MGM's expensive remake of the 1937 British adventure film King Solomon's Mines stars Stewart Granger as fearless-explorer Alan Quartermaine, and Deborah Kerr as the spunky Irish lass who hires him on to locate her husband. Kerr's spouse has disappeared somewhere in Africa while attempting to unearth the long-lost diamond mines of King Solomon. Quartermaine wants no part of so risky an undertaking until Kerr waves 5000 pounds of sterling under his nose. Coming upon a Watusi tribe, the explorers
discover that their taciturn native bearer (Siriaque) is actually a deposed Watusi king, who intends to wrest the throne back from his usurpers. Quartermaine uses his wits to quell the natives and keep his party from being killed on the spot. The group finally reaches King Solomon's Mines, where rests the bones of Kerr's late husband. The ending of this version of King Solomon's Mines doesn't pack the same ironic punch as the climax of the 1937 version, but this MGMization is more concerned with the blossoming romance between the leading man and leading lady than with full fidelity to the H. Rider Haggard novel on which it is based. King Solomon's Mines was filmed on location in Africa, which proved an excellent decision in the long run: for several years afterward, MGM adventure films like Watusi (1959) and Trader Horn (1973) were able to economically lift huge chunks of Technicolor stock footage from King Solomon's Mines. The property would be remade once more in 1985, this time as an Indiana Jones rip-off starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Of the half a dozen screen versions, MGM's 1950 remake of the 1937 British adventure is arguably the most lavish and entertaining, deservedly winning the Oscars for cinematography and editing.
A spectacular adventure story with a smidgin of romance, King Solomon's Mines is exciting enough and adventurous enough and wholesome enough for the whole family.
Doesn't quite fulfill its promise, in part because the title destination is too obviously a MacGuffin in which the film ultimately doesn't even feign mild interest.
This is not your modern slam-bang action movie...but, rather, it's a pure adventure film, with an emphasis on realistic dangers and believable excitement.
Enjoyable adventure film with alot of on location filming that looks great.I've seen the Richard Chamberlain version from the '80's, which was hokey and just a cheap version of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I was expecting this film to be a bit of the same, but I was shocked that it is just a safari story. It has more
emphasis on exploration,interaction with wild animals and tribes than adventure and booby traps. The Mines are shown in the last 15 minutes and there is hardly any attention given to their discovery, which does make for a odd ending. Granger is charming, tough, and really carries the movie that made him a star.
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