HATARI (DVD) WS ENHANCE 16X9/DOLBY DIGITAL DVD

Hatari!
Hatari! is Swahili for "danger"--and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red Buttons are members of Wayne's men-only contingent, all of whom are reduced to jello when the curvaceous Elsa Martinelli enters the scene. In tried and true Howard Hawks fashion, Martinelli quickly becomes "one of the guys," though Wayne apparently can't say two words to her without sparking an argument. The second half of this amazingly long (159 minute) film concerns the care and maintenance of a baby elephant; the barely credible finale is devoted to a comic pachyderm stampede down an urban African street, ending literally at the foot of Martinelli's bed. The other scene worth mentioning involves comedy-relief Red Buttons' efforts to create a fireworks-powered animal trap. Not to be taken seriously for a minute, Hatari is attractively packaged and neatly tied up with a danceable-pranceable theme song by Henry Mancini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast John Wayne as Sean Mercer Hardy Kruger as Kurt Mueller Elsa Martinelli as Anna-Maria D'Alessandro (Dallas) Gérard Blain as Chips Chalmoy Red Buttons as Pockets Michéle Girardon as Brandy Delacourt Bruce Cabot as Vaughn Eduard Franz as Dr. Sanderson

Crew Carl Anderson - Art Director Hal Pereira - Art Director Paul Helmick - Associate Producer Edith Head - Costume Designer Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer Tom Connors - First Assistant Director Russ Saunders - First Assistant Director Howard Hawks - Director Stuart Gilmore - Editor Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score) Hoagy Carmichael - Songwriter Johnny Mercer - Songwriter Joseph Brun - Cinematographer Russell Harlan - Cinematographer Howard Hawks - Producer Claude E. Carpenter - Set Designer Sam Comer - Set Designer John P. Fulton - Special Effects Richard Parker - Special Effects Carey Loftin - Stunts Leigh Brackett - Screenwriter Harry Kurnitz - Short Story Author

Hatari!
Of the five movies that Howard Hawks made with John Wayne, the first three had running times of well over two hours, and Hatari! is the longest of them (as well as the longest movie Hawks ever made) at 158 minutes, which was something of a personal indulgence for director/producer Hawks. It never seems overlong, however, thanks to the presence of a top-flight cast who were obviously having the time of their lives professionally, and whose chemistry, coupled with the director's deft touch, draws the audience into their fun. John Wayne is at the top of his game here as an action hero, in the undemanding role of a two-fisted trapper of zoo and circus animals. Red Buttons, who had gone from being a popular comedic television personality to a serious actor over the previous five years (winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Sayonara in 1957), is at his most appealing as a semi-comic co-star; and Elsa Martinelli became the latest in a long line of supremely confident and challenging Howard Hawks heroines, not up to the standard set by Angie Dickinson in Rio Bravo and Margaret Sheridan in The Thing, but still memorable in her ability to challenge Wayne's and Buttons' natural macho superiority. Mixing those three, plus Hardy Kruger and a solid supporting cast, into some of the most exciting action scenes of their era, made Hatari! virtually irresistible to audiences in the early '60s. The screenplay by Leigh Brackett isn't overlong in itself, but Hawks takes his time with it, stretching out every action scene and luxuriating in its details. Astonishingly, the public bought it, even though African adventure stories were just about out of style. Between the director's sure hand and the mix of comedy and action in the story, plus the charismatic presence of Wayne and company, Hatari! was a success for all concerned and, arguably, Hawks' last truly great and ambitious movie. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
 

Russell Harlan: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Color Cinematography (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: 1: PCM mono 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects Additional Features: Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 TVs Dolby Digital: restored English mono; French mono English subtitles Interactive menus Scene selection Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 157 min Part of Series: Paramount Widescreen Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selection 1. Momella Game, LTD. [:10] 2. The Indian's Luck [6:13] 3. Anna Maria D'Allesandro [:09] 4. Wild Giraffess And A Greenhorn [2:55] 5. Who Is Sean Mercer? [5:47] 6. The Frenchman's Worth [2:05] 7. Spring Comes To The Bush [7:25] 8. Timbo The Orphan [7:10] 9. Dallas Starts Something [3:23] 10. Beasts Of East Africa [4:26] 11. The Tribe's Appreciation [5:26] 12. Brandy's True Love [7:40] 13. Rube Goldberg Monkey Trap [4:31] 14. Baby Elephant Walk [2:48] 15. Breaking The Rhino Jinx [5:50] 16. Seeing Spots [1:39] 17. Where's Mama? [6:19]