| White Hunter, Black Heart | |
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Movie poster. |
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| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by | Clint Eastwood |
| Written by | Novel: Peter Viertel Screenplay: Peter Viertel James Bridges Burt Kennedy |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Jeff Fahey George Dzundza Alun Armstrong Marisa Berenson |
| Music by | Lennie Niehaus |
| Cinematography | Jack N. Green |
| Editing by | Joel Cox |
| Studio | Malpaso Productions Rastar |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | May 16, 1990 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $24 million[1] |
| Box office | $2 million[1] |
White Hunter Black Heart is a 1990 American film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as John Wilson, based on the book by Peter Viertel. Viertel also co-wrote the script with James Bridges and Burt Kennedy. The film was based on several Golden Age of Hollywood movie producers. The main character is based on real-life director John Huston; at times, Eastwood can be heard drawing out his vowels, speaking in Huston's distinctive style. George Dzundza's character is based on African Queen producer Sam Spiegel.
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The story centers on world-renowned film maker John Wilson (Eastwood), who travels to Africa for his next film bringing with him a young writer chum named Pete Verrill (Jeff Fahey). While there he becomes obsessed with hunting elephants while neglecting the preparations for the film. This leads to a conflict between the men on several levels, most notably over the idea of killing for sport such a grand animal. Even Wilson concedes that it is so wrong that it is not just a crime against nature, but a "sin." Yet he cannot overcome his desire to bring down a giant bull, a "tusker" with massive ivory tusks. Wilson's final realization that his is a petty, ignoble pursuit comes at a late point and with a tragic price, as the local expert guide Kivu (Boy Mathias Chuma) is killed protecting him from an elephant Wilson decides not to shoot.
The film is a thinly disguised account of writer Peter Viertel's experiences working with John Huston (the Wilson character) while he made the film The African Queen, which was shot on location in Africa at a time when location shoots outside of the United States for American films were very rare.
The film was shot on location in Zimbabwe over two months in the summer of 1989.[2] Some interiors were shot in and around Pinewood Studios in England. The small steamboat they used in the whitewater scene is the same boat Humphrey Bogart's character captained in The African Queen (1951).
The film was entered into the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
The film received positive reviews with review tallying website rottentomatoes.com reporting that 28 out of the 35 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 85% and a certification of "fresh".[4]
White Hunter Black Heart's gross earnings reached just over $2 million, well below the film's $24 million budget.[1]
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