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Click above to purchase "Hatari!" at amazon.com
Hatari!
review by Anthony D.
Studio: Paramount
Running Time: 157 minutes
Starring John Wayne, Elsa Martinelli, Red Buttons,
Hardy Kruger
Written by Leigh Brackett
Directed by Howard Hawks
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Theatrical Re-Release Trailer
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital Mono, French Dolby Digital Mono, English Closed
Captions, English Subtitles, Scene Selection
Released: July 24th, 2001
In Swahili, "Hatari!" means "danger." In my person
lexicon, "Hatari!" means "great two and a half hours of
mighty fine entertainment." Howard Hawks' 1962 film has long
been my personal favorite John Wayne performance, and that's
a mighty tall statement, pilgrim. For it is in "Hatari!"
that Wayne's persona shines through: this is not the
one-eyed, over-the-hill, pot-bellied marshal saddled with a
whimpering adolescent or crotchety old missionary; nor is it
the stalwart bigoted soldier seeking a niece kidnaped by
injuns; not the head honcho on a rough cattle drive facing
the tides of time. "Hatari!" is John Wayne with a comedic
sensibility, armed only with sedative darts and ropes
tracking down wild animals in the African veldt lands. This
is a John Wayne with a romantic leaning, a fire that burns
nearly as bright as in "The Quiet Man," and a luscious
leading lady to burn that flame for. This is John Wayne with
no political agenda, unless pure entertainment can be
considered a political statement. "Hatari!" is simply fun,
beautifully filmed on locations with real wildlife in all
its unpredictable, unscripted glory. Toss in a classic Henry
Mancini score, a supporting cast that truly knows the
meaning of support, and sure-footed direction from the
under-appreciated Howard Hawks and you've got quite simply
one of the most undervalued films of 1962.
Hawks is a director without a personal stamp,
surprisingly enough. Working continually for several
decades, Hawks managed to squeeze out films in practically
any genre you can name. Comedy? Does "Bringing Up Baby" ring
a bell as one of the finest screwball comedies ever filmed?
"Twentieth Century?" Another screwball classic. Musical?
Hawks helmed that Marilyn Monroe showcase, "Gentlemen Prefer
Blonds." Western? "Red River" ranks highly as one of the
most influential westerns of all time. Romance? Why, Hawks
is the man that brought Bogie and Bacall together for "To
Have and Have Not!" Epic? Even beneath all the camp
gaudiness "Land of the Pharaohs" still glitters. Gangster?
Yes, indeedy: Hawks helmed the one and only original
"Scarface," complete with a subversive incestuous theme
running through it. With a clean, uncluttered directional
style, Hawks' films always celebrate bonding, people who are
held together by their camaraderie as well as their work;
films wherein the women are every bit as smart, tough and
fast-talking as the men, often more so. "Hatari!" is no
exception.
A celebration of the trials and tribulations of a rowdy
group of professional game hunters, "Hatari!" is a
picaresque, plot-less, spectacular adventure picture. Even
the title is alliterative: Howard Hawks' "Hatari!. Starting
with an exciting rhinoceros hunt through the grasslands,
"Hatari!" takes wing and provides a turbulence free flight
of fancy. It is so great to see real rhinos charging jeeps
and trucks rather than computer-generated-imagery of these
monstrous beasts. In the hunt we meet the central core of
characters, who have been together in the African plains for
nearly twenty years. Wayne is, of course, the leader, Sean
Mercer; and what a visage he had in 1962! Chiseled, but not
weathered, and in the prime of life. His cohorts include Red
Buttons as a shy, romantically inclined, inventor of sorts;
while hardy Kruger and Gerard Blain head up the European end
of a romantic rectangle. The object of all their affections
is Brandy, stunningly portrayed by Michele Girardon. A fine,
telling scene has Red Buttons dropping his guard and dancing
with her to a jazzy Mancini theme.
