Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. didn't think much of Safari as a film, describing it as a routine action programmer in his memoir Salad Days. He did however like the Hollywood karma of getting Madeline Carroll finally after losing her to Ronald Colman in The Prisoner Of Zenda.
Safari is one of those pale imitation films of some better jungle films and Fairbanks himself is a cut rate Hemingwayesque action figure who coincidentally fought in the Spanish Civil War. Carroll in fact lost her fiancé in the same war, but now she's accompanying titled no account count Tullio Carminati on Safari. Carminati is looking to make her his trophy countess and he's a man to the manor born and used to getting his way.
Mentioning the politics her makes me wonder why that aspect of Safari was not further developed. Had it been Safari would have been a better film.
Also the natives weren't exactly treated with any respect. Fairbanks refers to the native bearers by the names of Snow White's 7 Dwarfs I guess so he and the other whites don't have to remember their given African names. It certainly doesn't play well today.
And even in all that tropic heat Madeline Carroll's porcelain blond beauty shines.
I'd skip Safari unless you're a big fan of the stars.
Safari is one of those pale imitation films of some better jungle films and Fairbanks himself is a cut rate Hemingwayesque action figure who coincidentally fought in the Spanish Civil War. Carroll in fact lost her fiancé in the same war, but now she's accompanying titled no account count Tullio Carminati on Safari. Carminati is looking to make her his trophy countess and he's a man to the manor born and used to getting his way.
Mentioning the politics her makes me wonder why that aspect of Safari was not further developed. Had it been Safari would have been a better film.
Also the natives weren't exactly treated with any respect. Fairbanks refers to the native bearers by the names of Snow White's 7 Dwarfs I guess so he and the other whites don't have to remember their given African names. It certainly doesn't play well today.
And even in all that tropic heat Madeline Carroll's porcelain blond beauty shines.
I'd skip Safari unless you're a big fan of the stars.