Movie
Something of Value
Drama film with a runtime of 113 minutes, released in 1957. Presented in English.
At a Glance
Synopsis
The literalism of writer-director Richard Brooks serves him well in this meticulously faithful adaptation of the Robert Ruark novel Something of Value. Filmed on location in Africa, this is the story of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, as seen through the eyes of a handful of protagonists. Virtually alone in a sea of racist British colonialism, gentleman farmer Peter McKenzie (Rock Hudson) strives to understand the demands of freedom and equality made by Kenya's black population in particular and his childhood friend Kimani (Sidney Poitier) in particular. Ultimately, however, McKenzie and Kimani find themselves on opposite sides of the fence when the latter aligns himself with the Mau Mau. Without advocating the terrorism of this controversial movement, the screenplay is careful to deal the ongoing iniquities and frustrations that forced men like Kimani to take arms against their white brethren. There were a few theatres in the American south who, feeling that the racial tensions inherent in Something of Value hit too close to home, refused to book this fascinating, thought-provoking, often startlingly brutal film.
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Cast
- Rock Hudson
- Sidney Poitier
- Dana Wynter
- Wendy Hiller
- Juano Hernández
- William Marshall
- Robert Beatty
- Walter Fitzgerald
- Michael Pate
- Ivan Dixon
- Ken Renard
- Samadu Jackson
- Frederick O'Neal
- Paul Thompson
- Lester Matthews
- Gary Stafford
- Duncan Richardson
- Madame Sul-te-wan
- Leslie Denison
- Bruce Lister
- Barbara Foley
- Carl Christian
- Robert Anderson
- Bruce Lester
- Wesley Bly
- Paulene Myers
- Kim Hamilton
- Mme. Sul Te Wan
- Barry Bernard
- Morgan Roberts
- Ottola Nesmith
- Naaman Brown
- Ike Jones
- Edwin B. Willis
- Ferris Webster
- William Tuttle
- Helen Rose
- Russell Harlan
- Robert R. Benton
- William Horning
- Edward C. Carfagno
- Edward Carfagno
- William A. Horning
- Richard Brooks