Thrown into this insulated, nearly tribal, group is
magazine photographer A. M. D'Allesandro, whose arrival,
though expected, is surprising since the initials stand for
"Anna Maria," and she's a babe! A beautiful Italian bambina,
to be sure when played by international favorite, Elsa
Martinelli, whose vast credits include such luminous screen
appearances in "The V.I.P.s," "The 10th Victim" and "If it's
Tuesday, this must be Belgium." A former model, did I
mention that she has a fantastic figure? - Martinelli
matches Wayne, retort for retort, drink for drink and
creates chaos when she adopts a lost baby elephant. Cue up
that Mancinin standard, "Baby Elephant Walk," and you'll
find in Chapter 14, one of the most seamless blendings of
music and imagery as Martinelli leads her band of babies
through the brush. Even though Mancini's "Bay Elephant Walk"
would go on to be a popular jukebox hit, I'm more partial to
the delightful "Ostrich" theme; John Wayne and ostriches is
nothing like "Dude, Where's My Car?" by the way.
As stated, there really isn't a plot to "Hatari!" There
are a series of character defining scenes, none of which
have lost their ability to entertain. Elsa Martinelli in
John Wayne's bed. Red Buttons' drunken conversations. The
fantastic Rube Golbergian invention to catch 500 monkeys.
Martinelli meeting a cheetah while taking a bath. Wayne
wrangling animals. Martinelli wrangling Wayne in a charming
seduction scene. Real animals, which in their natural glory
and natural surroundings, well, not always, there is an
elephant innocently destroying a store - - animals never
cease to amaze.
"Hatari!" has been enhanced in a widescreen version for
16:9 viewers, with a print which for the most part is in
excellent condition. "Hatari!" shows its age, not so much
through digital artifacts, or wear and tear, or grain; but
through its soft '60's studio look. Colors don't leap from
the screen, rather they possess a water-colored quality,
akin to a fine, but muted, work of art. The digital clarity
of the presentation, on the other hand, is well above
average. The photography of the second unit has a smattering
of grain, which the remainder of the film rarely shows.
Reds, though hardly in use, have that sorta tomato tone to
them, while fleshtones are solid, if soft. Edge enhancement
is in evidence, but not to a point of distraction. All in
all, Paramount (not known for its commitment to restoring
older titles) has released a good, if sadly, not great
presentation of "Hatari!"
Paramount has done a restoration on "Hatari!'s" original
mono soundtrack, and though pleasing to the ears, is not
without its problems. Of course, dialogue is always
intelligible - even with the accents of Martinelli, Kruger
and Blain - and the natural calls of the animals come
through nicely; the soundtrack could have been tweaked a
little bit more, as it seems to have been cranked down a
little low. I found that adjusting the volume a couple of
notches higher than my normal listening setting compensated
somewhat. Surprisingly, or not, there is a scattering of
bass, most noticeable in the hunting scenes, which add a
reality to the soundtrack. Henry Mancini's score rings true,
as well it should, since the RCA Victor album of selections
from "Hatari!" was a chart-buster in the early 1960's. It
would have been nice had Paramount gone one step further
with their restoration and at least given us a stereo mix of
the music. The mono soundtrack doesn't have a wide
soundstage, but it is more than likely an accurate
presentation of the original soundtrack. A mono French
soundtrack has also been included, in addition to the Closed
Captioning for the Hearing Impaired.
Short on the Chapters, short on the Features; as the
saying goes. For all of its 157 minute running time,
Paramount has eked out a mere 17 Chapters - for those of you
into the trivial end of things (I stand guilty), that's
roughly ten minutes per chapter. This could have been timed
out much better by adding cues for Mancini's themes, as
Chapter 14 once again demonstrates. This is the Chapted
encoded as "Baby Elephant Walk (the actual title of the
Mancini composition), but before the music begins, there's
close to two minutes of dialogue and action. Just a thought
on my part. Otherwise, there is a theatrical trailer -
re-release at that- which is thoroughly delightful, though
ragged. Even thought the menu screens are static, they're
beautifully designed with African influenced icons and
backgrounds.
As a film, I cannot recommend "Hatari!" enough, and am
still amazed that it's not as well-known as other Howard
Hawks films. I truly believe that even John Wayne nay-sayers
will find this to be a delightful romp. Parents tiring of
watching Disney fare with their kids really ought to check
this one out, as not only will adults be amused by the
antics of the humans, the animal activity will delight the
child in all of us. A film which celebrates the lives of
these men and women, who put themselves into danger daily,
brimming with energy and never cloying, "Hatari!" hits the
target for fine family fare.
 (4.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (3/5)
 (2.5/5)
 (.5/5)
(2.5/5, NOT an average)
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