Touches You

Too much of everything

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Perhaps the greatest treat that can be found in Clint Eastwood's 1990 film "White Hunter Black Heart", a fictionalized account of the pre-production phase of the 1951 classic "The African Queen", is Eastwood's leading performance. His trademark acting style is usually stereotyped as the tough guy persona; he squints a lot and speaks only when he has to. An act of violence would usually suffice instead. But here we have Eastwood in rare form, showing us a side that we seldom see in his movies.The film opens with a man riding quickly on horseback over a British estate, his face obscured by a riding helmet. We are given some brief narration by Pete Verrill (played by Jeff Fahey and based on screenwriter Peter Viertel), who is flying in to see this masked rider. Verrill is the extension of the audience; he is our eyes and ears as he works alongside Eastwood's character to develop the film that would be known as "The African Queen". Eastwood plays John Wilson, a thinly disguised version of iconic director/actor John Huston. Introducing his character on horseback is a way we've come to recognize Eastwood in films, but the way he acts for the rest of the picture is anything but what we would normally expect from him.Wilson, despite staying at his friend's estate, is down and out and deeply in debt. Verrill is here to get the creative wheels flowing again, helping to finish the script for "The African Trader" (the name given to the film within the film), however Wilson only seems interested in going to Africa to hunt elephants; the picture is more of an afterthought. Viertel wrote the book this film was based on, which in turn was based on his experiences with Huston while making "The African Queen". Viertel also had a hand in the screenplay for this film.Now that I've gotten some of the plot out of the way, let me get back to Eastwood's performance. He nails Huston's distinctive speech pattern and way of presenting himself. It is a rare sight to see Eastwood play such a flamboyant character, a suave and sophisticated gentleman who whips people into shape with long monologues and anecdotes instead of his fists, with one exception that also plays against audience expectations. I honestly can't think of another film where he has so much dialogue.Despite this spectacular leading performance, the film is flawed by its overall ambition. It is as if Eastwood the director, after the acclaim of his previous biopic "Bird", had finally decided that he was an auteur. You have a film that wants to take on the creative process, a look behind the scenes, and show how one man's genius can be undermined by his selfishness and obsession. There is also some "Moby Dick" inspired stuff with the hunting of the elephant being about something more profound and enlightening. All of these themes don't exactly click together as they should, but the journey getting there is enough.What you are left with is an underrated character study. As usual with his period pieces, the attention to detail of both time and place is exquisite. And like most of his films, the movie builds to a climactic showdown, with an ending and closing moment that are among the best of Eastwood's entire filmography.

If what I saw in this film was a sample of John Huston's behavior than I don't know how he lasted as long as he did in the film industry. This film based on a novel by Peter Viertel purports to show some of the difficulties in getting Huston to settle down and make the African Queen.White Hunter, Black Heart will never go down as one of Clint Eastwood's better projects. According to the film, protagonist John Wilson is having a touch of Hemingway, he's in Africa and what do they do in Africa, but go on safari. Eastwood's made his mind up that he's got to go toe to toe with a bull elephant before shooting it.All this is chronicled by Jeff Fahey playing the author who narrates the film and from whose eyes we see all the action. And studio boss George Dzundza is about to tear the hair from his head with all the delays and Eastwood's procrastination. Dzundza is almost a caricature of the Jewish studio moguls of the time, but frankly my sympathies were with him. In real life he'd have canned Eastwood and brought in another director to get the film made.This was an important step for the American film industry. 20 years earlier with Trader Horn MGM shot that one with all kinds of problems shooting there in the tropics by people who weren't used to it. The African Queen and King Solomon's Mines set a new standard because the public did not want to see cheap back lot jungle sets any longer. So Dzundza has a lot riding on it.I have to say that this particular Clint Eastwood project did not please me.

Many have questioned Eastwood's accuracy in his portrayal of John Huston upon which 'White Hunter Black Heart' is based. However, in my opinion, he owns the John Wilson character turning in a compelling performance. He displays Wilson's carefree attitude and stubbornness with élan. Yes, his accent is amusing but he appears comfortable speaking with it. He also displays a comic side which is hardly witnessed in most of his other films.As director, he does an equally superb job especially the lead up to the ending. In the first few minutes I was disappointed by it as I felt it was too abrupt, like slamming the door on your face, but thinking about it later on, this was the best ending. The film was about Wilson's careless attitude and his irresponsibility and in the end we see him pay the price and the effect it has.'White Hunter Black Heart' is a well crafted film. The natural African landscape is beautifully captured. The music is great. Editing is very good except that the pacing slows down a tad in the second half. Jeff Fahey is brilliant as Wilson's friend and confidante. George Dzundza's accent takes some getting used to.This is perhaps another one of Eastwood's underrated lesser known films and it may not appeal to a majority but it makes a strong point and a worthy viewing.

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.