The title of the film describes two things, the land and the heroine Susan Hayward, in one of her most tempestuous parts. Since she auditioned for, and did not get the role, of Scarlett O'Hara, this is her chance to play a similar part. As a high spirited Irish lass, Hayward sets her sights on adventure Tyrone Power, but is rejected and instead marries John Justin. They head to South Africa to settle down and buy land (where Power had earlier left for), but circumstances change her availability, and she finds herself torn between Power and the rugged Richard Egan, leading to tension and lust among the African heat.
Fans of the movie "Caged" will be delighted to see the reunion of Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson, this time on the same side and both very pragmatic. They're the voice of reason for the very spoiled and temperamental Hayward. But there's also Rita Moreno, playing one of her hot tempered characters, making a play for Egan even though he's in love with Hayward.
This is very atmospheric film, well photographed in beautiful Technicolor and with some great action sequences involving battles with natives, issues of the weather, and the heat of passion over shadowing every single character as the winds blow down the strong tree that Hayward refused to allow Egan to cut down. The women here are just as strong as the men, and that makes for a fascinating dynamic. Comparisons to "Gone With the Wind" are obvious, but I also found it very similar to the same year's "The Rains of Ranchipur", the color remake of "The Rains Came". It's truly a spellbinding mini-epic, showing off the cinematic genius of director Henry King, even if it's not perfect.
Fans of the movie "Caged" will be delighted to see the reunion of Agnes Moorehead and Hope Emerson, this time on the same side and both very pragmatic. They're the voice of reason for the very spoiled and temperamental Hayward. But there's also Rita Moreno, playing one of her hot tempered characters, making a play for Egan even though he's in love with Hayward.
This is very atmospheric film, well photographed in beautiful Technicolor and with some great action sequences involving battles with natives, issues of the weather, and the heat of passion over shadowing every single character as the winds blow down the strong tree that Hayward refused to allow Egan to cut down. The women here are just as strong as the men, and that makes for a fascinating dynamic. Comparisons to "Gone With the Wind" are obvious, but I also found it very similar to the same year's "The Rains of Ranchipur", the color remake of "The Rains Came". It's truly a spellbinding mini-epic, showing off the cinematic genius of director Henry King, even if it's not perfect.