White Hunter, Black Heart (1990)

White Hunter Black Heart (1990)Plot In A Paragraph: A thinly fictionalized account of legendary movie director a John Houston (here named John Wilson) whose desire to hunt down an animal turns into a grim situation with his movie crew in Africa.This was the second Eastwood movie to be entered into competition at The Cannes Film Festival. Once you get used to Eastwood's accent it's easy to get lost in his performance. You have to give Eastwood credit!! It is hard enough for a famous movie star to disappear into any character, but it's almost impossible for him to disappear into another famous character, into someone equally legendary. Truthfully I think he should have been nominated for both his acting and his directing work work. Admittedly it was a tough year at the Academy Awards, but I think he should have been nominated. This is another movie of Clint's that's seems to have been forgotten about by the masses. I personally think it's one of his finest movies as either an actor or director. I only watch it every couple of years or so, but I'm always sucked in and reminded of how great it is.In exchange for letting Eastwood make this personal pet project, he agreed to make a more commercial action movie for Warner Bros. That movie was The Rookie. White Hunter Black Heart became the third Eastwood disappointment in a row (all within the last three years) with each movie grossing less than the last, as it would only gross $2 million at the domestic box office.

I have never liked Clint Eastwood, too many predictable and all the same kinds of characters in nearly all his films - as a director and or actor. Never liked him. But I must admit that I really enjoyed this very one. Besides the fact that it is an awesome "hommage" to the great John Huston - every movie buff already knows that - I LOVED the sequence where Eastwood talks to the antisemitic gal, in the restaurant and also the great scene where he got beaten up by the guy - I don't know the actor's name. A very great moment. AT LAST the Eastwood character fails...What a wonderful surprise.And the overall feeling of this movie I saw twenty three years ago makes me say that it's one of the best Eastwood's picture, and unfortunately the least known.

This thinly fictionalized account of the making of legendary Hollywood epic The African Queen, features Clint Eastwood in a rare fast-talking role as John Wilson (Huston) a maverick movie-maker obsessed with killing an elephant for sport, while dragging the production staff and the locals into his obsession. The hunts take focus away from the movie and are at turns silly and disastrous as the director tries to tap into his inner Hemingway hero by murdering an elephant. Eastwood himself is a revelation in the role, charming and energetic and above all VERBAL, as Huston himself was, as opposed to his usual steely-eyed laconic cowboy persona.

Just prior to the success reaped by UNFORGIVEN, Eastwood unleashed this labor of love that scuttled beneath the radar and has since gone inexplicably underrated, even among die-hard Clint enthusiasts. Working with journeyman writer Pete Viertel (adapting the screenplay from his famed novel) and veteran western scribe Burt Kennedy, Clint (fulfilling the triple-threat of producer-director-actor) spins a controversial portrait of enigmatic Hollywood legend John Huston. Clint essays Huston in what is a semi-autobiographical look at the behind-the-scenes of the filming of the Bogie/Hepburn classic THE African QUEEN. John Huston was easily one of Hollywood's most complicated and larger-than-life figures, the "Hemingway of cinema". A highly-literate man who took great interest in art, he was also a hot-tempered brawler, inveterate boozer, and notorious womanizer. A master craftsman, Huston lacked any distinctive "style" as he eschewed tricks and gimmicks in favor of good old-fashioned story-telling. Behind the camera, Huston was responsible for an almost unequaled legacy of masterpieces, many of which defined their respective genres. He wasn't afraid to step in front of it either, giving us one of the greatest villains in movie history, Noah Cross, in the landmark CHINATOWN. Politically, he was an outspoken humanitarian and staunch advocate of civil rights. The story concerns Huston's (oddly called "Wilson" here) contentious working relationship with Viertel (Jeff Fahey, Ray Liotta's undiagnosed twin), whom he brings onboard to do a script rewrite, and his pursuit of the mystical white elephant. The hunt for his elusive query becomes a perilous spiritual quest, and his determination to kill the beast gives way to obsession that threatens to jeopardize the production of the movie and strains his friendship with Viertel. Eastwood, excluding his wiry lankiness, bears no physical resemblance to John Huston. However, he clearly has a blast playing the role to the hilt, as he struts with a cigar and adopts Huston's unique vocal cadences. He gives a well-rounded portrayal, striking a balance between the myth and the less-than-flattering picture of the man painted by those who knew him intimately. Those involved go for a "warts and all" presentation; Eastwood is egotistical and overbearing, caustically belittling those around him and ignoring his cast and crew as he stubbornly protracts his hunt. However, such moments are juxtaposed with scenes demonstrating Huston's sense of honor; he venomously intercedes when a woman insults Viertel's Jewish ancestry, and (in of my all-time favorite movie scenes) challenges a racist hotel manager to a fistfight after he physically assaults a black waiter on his staff. Overall, it's a vast departure for Clint, and he helps us understand why John Huston was a radical figure equally feared and admired. Having not read Viertel's book, I don't know what's true and what's fictional. I know that Huston's bosom buddy was Bogie, who is relegated entirely to the background here while Viertel's role is greatly emphasized. Were Viertel and Huston that chummy? Did their personal and creative differences form that much of the production process? Why did Viertel ultimately go un-credited, and how great were his contributions to THE African QUEEN? Despite such questions, I love WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART for what it is, which is an enormously entertaining and intriguing behind-the-scenes look at classic Hollywood. It's also a no-holds-barred portrait of one of its most respected scions, courtesy of a gritty and courageous performance by Clint. As a plus, the exotic locales provide a jaw-dropping spectacle, with the African fauna and wildlife thrilling to behold. I attribute the ambivalent reaction to a failure by most to grasp the significance of the elephant, and what it means to Eastwood's character. The movie also ends on a note of ambiguity. Truthfully, I'm unable to provide any satisfying explanation. I interpret it all esoterically, as a seemingly-invincible character is undone by his human frailties, i.e. greed, vanity, and delusions of grandeur. Whatever you glean from it, WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART is an immensely rewarding experience, and a high point in Eastwood's career as a filmmaker.