Mogambo (1953) **

 

So, it turns out I am an Ava Gardner fan! We recently watched one of her movies, “The Night of the Iguana,” and found her just as charming and beautiful as could be. That was one of her later films, however, and I wondered if it was truly representative. Turns out, her charm is timeless.

In “Mogambo,” directed by John Ford, Clark Gable plays African safari operator Victor Marswell. When an unexpected guest arrives at his camp in the form of Eloise “Honey Bear” Kelly (Gardner), he is annoyed at first, but eventually warms up to her. Honey Bear is no lady. Her morals are uncertain, and her manners unrefined, but she has a charming openness, and she's a good drinking partner. What man could resist that?

It's back to business when paying customers arrive, however. Donald Nordley and his prim, beautiful wife, Linda (Grace Kelly) are in Africa to study gorillas. Sensing the incompatibility of the two women, Marswell tries to hustle Honey Bear back home, but low water prevents her departure. Sure enough, there is friction between the girls, but the real sparks start to fly when Marswell and Linda develop an attraction for each other.

“Mogambo” has a few issues, some technical, some plot-related. The movie was filmed partly on location in Africa and partly on Hollywood stages, and there are scenes that awkwardly, obviously switch between the two. More distracting than that is the suspension of disbelief required to imagine any guy preferring Grace Kelly over Ava Gardner. The film's biggest weakness, however, is the typical, Hollywood ending, which feels tacked-on, and which dishonors the characters.

The movie is a Technicolor remake of a black-and-white film from 1932, “Red Dust,” in which Clark Gable played the same character he played in “Mogambo.” (Interesting that they didn't ask his “Red Dust” costars, Jean Harlow and Mary Astor, to come back and reprise their roles 21 years later.) “Red Dust” was a pre-Code movie, and it honestly sounds like it might be the better film. As for “Mogambo,” the lame script overwhelms excellent performances by its 3 stars.

2 stars out of 5