Tonight's Movie: Hatari! (1962) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

DONOVAN'S REEF (1963) meets Africa in HATARI! (1962).

The comedic adventure HATARI! came a year ahead of DONOVAN'S REEF, but I can't help linking them in my mind. Though HATARI! was directed by Howard Hawks and DONOVAN'S REEF by John Ford, they're similar in that they're essentially enjoyable "hangout" films.

In both films Wayne heads a group living in an exotic locale, where life as it's long been known is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of an outsider woman. In the case of HATARI!, that woman is played by Elsa Martinelli.

HATARI! has just been released as a Special Edition by Kino Lorber, and in a nice coincidence, DONOVAN'S REEF is soon to follow from Kino Lorber, in April 2025.

Of course, Hawks was long known for his films about groups, whether it's the pilots of ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939), the military men and scientists in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), or the sheriff and his loyal comrades in RIO BRAVO (1969). HATARI! is more of the same, this time focusing on men with the exotic job of rounding up wild animals for zoos.

The loose plot, written by Leigh Brackett from a story by Harry Kurnitz, concerns the international employees of the Momella Game Company, who hunt big game not for killing, but to send to zoos worldwide.

Sean (John Wayne) and "the Indian" (Bruce Cabot) are the group's senior members. Cabot was one of Wayne's closest pals offscreen and appeared in many of his films, and it's a treat to watch their interactions in this one.

Also around are goofball "Pockets" (Red Buttons), who invents new ways to capture the animals; young Brandy (Michele Girardon), whose father used to run Momella and who is looked out for with paternal interest by Sean and the Indian; former German race car driver Kurt (Hardy Kruger); Luis Francisco Garcia Lopez (Valentin de Vargas), who I wish had a bigger role; and the newest member of the group, Frenchman "Chips" (Gerard Blain).

Out of the blue the improbably named "Dallas" (Martinelli), a photographer, arrives. I wondered if her name was a tribute to Claire Trevor's character in STAGECOACH (1939).

Dallas represents a zoo which is Momella's biggest client. She at first seems out of place, but she quickly wins the group's approval with her game-for-anything attitude and the way she adopts and cares for an orphaned baby elephant; before long additional baby elephants find their way to her, causing the local tribe to name her "Mother of Elephants."

Meanwhile Kurt, Chips, and Pockets have simultaneously noticed that Brandy is no longer a young girl, but a woman, and they're each interested in her...

Sean was burned once by a woman he almost married, but he likes Dallas. Will they get together? Will Brandy declare her love for one of the other men competing for her affections? Will the Indian survive being gored by a rhino? Will Pockets invent a new way to capture monkeys? All these questions and more will be answered if the viewer is patient.

HATARI! may not be a "great" movie -- though I note Leonard Maltin himself gives it 3-1/2 stars! -- but it's completely likeable and he characters all seem genuine in their personalities and care for one another.

The movie's culmination, with a trio of baby elephants hunting through town for their "mama" Dallas, who's under the impression Sean wants her to leave, is adorable.

HATARI! is quite a lengthy hangout, clocking in at two hours and 37 minutes; indeed, when my kids were little we owned this film on VHS and it took up two videotapes boxed together!

Despite the movie's length, my kids loved this movie, and I feel the same; it's such a pleasant time that I don't mind the running time a bit, despite my general preference for shorter movies. The characters are all fun, shot mostly on location in Tanzania, and what's not to like?

A couple of the animal hunts probably could have been trimmed down or out to save time, but it's not a situation where I minded much.

I know someone who struggled with watching the wild animals caught for the zoos in this movie, but that's about the only potential negative. I'm tenderhearted when it comes to animals, but I figure zoos have to get their animals from somewhere, and they're not being killed, so it doesn't trouble me overly much.

Russell Harlan was Oscar nominated for his beautiful widescreen vistas of Africa. The movie also features a score by Henry Mancini, including the recognizable and memorable "Baby Elephant Walk." It's curious to me Mancini didn't rate an Oscar nomination himself.

HATARI! is available from Kino Lorber in 4K or Blu-ray; I reviewed the Blu-ray edition. The print is a new HD master from a 16 bit 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

This film is presented by Kino Lorber as a Special Edition with a cardboard slipcase. The set includes the trailer; a gallery of seven additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber; and a commentary track by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

Fans of Wayne and Hawks will want to be sure to get this one.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tweet