Harry Black et le tigre

"The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996) is a true story about hunters who sought to kill murderous lions that killed hundreds of people in Africa. I mention this because "Harry Black and the Tiger" is very similar, though not based on a true story AND is set in India. In this case, a rogue tiger has killed a lot of locals and Harry Black (Stewart Granger) is hired to track the animal down and kill it. However, this turns out to be very difficult and deadlier than anticipated...as well as creating lots of opportunities for flashbacks about Harry during WWII and his abortive romance.

The biggest plus about this movie is that it actually was filmed in India....and it looks very good as a result. It also, fortunately, lacks the awful stock footage you often see in such films and the tiger portions are tense. It also is benefitted from a modestly interesting romance and backstory. Well worth seeing and very well made.

This is definitely one of Stewart Granger's better films following his departure from MGM. Ostensibly about the hunt for a man-eating tiger this is really about two people who, in an ideal world should be together but are not destined to be so. The best scenes by far are those between Granger and Barbara Rush. When they meet again she is married with a son but the chemistry is still there....... The hunt sequences are well-handled and there is a fine score by Clifton Parker. Granger is excellent, Anthony Steel is suitably stolid and I.S.Johar basically plays the same part he was to play in 'North West Frontier' the following year. The film really belongs however to the marvellous Barbara Rush. Both Granger and director Hugo Fregonese were Hollywood 'exiles' who were obliged to seek work in Europe, with decidedly mixed results! Although Granger was disparaging about most of his films he should not have been too unhappy with this one. The next time he was to play a white hunter was in 'The Last Safari' opposite someone named Kaz Garas. The less said about that one the better!

I won't cover the ground concerning the setting and the main conflict. This movie is about the theme, the importance of ethical standards in a man,the ability to make difficult decisions, personal sacrifices, moral choices, and confront danger with courage. Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear, rather the ability to suck it up when necessary.

Not unlike other movies with similar themes, such as, The Mountain, Zulu, The Ghost and The Darkness, Battle Los Angeles, and The Naked Prey, Harry Black and the Tiger deals with the personal traits inherent in the nature of men, and what separates them from adult males.

There's nothing phony in this story. The characters' true selves and motivations are laid bare like raw nerves. The tension is incredible for those who appreciate the essence of the interactions and inner struggles of the characters. If you think this movie moves too slowly, you don't get it.

During a hunt for a carnivorous tiger , the two-fisted white hunter Harry Black , Stewart Granger, comes across his prior wife , Barbara Rush , now married to Tanner , Anthony Steel , an old friend of Harry . Both of whom met long time ago at a POW concentration camp during WWI where they attempted to escape .The motivation grows with each intent to catch the man-eating tiger, but things go wrong when the son , Martin Stephens , is lost somewhere in the perilous jungle. And to make matters worse the dangerous beast goes on attacking .

This is an adventure/drama movie , though I think of being more a loving drama than an adventure film . This is a passable jungle drama of acceptable quality , including a cracking final highlight with the ferocious tiger terrorizing people and other bonus attractions . Decent cast as Stewart Granger as a tough white hunter and ex-army Major , a role that sits easily on his shoulders .Barbara Rush gives one of his best acting as the figure from Black's past .Anthony Steel plays the old friend who teams up with the ex-war buddy . Support cast is pretty good, such as the sympathetic IS Johar who played in Lawrence Arabia , Kamala Davi who performed in Jeronimo , and Martin Stephens , the prodigy boy who acted in such classic movies as The innocents, Village of damned, and A touch of larceny .

Colorful cinematography shot on location in India by John Wilcox, though a perfect remastering being really necessary . Wilcox was a prestigious cameraman and Hammer regular , including known titles as Hound of Baskerville, The last valley , Kung Fu against 7 gold vampires, Chairman , Express Bongo , Zarak , Safari , Black Knight, Secret agent SZ , Operation Robinson , High below Zero , Hysteria, Judith , and Craze. Atmospheric musical score by Clifton Parker , including India sounds , and musical director by habitual Muir Matheson .

Interesting though a little boring script by Sydney Bohem , a prestigious writer who wrote notorious films such as : The big heat , The tall men , The savage, When worlds collide , Branded , Side street and Shock treatment . The motion picture was profesionally , though with no enthusiasm made by Hugo Fregonese and it won a Bafta film award . He was a good Argentinean craftsman who worked in his country Argentina : Pampa Barbara , Hollywood : Wind blow , Man in the attic , Apache drums , Untamed frontier , Decameron nights , Mark of the renegade and directed great stars as Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwick , Anthony Quinn , Cesar Romero ,Cyd Charysse, Jack Palance. And also worked in Europe in films as Marco Polo , 3 Musketeers , Pampa Salvaje , Old Shatterhand , Dracula vs Frankenstein .Rating : 5.5/10 . The flick will appeal to Stewart Granger fans .

As a boy growing up in the 1950's, I was totally fascinated by Great White Hunters and exotic locations such as Africa and India. Stewart Granger was also one of my favorite actors, so this movie quickly became one of my most well-liked. Granger's character of Harry Black is far from infallible. Instead, he is a man who survived WWII, but is still at war with his personal demons as well as a man-eating tiger. Not quite as exciting as some of Granger's other action/adventure efforts (i.e., King Solomon's Mines), it still has the ability to transport the viewer away to a different time, country and culture in such a way that I actually felt as if I was there. My son was a missionary in India, and he felt the same way. Although some of the flashbacks seem to drag a bit (and were much less interesting to a boy of ten than the action scenes), they are nonetheless integral to the plot, and the sexual tension between Harry (Granger) and Christian (Barbara Rush) is palpable. The landscape and wildlife photography is exquisite, and the movie does a fine job of showing the people of India and their culture in a non-prejudicial way. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the relationship of Harry and his gun-bearer, Bapu (I.S. Johar), which appeared to be built on mutual respect and admiration in spite of the racial prejudice that I'm sure existed at the time between many of the British and the native peoples. This has been a strong point of the characters Granger has played in other movies such as King Solomon's Mines. The only weaknesses I noticed were in some of the scenes where Harry and Bapu are riding along in a jeep or Harry and Christian are riding in a buggy and they are obviously superimposed on stock backgrounds. I'm not sure why the director felt this was necessary after going to the trouble of filming on location in India. All in all, I think this movie is definitely a "must see" for fans of classic action/adventure films.