The Roots of Heaven (film)

The Roots of Heaven
Original film poster
Directed byJohn Huston
Screenplay byRomain Gary
Patrick Leigh-Fermor
Based onThe Roots of Heaven
(1956 novel)
by Romain Gary
Produced byDarryl F. Zanuck
StarringErrol Flynn
Juliette Gréco
Trevor Howard
CinematographyOswald Morris
Edited byRussell Lloyd
Music byMalcolm Arnold
Production
company
Darryl F. Zanuck Productions
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 15, 1958 (1958-10-15)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.3 million[1][2]
Box office$3 million[3][4]

The Roots of Heaven is a 1958 American adventure film made for 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor is based on Romain Gary's 1956 Prix Goncourt-winning novel of the same name. The film stars Errol Flynn, Juliette Gréco, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas, Herbert Lom and Grégoire Aslan. Huston later said that Roots of Heaven "could have been a very fine film. And largely owing to me was not a good film at all."[5]

Plot

In French Equatorial Africa, crusading environmentalist Morel sets out to preserve the elephants from extinction as a lasting symbol of freedom for all humanity. He is helped by Minna, a nightclub hostess, and Forsythe, a disgraced British military officer hoping to redeem himself.

Cast

Production

Development

20th Century Fox bought the film rights the novel in April 1957 for more than $100,000.[6] The novel had sold over 300,000 copies in Europe but had not yet been released in the U.S., where it would become a bestseller.[7][8] In May, Darryl F. Zanuck announced that he would produce the film independently for Fox (he had a contract with the studio to make films), and wanted John Huston to direct.[9] Zanuck said that the theme of the film was "simple... A man comes to the conclusion that if we don't stop killing people we destroy ourselves." And he says, "Why not start with our biggest companions on earth, the elephants, whose only enemy is man?"[10] He later added:

This picture is really great for us – intellectually great. Whether it's commercially great, whether people will grab on to it, we must wait and see. If they grab on to a man in love with a bridge, then why shouldn't they grab on to a man in love with an elephant?[10]

Huston said that he wanted to direct the novel before Zanuck approached him:

After my experience with Selznick [on A Farewell to Arms] – all those memorandum! – I'd sworn never to work with a producer again, but I did want very much to make this particular film. So we met several times and talked it through and finally agreed to try it.[11]

Huston agreed to direct for a fee he described as "slightly higher" than $300,000. Regarding the irony of a big-game hunter like Huston making a film about a militant elephant conservationist, Huston said: "Contrary to prevailing opinion, I never found an elephant big enough to justify the sin of killing one."[12] Zanuck visited the Belgian Congo in late 1957 to scout locations.[13][14]

Casting

William Holden was mentioned as a possibility for the lead part of Morel, as was James Mason.[15] Holden wanted to take the role but he was under contract to Paramount, which would not permit him to make the film unless he signed another contract, but he refused.[16][17]

The lead role was taken by Trevor Howard. Errol Flynn signed to play a key support role but was given top billing.[18] Flynn left the cast of the play The Master of Thornfield to appear in the film.[19][20] Flynn and John Huston had famously brawled at a Hollywood party more than a decade earlier.[21]

Juliette Gréco, who had appeared in Zanuck's version of The Sun Also Rises and became his lover, was signed as the female lead.[22] Eddie Albert and Paul Lukas rounded out the main cast. Orson Welles signed on for a cameo role.

Shooting

Shooting took place mainly on location in French Equatorial Africa[23] over five months in the Belgian Congo and Chad in the Northern Cameroons, where the elephants were located. The cast and crew suffered from heat, malaria and other tropical diseases. Temperatures would routinely reach 134 °F (57 °C) in the day and 95 °F (35 °C) degrees at night, and people would shower four or five times per night. Some days required a four-hour drive to the location and back, and all water was transported to the set by aircraft.[10] Juliette Gréco contracted a serious illness[24] and the company reported 900 sick calls from a cast and crew of 120.[25] Flynn mentioned the challenges of the location with affection in his autobiography My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1959).

