offensive stock footage
It's 1916 British West Africa. Trader Horn (Rod Taylor) guides pathetic white hunters on their safari and a native guide is killed. The British authority forcefully recruits him to be a guide for the troupes. He escapes from them to join an expedition to find a platinum mine while trying to avoid both the Germans and the English.
There is an actual Trader Horn who wrote a book about his adventures. Of course, there is no expectation of reality in this movie and I'm surprised that it's not overtly bad. The British don't come off looking that good. It does use stock footage of real animal killings, most notably shooting the elephant, which would be very off-putting for modern audiences. The use of real killings is unethical but works cinematically. Let's be clear. This is strictly a B-movie with its reliance on stock footage and its obvious lower budget production. The acting led by Taylor is fair. The story is simple but effective. This is fine unless the stock footage really offends. I'm not going to deduct for that but you may.
There is an actual Trader Horn who wrote a book about his adventures. Of course, there is no expectation of reality in this movie and I'm surprised that it's not overtly bad. The British don't come off looking that good. It does use stock footage of real animal killings, most notably shooting the elephant, which would be very off-putting for modern audiences. The use of real killings is unethical but works cinematically. Let's be clear. This is strictly a B-movie with its reliance on stock footage and its obvious lower budget production. The acting led by Taylor is fair. The story is simple but effective. This is fine unless the stock footage really offends. I'm not going to deduct for that but you may.
- SnoopyStyle
- Jan 11, 2021