Hatari! BFI Southbank, 3.20pm NFT 2
Here's one of my favourite film reviews:
"Marked by the relaxed pace and tone of Hawks' later work, Hatari! could easily be seen as Only Angels Have Wings transferred from the Andes to the African bush. There's little plot but plenty of typically Hawksian situations as it follows the travails of a group of safari hunters (preservationists, not killers) working a game reserve. All the usual themes emerge as gently and naturally as bubbles from champagne: the need for professionalism and self-respect; the importance of the group and integration; attraction between men and women seen as conflict; and (echoing Monkey Business and Bringing Up Baby) asides on humans as animals. Light, sunny, and effortlessly switching between action and comedy, it also fascinates through its superb footage of the actual capture of the wildlife, in which the danger and the excitement of the chase are beautifully, precisely evoked. All in all, one of those rare films that genuinely constitutes a 'late masterpiece'."
It's from Geoff Andrew, curator of the Howard Hawks season at BFI Southbank. Can't wait to be in NFT 2. Here's the opening.
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