Zanuck said "I would never make a picture there again"[2] but he was proud that "[t]here is not one dubbed line, transparency plate or process shot in the whole picture."[10]

The unit then moved to Paris for studio filming. While there, Gréco fell ill with a recurrence of her illness. Flynn also had a recurrence of malaria requiring hospitalization.[11]

Welles filmed his part over two days at a Paris studio. His rate was normally $15,000, but he was not paid because he wished to reciprocate Zanuck for helping Welles fund Othello (1952).[26]

Huston later said: "I still don't want to have to work with a producer again but if I had to, I'd certainly choose Darryl. He's been very good, co-operative and decent throughout."[11] He also said that he was "completely responsible... for the badness of The Roots of Heaven. I really wanted to make that one and Daryl Zanuck got me everything and everybody I wanted. But I had the screenplay done by someone who had never done one before, and it was bad. By then the cast, crew and me were in Africa; it was too late to turn back, we would have spent a fortune for nothing, so we went ahead and did the best we could."[27]

Post-production

The film was edited in London rather than Paris so that Zanuck could be near Gréco, who was making a film there.[28]

Release

The film opened at the Palace Theatre in New York City.[29]

Reception

Box office

The film earned rentals of $3 million in the United States and Canada[3] and recorded admissions of 1,266,452 in France.[30]

Critical

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "John Huston may have bitten off more than he could chew in 'The Roots of Heaven', but much of it makes for thoughtful mastication... it sometimes seems too strange to be real."[31] Bosley Crowther wrote in the New York Times that "[t]he first two-thirds of 'The Roots of Heaven' … looks like a highly potential adventure film" but that "the final third of the film goes down the drain"—a conclusion "the more disappointing—and strangely surprising, indeed—because the elements, up to this point, have seemed so beautifully under control."[32]

Filmink called the film "possibly the first big budget studio film about an eco-terrorist (unless you count Tarzan movies)."[33]

The sounds of the TIE fighter from Star Wars, and later Star Wars films, were created in part by reusing and altering the recordings of aggravated elephants vocalizing in later scenes in The Roots of Heaven.[34] The sound director for Star Wars Ben Burtt described that due to the film being produced by 20th Century Fox, Burtt and his team had access to a vast array of older properties produced by the studio from which they could retrieve sounds from. Burtt has stated that most of the sounds in Star Wars are original and were created for the film, though a small number of sound effects were indeed pulled from the library of classic 20th Century Fox films.[citation needed]

Release

Home Media

The film was first released on Blu-ray in 2011 by Twilight Time (home video label) in a limited edition of 3,000 units. The only special feature on the disc is an isolated score track.

See also

References

  1. ^ Solomon p251
  2. ^ a b A CorrespondentZ (16 Aug 1958). ""Never Again": Making a film in Equatorial Africa". The Manchester Guardian. p. 3. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b Cohn, Lawrence (October 15, 1990). "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. p. M182.
  4. ^ "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross
  5. ^ "The Innocent Bystander" Robinson, David. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 42, Iss. 1
  6. ^ Thomas M. Pryor (Apr 29, 1957). "Tracy Will Star in 'Last Hurrah': Actor to Play Political Boss in Columbia Film, Which John Ford Is Directing 'Roots of Heaven' Planted". The New York Times. p. 21.
  7. ^ "Of Local Origin". The New York Times. Sep 17, 1957. p. 39.
  8. ^ "BEST SELLERS". Los Angeles Times. Apr 20, 1958. p. E6.
  9. ^ Schallert, Edwin (May 8, 1957). "Magnani to Do Comedy; Zanuck Seeks Huston; Birdwell Deal Tripled". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  10. ^ a b c d Scheuer, Philip K. (Oct 12, 1958). "Zanuck's Subject: 'Roots of Heaven'". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
  11. ^ a b c Grenier, Cynthia. "Huston at Fontainebleau". Sight and Sound. No. 27.6 (Fall 1958). p. 280.
  12. ^ Richard W. Nason (September 28, 1958). "Huston Hits High With 'Heaven' and 'Geisha'". The New York Times. p. X9.
  13. ^ Dorothy Manners (Nov 5, 1957). "Tyrone Power Eyes Role of Wise Solomon". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. B9.
  14. ^ Art Buchwald (Jan 24, 1958). "A Diplomat Cracks the Movies". Los Angeles Times. p. B5.
  15. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (Feb 12, 1958). "Studio Opened to Preminger: 'Mardios Beach' First of Pair; Mason Up for Consul's 'Roots'". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  16. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Apr 6, 1958). "NEVER A BAD SHOW: Hollywood Producers Call Bill Holden the All-American Face". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. c20.
  17. ^ Thomas M. Pryor (Feb 20, 1958). "U. S. Vs. Al Capone to Be Film Theme: Story of Treasury Agents' War on Breweries Slated -Holden-Paramount Rift". The New York Times. p. 29.
  18. ^ "Thomas p 219".
  19. ^ ""Lana, Yul Brynner in Faulkner Story" Hopper". Hedda. Los Angeles Times. Feb 22, 1958. p. B2.
  20. ^ Thomas M. Pryor (Feb 26, 1958). "Unproduced Play Bought for Film: Comedy Is by Samuel Taylor and Cornelia Otis Skinner -- Paramount Retrenches". The New York Times. p. 23.
  21. ^ Dorothy Kilgallen (Mar 13, 1958). "Kim's Gunning for Harlow Biog". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. D8.
  22. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Feb 14, 1958). "No Work Here, So Holden Is Off to Europe". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 12.
  23. ^ "The Roots of Heaven (1958) – Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  24. ^ "Juliette Greco, Actress, Ill". The New York Times. June 9, 1958. p. 26.
  25. ^ Bacon, James (June 29, 1958). "Here's Switch: Flynn to Play a Teetotaler". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 19.
  26. ^ Hopper, Hedda (June 11, 1958). "Hedda Visits Old Friends in Paris Studio". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. b11.
  27. ^ John Huston: As He Was, Is, and Probably Always Will Be By Brian St. Pierre. New York Times 25 Sep 1966: 121.
  28. ^ The (Aug 26, 1958). "Ava's Got a Crush on Her Costar". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. B8.
  29. ^ "Zanuck's P.A. In N.Y. To Drumbeat 'Roots'". Variety. September 10, 1958. p. 7.
  30. ^ 1958 French box office figures at Box Office Story
  31. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (Jan 1, 1959). "'Roots of Heaven' Exotic Adventure: But Its Hero's Cause Falters in Film of Romain Gary Novel". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  32. ^ Bosley Crowther (Oct 16, 1958). "Screen: 'Roots of Heaven'; Save the Elephants! Palace Film Theme". The New York Times. p. 46.
  33. ^ Vagg, Stephen (December 15, 2019). "The Films of Errol Flynn: Part 6 – The Final Adventures". Filmink.
  34. ^ Episode 46: Ben Burtt. The Commentary Track. (2013, August 25). http://thecommentarytrack.com/the-commentary-track/

