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| The unfamiliar word that constitutes the title is (curiously) explained to mean three very different words on this colorful poster for Howard Hawks' Hatari!, which highlights several sensational situations from the picture |
In Africa a small group of Westerners work together to catch wild life for the world's zoological gardens.
Hatari! is written by Leigh Brackett (The Long Goodbye (1973)), with Harry Kurnitz (Surprise Package (1960)) contributing story elements, and directed by Indianan master filmmaker Howard Hawks (The Road to Glory (1926)), whose 37th feature it was. The title is a Swahili (a central-African language) word that translates to 'danger'.
High-speed jeep animal chases with rhinos, zebras and other animals are the sensation (and core element) of this film, and these are quite rare to behold, perhaps reminding today's audiences of similar (but 'fake') scenes in Jurassic Park (1993), three decades later. Regrettably there's not much of a story around these chases, and the attraction of the 'social' scenes that makes up the filler is negligible.
Strange, surely, is the sight of John Wayne (Big Jake (1971)) in the African savanna, but his satisfaction at being there illuminates him and works some by sheer infectiousness. Wild animals are chased, caught, - a leopard (presumably under sedation) acts in several scenes, and baby elephants are let loose in one town, and driven around on a flatbed truck. Even still the whole affair seems pretty innocent in a film that, - despite its natural sensations, - is honestly an over-long and deadly bore. It does, however, also to its credit, have Henry Mancini's (Ain't Misbehavin' (1955)) classic tune Baby Elephant Walk, which he wrote for Hatari!.
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Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 5-6 mil. $ (different reports)
Box office: 12.9 mil. $
= Minor flop (returned 2.34 times its cost)
[Hatari! was released 19 June (USA) and runs 157 minutes. Hawks began shooting the film without a finished script. Shooting took place from November 1960 - May 1961 in Tanzania and in Los Angeles, California. When the African shoot was finished, cast, crew and a planeload of wild animals were flown back to Los Angeles. Some were later also utilized for the film's elaborate PR tour before reportedly getting donated to zoos. The promotional campaign was reportedly the largest in Paramount's history. The film made 7 mil. $ in North-American rentals and reportedly 12.9 mil. $ total, becoming the year's 7th highest-grossing film. It was nominated for the Best Cinematography - Color Oscar (Russell Harlan), lost to Freddie Young for Lawrence of Arabia. Royalty checks for Mancini's Baby Elephant Walk would reportedly earn Hawks 125k $ over the following years. Hawks returned with Man's Favorite Sport? (1964). Wayne returned in The Longest Day (1962). Hatari! is fresh at 64 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Hatari!?
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