1947 Directed by Zoltan Korda
A big-game hunter takes a rich American couple on an African safari. Film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber".
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, The Great White Hunter, Without Honor, Die Affäre Macomber, Ο εραστής έρχεται, Pasión en la selva, Muerte en el Corazón, L'Affaire Macomber, A Macomber-ügy, Passione selvaggia, Covardia, Дело Макомбера
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USA
An adaptation of a Hemingway short story, this is a romantic melodrama set in Kenya. An unhappy American couple goes on safari, and the wife has an affair with the hot guide to get back at her husband. The subtext throughout contains a questionable macho message - but very much in keeping with Hemingway - on what it means to be a real man. But the cast is superb - Joan Bennett and and Robert Preston as the couple, and Gregory Peck as the safari guide.
The 40s were Joan Benett's best decade by far. She played strong, complex and often unsympathetic women in films directed by Fritz Lang, Renoir and Ophuls. Her performance here as Margo Macomber is in…
-”Hefty fellow, wasn’t he? 'Macomber,' his name?”
-”Francis Macomber.”
-“Scotsman?”
-“American.”
-“Oh . . . nice chap?”
-“What does it matter now?”
Whenever the Criterion Channel does one of their actor spotlights, I have this weird inclination to seek out the films not included from the chosen performer’s oeuvre (why not simply watch what’s conveniently available? I don’t know; I’m a ridiculous creature). Anyway, the recently added tribute to baby Bennett sister Joan prompted me to finally revisit this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," helmed by middle Korda brother Zoltan.
First, the elephant (or large game animal of choice) in the room: I abhor hunting, particularly of the trophy varietal. There is nothing noble…
Gregory peck AND Joan bennett??? Wow I can’t believe they made this movie specifically for me 52 years before I was born.
Not my kind of movie, but Joan Bennett was so beautiful. Reginald Denny never lost his charming personality or his attractiveness. He had it at any age!
I can't help but compare this film to the source material given how tonally inconsistent it is in terms of adaptational faithfulness. In the last 20 minutes it manages to both encapsulate Hemingway's central thesis while also completely missing the point shortly thereafter, leading to a rather dull cop-out ending full of schmaltzy Hollywood sentimentality. Also rather ironic that in inverse to what was intended Robert Preston completely outshines Peck.
After displaying cowardice by running away from a charging lion while on a safari hunting trip, a wealthy American (Robert Preston) is cuckolded by his wife (Joan Bennett) with their hunting guide (Gregory Peck). A bit of a forgotten Gregory Peck flick from the ‘40s which was overshadowed by his other roles at the time, and its not hard to see why as I think Robert Preston actually outshines him in this one. Peck is fine but he actually seems a bit miscast in the role of the big game hunter; Preston, however, is perfect as the wealthy boyish husband who loses and regains his masculinity on the trip. Based on a Hemingway short story “The Short Happy Life of…
From 1947, "The Macomber Affair" is based on a Hemingway short story about a safari. I watched it knowing full well I didn't want to see animals hunted down, so I admit a certain prejudice.
Joan Bennett and Robert Preston are Margaret and Francis Macomber, an unhappy husband and wife who go on a safari guided by hunter Robert Wilson, played by Gregory Peck. Margaret is openly derisive of her husband, whom she considers somewhat of a coward.
Francis apparently is on this safari to prove his masculinity. It isn't very successful at first, as Francis runs like a rabbit when he's charged by a lion. I don't know who wouldn't, frankly.
Margaret is attracted to Wilson -- again, who…
Despite my (nearly) 4000-title watchlist, I dropped everything to view THE MACOMBER AFFAIR after seeing a still from it last week. What can I say? I have a weakness for Gregory Peck…
In all seriousness, this adventure/drama offers far more than an attractive cast. Though I can’t agree with its suggestion that killing makes a man, I did appreciate the theme of facing one’s fears and the consequences of cowardice. It seems the reviewers are quite divided on this film, as some found it absolutely riveting and others couldn’t stand the premise. While I admit that it’s hard to imagine Wilson falling for the cold-hearted and often cruel Margo, I found their struggles compelling. Courage, cowardice, love, lust, and ferocious…
margaret said gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
im literally screaming and shaking
all i have are horny thoughts
The ruggedness of the hunt, nor the tension between alpha males over the lovely Joan Bennett came across all that interesting. Sure, there is a certain sense of adventure to Ernest Hemingway's The Macomber Affair (1947), but there's a reason why it's not among the go-to films of Gregory Peck.
