilliant and elegant Technicolor camerawork , though including some stock shots of animals as Crocs .The motion picture was professionally directed by Joseph Pevney , though with no originality . Pevney was a craftsman who directed a lot of films of all kinds of genres , such as Wartime : Torpedo Run, Away All Boats , Air Cadet . Adventures as : Yankee Pasha, Tammy , Twilight for the God , Desert Legion . Western : Lady from Texas , The Plunderers . Thriller : Undercover Girl, Flesh and Fury , Man of a Thousand Faces , Iron Man , Shakedown , The Strange Door , 6 Bridges to cross , Istanbul . Rating 6/10 . Acceptable and passable African adventure, though some dull, at times.

"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.

As an antidote to the sweetness of "The African Queen," try this raunchy little rough-and-ready tale in which a passel of sleazy bums from Europe and America sort out their differences in and around the Congo, while decent African citizens just try to get on with things. Peter Lorre is radiant as the chief bum, a combination Capt. Renault/Ugarte character in a natty gold braided uniform who rules by dint of outclassing everybody.

Same kind of intrigue as the Michael Curtiz's film, a mix up of exotic adventre and espionage yarn, intrigue, with good action scenes. It is full of charm of the fifties, and I thought about a Paramount film instead of Universal, because the Mountainl logo film company was more specialized in exotoc features, starring for instance John Payne and Rhonda Fleming or Arlene Dahl, directed by the likes of Lewis Foster or Edward Ludwig, than Universal, the science fiction and western oriented studio. Not my favourite from Jo Pevney who was a complete director: westerns, adventure - many with Jeff Chandler - crime; never any horror nor science fiction though. This one deserves to be seen at least once, for your knowledge.

It Couldn't fits better instead Congo Crossing than Brazilian title Congotanga-Hideaway of Outcasts, where every single murder, outlaws and crooks finding shelter in this smallest fictional African country running away from authorities if bordering with Belgian Congo, due Congotanga didn't assign any extradition law, turns out that a powerful mining company hires a geographer David Carr (George Nader) to certify if the confluence of both rivers didn't change the real river's course that would changing the frontier between Congotanga and Belgian Congo.

Meanwhile landing there from airplane a gorgeous former model Louise (Virginia Mayo) accused to murder his lover in Paris having a pulpy reward for his beauty head, guess who is the law officer there? Nothing less than the dubious Col. Arragas (Peter Lorre), then as expected each fifteen minutes a death corpse lays out somewhere, as that famous music assures "Peter Lorre contemplating a crime", it's looks like a little bit CASABLANCA in peace period, anyway has many crook men interesting in what's David Carr's work conclusion corcerning the border.

All the while a local Doc Gorman (Rex Ingram) hardly struggles against the tropical deceases over the poorest local natives waiting for medicines often stolen by the smuggler Carr Ritmer (Tonio Selwart) and his gang, in this fear atmosphere the picture unfolds, it's a lowest budge from Universal International release, full of mismatches, tons of clichés and so for, however it's an enjoyable adventure entertainment at the extent to it became at once one's my guilty pleasure pictures, it never was released in any format in Brazil.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1997 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 6.25.