Hatari!

HATARI! may be the most enjoyable of the Howard Hawks/John Wayne collaborations (their other pairings produced the classics RED RIVER and RIO BRAVO, and the RIO BRAVO 'remakes' EL DORADO and RIO LOBO), and is exceptional in several ways; at 157 minutes (2 hours, 37 minutes), it may be one of the longest 'buddy' films ever made; nearly all of the animal 'chase and capture' sequences involved the actual cast members (professional handlers serving as stunt doubles were only rarely used); and the filming began with virtually no script (which was written based on the 'on location' footage in Africa, after the cast returned to California). At 65, director Hawks was still in top form, and the risks he took paid off...HATARI!, despite it's length, is never boring!

The story focuses on a season with a team of professional hunter/trappers, capturing animals for zoos and circuses. With a breathtaking opening scene of a rhino chase, costing them the use of veteran driver, 'Indian' (legendary actor Bruce Cabot), the 'family' dynamic is quickly established, with rugged Sean Mercer (Wayne) both boss and father-figure to the group. As he and the rest of the 'family' (Red Buttons, Hardy Krüger, Valentin de Vargas, and Michèle Girardon) meet 'Indian's' replacement, 'Chips' (Gérard Blain), Mercer has an even bigger headache to deal with; beautiful photographer Anna Maria 'Dallas' D'Allesandro (Elsa Martinelli) has arrived, to shoot a magazine spread. A 'traditional' Hawks leading lady, 'Dallas' is feisty, sultry, and attracted to Mercer, and the older man, uncomfortable with the ease by which she fits into the group, as well as his own stirrings, tries to make it clear that romance has no place on his agenda (in much the same manner as he did with Angie Dickinson in RIO BRAVO...and with the same results).

While some elements of the story are dated and politically incorrect (shooting a baby African elephant, even as a 'mercy killing', would be a major offense, today, as it is an endangered species), the combination of spectacular 'hunt' sequences, and the warmth and easy camaraderie of the cast in the subplots make HATARI! a rich, rewarding experience.

A major plus for the film is a very atypical Henry Mancini score, combining tense, African-influenced themes for the chases, and the very funny 'Elephant Walk' to punctuate 'Dallas's' relationship with her adopted pachyderm 'children'. The baby elephant scenes are film highlights, as is the rocket capture of a tree filled with monkeys, and both rhino chases (which clearly shows Wayne in some real danger!)

From the opening rhino sequence to the closing 'Honeymoon' scene, HATARI! is a grand entertainment, and escapism at it's best!

I have loved this film since I was a child, and have found even more things to enjoy about it since I've grown up! Now, my 4 year old daughter is in love with all the animals (and she thinks Pockets is so funny). In fact, we have to play it at least once a day! If you haven't seen this film, it is definitely worth your time. The scenery is beautiful as are the animals they capture. This performance of John Wayne is one of his funniest, and the supporting cast are just as great. You have no problem believing these people truly do this for a living, and Red Buttons will keep you laughing.

This has something for all ages: exotic animals and Red Buttons' antics for the kids; adventure and romance for the adults. Give this one a try, especially if you are looking for a good family film you all can enjoy!

I am somewhat surprised at a few of the negative comments in this forum regarding the movie. Although I see 95% positive, the ones that dislike the movie because of the romance between Dallas and John are particularly distasteful.

They point out an age discrepancy, and call John "Grandpa Wayne", good grief! John Wayne was 59 yrs old at the making of this movie, and the actress that played Dallas was 27. In real life those kind of romances happen all the time, why would anyone be surprised when they happen in fiction?

The animal scenes are exquisite. I doubt there will ever be a movie like this made again. This is how animals get into the zoos, they just don't walk in there and say "sign me up!"

I like everything about this movie; it is a diversification for Wayne, who was already maybe the most diverse actor in Hollywood history. (consider The Conquerer vs. The Quiet man). It has love, comedy, drama, and animals!

Plus all the actors in the movie were given great character depth. I am sure many people have heard of the baby elephant walk, but did not know it came from this movie.

Its such a fun movie, I have to give it a 10, because there is no way to make it any better. What a great achievement of direction, producing, and animal filming!

Hatari is one of the best non cowboy films John Wayne ever made. And the supporting cast is superb. This one is a must see for the entire family. Red Buttons brings the humor, John Wayne the adventure and Else Martinelli the romance. All you need is the pop corn. The kids will get a big kick out of this movie as I did growing up. Many funny scenes in this movie. We have rockets going off, monkeys being trapped and a rhino that just wont give up. And don't forget the two baby elephants running thru the streets.

And yes, there is plenty of action for the adults too. This picture was made in Africa and has beautiful cinematography. And the actors preformed their on stunts in this movie. John Wayne can not only rope a horse, but a rhino too. I don't want to give the movie away if you haven't seen it. The movie is about three hours long, but it will fly bye. It is a fast pace movie. And by the way, Hatari means danger in Swahili.

Since I recently spent two weeks in Tanzania, I wanted to add some information to the reviews that have already been posted. These comments are mostly related to geography. The film credits state that it was shot in Tanganyika. Tanganyika joined with the island of Zanzibar in 1964, the year after Zanzibar gained independence, and adopted the name Tanzania. So, we can now say that "Hatari!" was filmed in Tanzania. In the opening rhino chase, the vast, stream intersected plain with the lush green hills in the back ground is most probably in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro Crater is the floor of a huge, collapsed volcano. The inside of the crater is approximately 10 by 16 kilometers and is surrounded by the remnants of the crater which are 600 meters high. After the accident John Wayne's character radios "Arusha Control". He mentions that it will take 5 hours to "get out of this crater" and drive to Arusha. Arusha is also in Tanzania. The Arusha Clock Tower is visible at least twice in the "chase scene" near the end of the film, confirming that filming was indeed done in Arusha. Snow capped Mount Kilmanjaro is visible in the distance at 41 minutes into the film as "the Frenchman" walks into the compound. The next time we see a shot in that direction, Kili is hidden by clouds. It is perhaps interesting to note that the Maisii in Northern Tanzania now wear "Maasai blankets" that are factory made. In "Hatari!" they are wearing ocher colored cloth. There is some Swahili spoken in the film. "Hatari!" is a great film to look at either before or after a trip to Northern Tanzania.