The Roots of Heaven

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The Roots of Heaven

Original film poster
Directed by John Huston
Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by Romain Gary
Starring Errol Flynn,
Juliette Gréco,
Trevor Howard
Music by Malcolm Arnold
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) 1958
Running time 121 mins
Language English
IMDb profile


The Roots of Heaven is a 1958 adventure film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck from a screenplay by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor based on the novel Les racines du ciel by Romain Gary.

The film starred Errol Flynn, Juliette Gréco, Trevor Howard, with Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas, Herbert Lom and Gregoire Aslan.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Set in French Equatorial Africa, the film tells the story of Morel (Trevor Howard), a crusading environmentalist who sets out to preserve the elephants from extinction as a lasting symbol of freedom for all humanity. He is helped by Minna (Juliette Gréco), a nightclub hostess and Forsythe (Errol Flynn), a disgraced British military officer hoping to redeem himself.

[edit] Cast

Errol Flynn - Maj. Forsythe

Juliette Gréco - Minna

Trevor Howard - Merel

Eddie Albert - Abe Fields

Orson Welles - Cy Sedgewick

Paul Lukas - Saint Denis

Herbert Lom - Orsini

Gregoire Aslan - Habib

André Luguet - Governor

Edric Connor - Watari

Oliver Hussenot - The Baron

Pierre Dudan - Maj. Scholscher

Marc Doelnitz - De Vries

Dan Jackson - Madjumba

Maurice Cannon - Haas

Jacques Marin - Cerisot

Alain Saury - A.D.C.

Francis de Wolff - Father Fargue

Frederick Ledebur - Peer Qvist

[edit] Notes

  • William Holden left the production and Trevor Howard replaced him. Errol Flynn assumed top billing.
  • The film was made on location in Chad.
  • The cast and crew suffered from the heat, malaria and other tropical diseases.
  • It is the memories of the challenging location that Flynn mentions with affection in his memoirs My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1959).

[edit] References

  • Flynn, E. My Wicked, Wicked Ways. G.P. Putnam’s Sons 1959, Pan Books 1961 in association with William Heinemann Ltd, 5th Printing 1979.
  • Norman, B. The Hollywood Greats. Arrow Books, 1988 edition.
  • Thomas, T. Behlmer, R. & McCarty, C. The Films of Errol Flynn. Citadel Press. 1969.

[edit] External links