Bibliography

  • Flynn, E. My Wicked, Wicked Ways. G.P. Putnam's Sons 1959, Pan Books 1961 in association with William Heinemann Ltd, 5th Printing 1979.
  • Norman, B. The Hollywood Greats. Arrow Books, 1988 edition.
  • Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
  • Thomas, T. Behlmer, R. & McCarty, C. The Films of Errol Flynn. Citadel Press. 1969.

Read other articles:

Kieran Dowell

Kieran Dowell Informasi pribadiNama lengkap Kieran O'Neill Dowell[1]Tanggal lahir 10 Oktober 1997 (umur 26)Tempat lahir Ormskirk, InggrisPosisi bermain PenyerangInformasi klubKlub saat ini EvertonNomor 51Karier junior2005– EvertonKarier senior*Tahun Tim Tampil (Gol)2014– Everton 0 (0)Tim nasional‡2012 Inggris U-16 1 (0)2013–2014 Inggris U-16 7 (0)2014– Inggris U-18 1 (0) * Penampilan dan gol di klub senior hanya dihitung dari liga domestik dan akurat per 11 Desemb...

 

2021 Colorado State Rams football team

Colorado State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season 2021 Colorado State Rams footballConferenceMountain West ConferenceDivisionMountain DivisionRecord3–9 (2–6 MW)Head coachSteve Addazio (2nd season)Offensive coordinatorJon Budmayr (1st season)Defensive coordinatorChuck Heater (4th season)Home stadiumCanvas StadiumUniformSeasons← 20202022 → 2021 Mountain West Conference football standings vte Conf Overall Team   W   ...

 

William Fox

William Fox (1921) William Fox (Lahir di Tulkhva, Hungaria, 1 Januari 1879 - Meninggal di New York 1 Mei 1952) adalah seorang perintis industri film Amerika.[1] Tahun 1915, William Fox mendirikan Fox Film Corporation dengan maksud memadukan usaha produksi, distribusi dan pertunjukan film.[1] Perusahaan itu terpaksa berhenti karena mengalami saingan hebat dari film sulih suara tahun 1930.[1] Pada 1935, Fox Film Corporation bergabung bersama perusahaan Twentieth Century ...

