Themes: Priceless Artifacts and Prized Objects, Colonialism, Obsessive Quests
Main Cast: Paul Robeson, Cedric Hardwicke, Roland Young, John Loder, Anna Lee
Release Year: 1937
Country: UK
Run Time: 80 minutes
Plot
The first of three talkie versions of H. Rider Haggard's adventure novel King Solomon's Mine was produced by British Gaumont. While Cedric Hardwicke plays the nominal leading role of explorer Alan Quartermaine, top billing goes to African-American singing-star Paul Robeson, who plays dauntless native- guide Umbopa. The plot gets under way when Anna Lee organizes an expedition to locate her father, who has disappeared in the wilds of Africa while searching for King Solomon's Mines, a legendary diamond repository. Umbopa's motivation for guiding the expedition is to reclaim the tribal throne wrested from him by treacherous witch-doctor Gagool (Sidney Fairbrother). At first treated as white gods by the natives, the explorers soon find their lives imperiled. Thanks to Umbopa's know-how, the whites are saved from a horrible death and the evil tribesmen are overthrown. As for King Solomon's Mines, Quartermaine and his party finally locate the fabled diamond cache--and then fate deals an ironic hand, as fate has a habit of doing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
King Solomon's Mines is a grand adventure story boasting one of Paul Robeson's finest performances. Though H. Rider Haggard would probably be surprised to find that his original story had three songs tacked onto it, he'd most likely enjoy Robeson's performance of them. Unlike many other film versions of the classic tale, this interpretation pays particular attention to the African characters. There's a subplot to go along with the main quest, and the tech credits are fine, particularly Robert Stevenson's direction and Alfred Junge's production design. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
Makubalo Hlubi - Kapsie; Sydney Fairbrother - Gagool; Ecce Homo Toto - Infadoos; Robert Adams - Twala; Frederick Leister - Wholesaler; Alf Goddard - Red; Arthur Sinclair - Patrick O'Brien; Arthur Goullet - Sylvestra
