"All time best" lists are subjective at best, dicey more often. The lists always have the flavor/world view/bias of the person creating the list. But there are times when entries can'r be argued with. Take "all time best films ever" lists. Past the top 10, the selections get really muddy, but usually always include films like: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird and the Godfather. You would have to be living under a rock to argue with those entries.
"All time best actor" is another list that has some definitive entries: Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Jack Nicholson and today's entry, Gregory Peck. Now Peck isn't cited as often as the other men listed above, but he should be. He's as versatile an actor as we have ever seen, equaling Fonda and Stewart for their adaptability. He known for iconic roles such as Atticus Finch but can also play a mean, gritty cowboy such as Lewt McCanles in Duel in the Sun. We are going to cover a good number of Peck's films, because they deserve covering, and today's offering is taken from a classic Ernest Hemingway short story.
Hemingway reportedly received $125,000 for the rights to his "Snows of Kilimanjaro" short story, and was said to have not liked the film from which it was made. That's OK Ernest, take the money and run. He didn't dislike the film as much as he disliked the altered ending- Hollywood, it is said, wanted a more ambiguous, possibly upbeat ending than the Hemingway version, and if true, I would have to find myself agreeing with old Ernest, but I bet that 125k took the sting right out of his displeasure.
Gregory Peck plays a writer in Africa, recovering from a wound that could possibly be fatal. While he is lying on his bed, in and out of fever, he recounts to himself, the events that lead up to him being in Africa, and the mistakes/poor choices he made along the way. Most of the memories are about his first wife, which he took for granted, and lost to a flamenco dancer. The guilt over his stupidity haunts him continuously, even though he is being tended to by his current wife, a pretty, considerate woman who also happens to be rich. The wife is played by Susan Hayward, the former wife by Ava Gardner.
This story is right in my wheelhouse. I think there are very yew themes that can measure up to the message of "how do we treat each other?" Look at the previous "best films of all time" list in the first paragraph: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird and the Godfather all deal with themes of how people treat people. It's a common theme that makes dramas great. And I love the "unappreciated love" vehicle, watching a guy who had someone amazing to love, who lost them because he was stupid. It's happened, or almost happened, to all of us.
Snows was resolved with an ambiguous, possibly upbeat ending, and if very different from the Hemingway ending. would probably have better served the film with old Ernest's original conclusion. At the time, Hollywood wasn't fond of sad/desperate/realistic conclusions, and so Hollywood's Snow got a makeover. I would have liked to see the Hemingway original.
IMDB gives this film a 6.1/10, which seems a little light.
I say 6.8/10 for just the three main stars' exceptional work.
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