Claude I. Bakewell

American politician (1912–1987) Claude I. BakewellMember of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Missouri's 11th districtIn officeJanuary 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949Preceded byJohn B. SullivanSucceeded byJohn B. SullivanIn officeMarch 9, 1951 – January 3, 1953Preceded byJohn B. SullivanSucceeded byMorgan M. Moulder Personal detailsBornClaude Ignatius BakewellAugust 9, 1912St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.DiedMarch 18, 1987(1987-03-18) (aged 74)University City, ...

 

ADAMTS1

Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens ADAMTS1Available structuresPDBOrtholog search: PDBe RCSB List of PDB id codes2JIH, 2V4B, 3Q2G, 3Q2HIdentifiersAliasesADAMTS1, C3-C5, METH1, ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 1External IDsOMIM: 605174 MGI: 109249 HomoloGene: 21381 GeneCards: ADAMTS1 Gene location (Human)Chr.Chromosome 21 (human)[1]Band21q21.3Start26,835,755 bp[1]End26,845,409 bp[1]Gene location (Mouse)Chr.Chromosome 16 (mouse)[2 ...

 

2002 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Women's 60 metres

2002 European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsTrack events60 mmenwomen200 mmenwomen400 mmenwomen800 mmenwomen1500 mmenwomen3000 mmenwomen60 m hurdlesmenwomen4×400 m relaymenwomenField eventsHigh jumpmenwomenPole vaultmenwomenLong jumpmenwomenTriple jumpmenwomenShot putmenwomenCombined eventsPentathlonwomenHeptathlonmenvte The women's 60 metres event at the 2002 European Athletics Indoor Championships was held on March 2–3. Medalists Gold Silver Bronze Kim Gevaert Belgium Marina Kis...

Ferry Sonneville

Ferry Sonneville Ferdinand Alexander Sonneville (3 Januari 1931 – 20 November 2003[1]) adalah pemain bulu tangkis Indonesia pada era tahun 1955-1967an. Ia ikut mendirikan PB PBSI (1951), ikut mendirikan KONI (1966), Ketua Umum KONI (1970), anggota Pengurus Asian Games Federation Council (1970), Chef de Mission kontingen Indonesia ke Olimpiade (1971), Presiden International Federation Badminton/IBF (1971-1974), dan Ketua Umum PBSI (1981-1985). Ferry juga dikenal sebagai...

 

Sing to Me Mr. C

1961 studio album by Perry ComoSing to Me Mr. CStudio album by Perry ComoReleasedJuly 1961RecordedMay 15 & 17, 1961GenreVocalLength43:50LabelRCA VictorProducerHugo & LuigiPerry Como chronology For The Young At Heart(1960) Sing to Me Mr. C(1961) By Request(1962) Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllmusic[1] Sing to Me Mr. C was Perry Como's Eighth RCA Victor 12 long-play album.[2][3] Joe Lipman was the chief music arranger for the release. Sin...

 

Yesterday's Hero

For other uses, see Yesterday's Hero (disambiguation). 1979 British filmYesterday's HeroDirected byNeil LeiferWritten byJackie CollinsProduced byElliott KastnerOscar LermanKen ReganStarringIan McShaneSuzanne SomersAdam FaithPaul NicholasEdited byAntony GibbsMusic byStanley MyersDistributed byColumbia PicturesRelease date November 1979 (1979-11) Running time95 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish Yesterday's Hero is a 1979 British drama film directed by Neil Leifer and starrin...

هنود

هنودمعلومات عامةنسبة التسمية الهند التعداد الكليالتعداد قرابة 1.21 مليار[1][2]تعداد الهند عام 2011ق. 1.32 مليار[3]تقديرات عام 2017ق. 30.8 مليون[4]مناطق الوجود المميزةبلد الأصل الهند البلد الهند  الهند نيبال 4,000,000[5] الولايات المتحدة 3,982,398[6] الإمار...

 

土库曼斯坦总统

土库曼斯坦总统土库曼斯坦国徽土库曼斯坦总统旗現任谢尔达尔·别尔德穆哈梅多夫自2022年3月19日官邸阿什哈巴德总统府（Oguzkhan Presidential Palace）機關所在地阿什哈巴德任命者直接选举任期7年，可连选连任首任萨帕尔穆拉特·尼亚佐夫设立1991年10月27日 土库曼斯坦土库曼斯坦政府与政治 国家政府 土库曼斯坦宪法 国旗 国徽 国歌 立法機關（英语：National Council of Turkmenistan） ...

