THE ROSE OF RHODESIA was filmed in the Cape Colony in 1918. No filming was done in Rhodesia. Written and directed by Harold M. Shaw and photographed by the American Ernest G. Palmer and Brit Henry Howse, this film is something of a masterpiece. Multi-layered story is leisurely paced. A 5-reel German print survives, although some contemporary accounts say it was 8 reels. Story opens with a local chieftain asking the white government for more land for his people. He's afraid his request will be denied and so has a back-up plan to revolt against the whites. He sends his people to work in the neighboring diamond mines with the instruction to steal gold and diamonds and bring the loot back to him so he can finance his revolt. He also has a son he is grooming to be a future chief.
A local diamond mining company has unearthed a gigantic pink diamond which is stolen by an employee named Fred Winters. He tries to escape across the desert with his diamond but collapses near a watering hole, where he is found by a boy. The boy takes the pink diamond and sprinkles some water on Winters and then runs back to give the diamond to the chieftain. Winters eventually winds up in Green Willow where an old missionary and his son live. The son Jack (M.A. Wetherell) is friends with the chieftain's son Mofti (Prince Yumi). The town is also home to an unsuccessful miner Bob Randall and his daughter named rose (Edna Flugrath). Winters seems to have his eye on Rose but she is instantly taken with the preacher's son. While daddy works his mine, she tends the farm and the roses she planted as a token of giving back to the earth for what they've taken. The old preacher is slowly converting the aging chief.
The old chief takes the son to a sacred rock that looks out over a chasm. This is where his ancestors' souls dwell. It's actually the Bawa Falls in South Africa. Later on, in an act of friendship Mofti brings Jack and explains the meaning of the place. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Winters is trying to horn in on Randall's mine by getting him drunk. But to events bring about a sharp change in the narrative. Mofti dies in an accident while hunting with Jack and a detective comes to Green Willow and recognizes Winters as the diamond thief.
In the end, the old preacher and son tell the chief of the death. No Hollywood histrionics here. The old man grieves his loss and thinks it's a punishment for plotting against the whites. They all go to the boy's death site and Rose plants a rose bush (actually it's just a flower) as a symbol to mark the pile of stones. All will know by the rose that this is a sacred place. There's no hassle about burials and services and such. Each person has great respect for others. To show his appreciation for the kindness of his friends, the old chief gives the pink diamond (remember that?) to Rose and she returns it to the mining company and gets a reward. Finally, the old chief takes his baskets of stolen gold and diamonds to the sacred rock and throws them over the side and into the waters far below. A symbolic earth to earth moment. Final shot is of Jack and Rose and many babies, which was the blessing foretold by Mofti.
A local diamond mining company has unearthed a gigantic pink diamond which is stolen by an employee named Fred Winters. He tries to escape across the desert with his diamond but collapses near a watering hole, where he is found by a boy. The boy takes the pink diamond and sprinkles some water on Winters and then runs back to give the diamond to the chieftain. Winters eventually winds up in Green Willow where an old missionary and his son live. The son Jack (M.A. Wetherell) is friends with the chieftain's son Mofti (Prince Yumi). The town is also home to an unsuccessful miner Bob Randall and his daughter named rose (Edna Flugrath). Winters seems to have his eye on Rose but she is instantly taken with the preacher's son. While daddy works his mine, she tends the farm and the roses she planted as a token of giving back to the earth for what they've taken. The old preacher is slowly converting the aging chief.
The old chief takes the son to a sacred rock that looks out over a chasm. This is where his ancestors' souls dwell. It's actually the Bawa Falls in South Africa. Later on, in an act of friendship Mofti brings Jack and explains the meaning of the place. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Winters is trying to horn in on Randall's mine by getting him drunk. But to events bring about a sharp change in the narrative. Mofti dies in an accident while hunting with Jack and a detective comes to Green Willow and recognizes Winters as the diamond thief.
In the end, the old preacher and son tell the chief of the death. No Hollywood histrionics here. The old man grieves his loss and thinks it's a punishment for plotting against the whites. They all go to the boy's death site and Rose plants a rose bush (actually it's just a flower) as a symbol to mark the pile of stones. All will know by the rose that this is a sacred place. There's no hassle about burials and services and such. Each person has great respect for others. To show his appreciation for the kindness of his friends, the old chief gives the pink diamond (remember that?) to Rose and she returns it to the mining company and gets a reward. Finally, the old chief takes his baskets of stolen gold and diamonds to the sacred rock and throws them over the side and into the waters far below. A symbolic earth to earth moment. Final shot is of Jack and Rose and many babies, which was the blessing foretold by Mofti.
