Something of Value
| Something of Value | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Brooks |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Written by |
Robert C. Ruark (novel) Richard Brooks |
| Starring |
Rock Hudson Dana Wynter Sidney Poitier Wendy Hiller |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Editing by | Ferris Webster |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release dates | 10 May 1957 (USA) |
| Running time | 113 Min |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,553,000[1] |
| Box office | $3,600,000[1] |
Something of Value is a 1957 drama directed by Richard Brooks and starring Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter and Sidney Poitier.
The movie, based on the book of the same name by Robert Ruark, portrays the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. It shows the colonial and native African conflict caused by colonialism and differing views on how life should be lived. It stars Rock Hudson as the colonial and Sidney Poitier as the native Kenyan. The two men grew up together but have drifted apart at maturity.
Plot
Kikuyu tribal members work on Henry McKenzie's farm in 1940s Kenya. Two young men, Kenyan native Kimani and Henry's son Peter, have grown up together, almost like brothers.
Prejudices surface when Peter's brother-in-law Jeff Newton slaps the face of Kimani after his request to use a rifle. Kimani leaves the farm, but is carried back by Peter after having caught his foot in a trap.
Mau Mau tribesmen plot an insurrection as Kenya's tensions rise. Kimani sides with them and is asked to steal a supply of rifles as a test. He parts ways for many years with Peter, who becomes a safari leader to help raise money for the farm. His fiancee Holly Keith arrives and they intend to marry.
Kimani impregnates the daughter of a Mau Mau tribal elder. A raid on the farm results in the murders of Newton and his children. British forces retaliate by bombing a Mau Mau encampment, taking tribesmen prisoner and torturing them.
Peter wants to continue his life in Africa, but troubles worsen when Holly must fight off Mau Mau warriors. Henry hastily gets her and Newton's wife to safety in Nairobi. Peter goes looking for Kimani, who has been identified as the leader of the Mau Mau raiding party that killed his brother-in-law and Newton's children. They fight to the death, Kimani ultimately falling into a pit of bamboo spikes.
Cast
- Rock Hudson as Henry's Son - Peter
- Dana Wynter as Peter's Betrothed - Holly
- Sidney Poitier as Kimani Wa Karanja
- Wendy Hiller as Henry's Daughter - Elizabeth
- Juano Hernández as Njogu, Oath Giver
- William Marshall as Leader, Intellectual in Suit
- Robert Beatty as Elizabeth's Husband - Jeff Newton
- Walter Fitzgerald as Henry McKenzie
- Michael Pate as Joe Matson
- Ivan Dixon as Lathela, Loyal Gun-Bearer
- Ken Renard as Karanja, Father of Kimani
- Samadu Jackson as Witch Doctor
- Frederick O'Neal as Adam Marenga, Mau-Mau Leader
Reception
According to MGM records, the movie earned $2.1 million in the U. S. and $1.5 million overseas, for a net loss of $410,000.[1]
References
External links
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