 

乌克兰总理

 烏克蘭總理Прем'єр-міністр України烏克蘭國徽現任杰尼斯·什米加尔自2020年3月4日任命者烏克蘭總統任期總統任命首任維托爾德·福金设立1991年11月后继职位無网站www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/（英文） 乌克兰 乌克兰政府与政治系列条目 宪法 政府 总统 弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基 總統辦公室 国家安全与国防事务委员会 总统代表（英语：Representatives of the President of Ukraine） 总...

تقويم سلوقي

كان التقويم السلوقي أو أنو غريكوروم (والتي تعني حرفياً «سنة الإغريق» أو «العام الأغريقي»)، والتي قد تدل أحيانا على AG، هو نظام تقويم أستخدم من قبل الإمبراطورية السلوقية ودول أخرى من الحضارات الهلنستية القديمة. يشار إليه أحياناً باسم «سيادة السلوقيون»، أو عام الإسكندر. يعو�...

 

Copa Mundial de Fútbol Playa FIFA 2008

IV Copa Mundial de Fútbol Playa FIFAMarsella 2008 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Sede  Francia Fecha 17 de julio de 200827 de julio de 2008 Cantidad de equipos 16 Podio • Campeón• Subcampeón• Tercer lugar• Cuarto lugar   Brasil Italia Portugal España Partidos 32 Goles anotados 258 (8,32 por partido) Goleador Madjer (13 goles) Balón de Oro Amarelle Mejor portero Roberto Valeiro Premio juego limpio Rusia La Copa Mundial de Fútbol Playa de FIFA 2008 fue la cuarta ...

 

Organic acid

Organic compound with acidic properties This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Organic acid – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Acids and bases Acceptor number Acid Acid–base reaction Acid–base homeostasis Acid strength Acidity f...

FC Tytan Armiansk

Football clubFC Tytan ArmianskFull nameFutbol′nyy klub Tytan ArmianskFounded1969Dissolved2014GroundKhimik, Armiansk, CrimeaCapacity5000LeagueUkrainian First League2013–1413th FC Tytan Armiansk (Ukrainian: ФК Титан; Russian: ФК Титан) was a football club based in Armiansk, Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The club last played in the Persha Liha during the 2013–14 season. The club was dissolved due to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.[1] Colors are (...

 

Menestrello

Il menestrello (dal provenzale menestrals, «servo di casa»)[1] era, in età feudale, l'artista di corte incaricato all'intrattenimento del castello (per i signori e i cortigiani). Svolgeva mansioni di musicista, cantastorie, poeta o giullare per professione.[2] Dettaglio dal Volto Santo e la Leggenda del Menestrello, al Museo diocesano di Lanciano. Fu una figura presente principalmente nelle corti normanne come nella Francia, nell'Inghilterra medievale e in Sicilia. Indice 1...

 

Dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate

Banned chlorinated herbicide Dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate Names Preferred IUPAC name Dimethyl 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorobenzene-1,4-dicarboxylate Other names Chlorthal-dimethyl; Dimethyl 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroterephthalate Identifiers CAS Number 1861-32-1 Y 3D model (JSmol) Interactive image ChEBI CHEBI:34664 ChEMBL ChEMBL1888079 ChemSpider 2839 ECHA InfoCard 100.015.877 EC Number 217-464-7 KEGG C14744 PubChem CID 2943 UNII ZU3X5G2QLR Y CompTox Dashboard (EPA) DTXSID0024000 InChI InChI=1...

Jan Hoet

Jan Hoet (1989) Knight Jan Hoet (Dutch pronunciation: [jɑn ˈɦut]; 23 June 1936 – 27 February 2014) was the Belgian founder of SMAK (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst or Municipal Museum for Contemporary Art) in Ghent, Belgium.[1] Biography Jan Hoet was born in Leuven, Belgium. Throughout his career, he was often referred to in the press as a former boxer (he pursued the sport in college) and several times expressed an admiration for Mike Tyson. In the late 1960s and...

 

Manon Fiorot

French mixed martial artist Manon FiorotFiorot in 2023Born (1990-02-17) February 17, 1990 (age 34)Nice, FranceOther namesThe BeastHeight5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)DivisionFlyweightReach65 in (165 cm)[1]StanceSouthpawFighting out ofNice, FranceTeamBoxing SquadMaccabi NiceTrainerAldric CassataRankBlack belt in Karate[2] Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]Years active2018–presentMixed martial arts...