Hatari!!!!

Danger!!!

That's the name of the Movie I saw last night Well to get it straight its called Hatari !!!! means Danger. I have been waiting to see this movie for a long long time and have waited to get hold of this DVD for a long time.

Well there's a story behind this. In around 1984 on Doordarshan they had this Quiz programme called Quiz Time hosted by Siddarth Basu at 2100 and one of the rounds was a Audio Visual Round where they showed a lady trotting away with 3 baby elephants to take them for a shower and the question was to answer the name of the Movie. And Lo! Behold my dad answered that question and so did the Boys from Poddar College

Since then I have been fascinated by the song and have always wanted to watch the movie. So last week when HMV had a mega sale I went and bought the DVD after reading the reviews about the movie.

The movie is nothing like the present day movies. Made in 1962 this movie by John Wayne abd a couple of other stars from other countries the movie has been shot real smooth.

The picture details in an episodic, yet never over-indulgent, fashion the activities of a group of individuals based in Tanganyika who capture wild animals for zoos and circuses. Composed of a multi-national array, ranging from the U.S. (John Wayne, Red Buttons) to Germany (Hardy Kruger), France (Gerard Blain), Italy (Elsa Martinelli), and Mexico (Valentin de Vargas), the ensemble bonds together through their sharing of skills and commitment to a common enterprise.

Dallas (played by Martinelli) is the outsider, a photographer employed by the zoo to which many of the animals will be sent in order to document the process of their capture. Like many women in Hawks's films, Dallas must prove herself the equal of her companions, which she does by exhibiting her expertise with animals (becoming the mother to a trio of abandoned baby elephants) and her ease with the group's friendly banter and amiable horseplay.

The interactions of the characters are bracketed by the exhilarating and expertly shot sequences of animal captures. Fluid tracking shots follow the trucks as they pursue wild game across a scenic landscape. Hawks reportedly improvised much of the picture on location and used no doubles for the actors. The tone of irritation that crosses Wayne's voice in a tense sequence where they capture a belligerent rhino evidences how unprotected the actors felt. At the same time, the characters' dedication to the tasks at hand and the light-hearted pleasure they take in the species housed at their compound undercut the distaste some may feel at their profession as wild game hunters.

These characters embrace the creatures they capture not as alien species but co-inhabitants of an edenic paradise. The evident enthusiasm that they take in washing a chattering hyena or the maternal attachment Dallas exhibits as she leads her elephants to a swimming hole, punctuated by Henry Mancini's celebrated "Elephant Walk," underscore how relaxed they are around their fellow mammals. Hawks delineates a world in which men and women, humans and animals, co-exist and achieve an enviable degree of harmony and serenity.

The absence of any underlying malevolence or ambiguity makes Hatari an undeniably involving, yet potentially unsatisfying, picture. There is something lackadaisical about its structure, if not its length. Over two and a half hours long, Hatari is languid in its pacing but holds one's interest throughout. The progression of scenes is connected by the seasonal collection of animals, not by any single dramatic moment or striking event. Still, one has the sense that Hawks so enjoyed depicting a fascinating profession that he failed to balance the informality of the film's structure with a more sustained examination of its themes. While, as usual, Hawks is acutely sensitive to the relationship between the sexes, allowing his female characters to engage the world as deliberately as his male leads, the native Africans in the picture remain relegated to the background. They are denied any role other than that of supernumeraries in the exploitation of their continent. Notwithstanding these caveats, Hatari is a worthy addition to Hawks's body of work and a joy to watch. Its embrace of the open air and evocation of the varied inhabitants of a
complex ecological system refresh one much like a cold glass of clear water.

Colors are accurate and solid from beginning to end and really bring the wonderful cinematography to life. For the most part the image is nice and sharp but medium and long range shots are noticeably softer, grainier, and less detailed -- presumably as the result of
filters being used to counteract the harsh conditions. Fortunately, no attempt was made to artificially sharpen the image so the picture remains very natural looking throughout. The film elements do display a bit of wear and tear on occasion but these blemishes are never a distraction. Given the age of the movie, and the nature of the filming environment, this is a very good video transfer.

"Hatari!" is the type of film that slowly grows on you. The long running time allows for a leisurely pace and by the end of the film you'll feel right at home with Sean Mercer and his cohorts. The dialogue and character interplay is truly top-notch and would be enjoyable even if the setting were more subdued. But the addition of the wonderful African scenery and exciting chase scenes adds that much more to the mix and the end result is yet another classic from the great Howard Hawks.

Baby Elephant Walk, from Wikipedia

The Baby Elephant Walk is a tune written in 1961 by composer Henry Mancini, for the 1962 release of the movie Hatari!.

The composer combines brass instruments (including repeated blasts from the tuba) and woodwind elements to convey the
sense of a toddler that is large and plodding, but nonetheless filled with the exuberance of youth. The catchy, jazzy
simplicity of the tune has made it one of Mancini's most popular works, prompting its appearance on nearly twenty later compilation and best of/greatest hits albums.
Review: "if Hatari! is memorable for anything, it's for the incredibly goofy 'Baby Elephant Walk,' which has gone on to be infamous musical shorthand for kookiness of any stripe. Get this tune in your head and it sticks."

And certainly It does The song is the ringtone on my Cellphone and also my songlist on my MP3Player... I would certainly watch the movie Again and so must most people who have not seen the movie...