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Plot

The first of three talkie versions of H. Rider Haggard's adventure novel King Solomon's Mine was produced by British Gaumont. While Cedric Hardwicke plays the nominal leading role of explorer Alan Quartermaine, top billing goes to African-American singing-star Paul Robeson, who plays dauntless native- guide Umbopa. The plot gets under way when Anna Lee organizes an expedition to locate her father, who has disappeared in the wilds of Africa while searching for King Solomon's Mines, a legendary diamond repository. Umbopa's motivation for guiding the expedition is to reclaim the tribal throne wrested from him by treacherous witch-doctor Gagool (Sidney Fairbrother). At first treated as white gods by the natives, the explorers soon find their lives imperiled. Thanks to Umbopa's know-how, the whites are saved from a horrible death and the evil tribesmen are overthrown. As for King Solomon's Mines, Quartermaine and his party finally locate the fabled diamond cache--and then fate deals an ironic hand, as fate has a habit of doing.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Action
Run Time:
80min.
DVD Release Date:
09/18/2001
Distributor(s):
General Film Distributors
Director(s):
Robert Stevenson
Starring:
Paul Robeson , Cedric Hardwicke , Roland Young , John Loder , Anna Lee
Themes:
Treasure Hunts,Obsessive Quests,Colonialism,Priceless Artifacts and Prized Objects
Tone:
Atmospheric,Rousing,Tense
Keywords:
adventurer,courage,danger,diamond-mine,expedition,family,mercenary,mine,native,safari,survivor,treasure,volcano
Language:
English