Howard Hawks and John Wayne team up for the late-career adventure film Hatari! newly upgraded to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber.
The Film
There never was a film like Hatari! before and will never be a movie like Hatari! ever again. The Howard Hawks adventure film that follows a group of professional game catchers in East Africa was shot on location and without stunt doubles. The result is an event film that feels dangerous no matter how many times you see it.
Like the best of Hawks work not necessarily plot-dependent but a character-based film about a season in the life of these professional game catchers as they track down various animals for the season to send to Zoo’s around the world. Sean Mercer (John Wayne) leads this capable group of men and women as a wildlife photographer Dallas (Elsa Martinelli) documents their efforts both the highs and the lows. As the season moves forward Mercer and Dallas begin a romance. One that blossoms a “will they, won’t they” dance to the end.
Part of the greatest of Hawks films, here is no different, is the ensemble cast that fills the runtime with their “micro” storylines creating a pastiche of a film. Hatari! never feels like it’s haphazardly put together, though it was from production stories. The screenplay credited to Leigh Brackett (along with uncredited rewrites by Hawks himself) feels like both a rousing and fun adventure and character study into these nomadic thrill seekers who make this their stock and trade (at least for a certain time of the year).
Wayne is at his relaxed best here as Mercer the leader of these game catchers. Hardy Krüger, Red Buttons, Gérard Blain, Bruce Cabot, Michèle Girardon, and Valentin de Vargas all do excellent work here as the crew that Wayne’s Mercer leads. Buttons and Krüger in particular do the best with their screentime as the second and third fiddle of the crew. One does feel the lack of female strength here, something not common considering Hawks women are usually very capable, relegated to “romantic leads”.
However, the real attractions here are the locales and the animals themselves. Shot on location in East Africa (at least partially) and with real animals, Hatari! is a sight to behold. Even the questionable judgment of having all the actors, including the Duke, doing their own animal wrangling leads to a verisimilitude that even Top Gun: Maverick can’t top. Even now, after this reviewer has seen the film countless times, there is a true sense of danger when watching these actors capture these animals. This just doesn’t extend to the rhino that is the centerpiece/bookends the film. Monkeys, elephants, zebras, and wildebeests are all captured and look like at any moment may attack these actors.
Hatari! unintentionally feels like the spiritual grandfather to MTV Wildboyz and other reality TV shows that feature animals in the wild. A comp that if one loved that show or Steve Irwin’s shows would delight in watching this one-of-a-kind film. As long as one does not think too much of the dangers of the animals and humans on screen.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 16bit 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a drop-dead gorgeous, almost perfect representation of the film’s Technicolor origins. Having seen the film multiple times thanks to revival houses in Los Angeles, the film’s new transfer represents the best of its 35mm origins. More than just being a flawless image, the Dolby Vision manages to imbue the transfer with a luster in the color reproduction that mirrors the film’s original look (I was lucky enough to see an IB Technicolor Print of the film more than a decade ago). The clarity and sharpness look only more refined on a larger screen accentuating the beautiful grain structure making the image look more like a freshly struck 35mm print than an actual transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
Theatrical Trailer
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff begins the definition of the word Hatari in Swahili. Some of the other details include a bit of the history of big game hunting films – and this film differs; how director Howard Hawks, a hunter himself, had a change of heart and how that began the development of Hatari!; a discussion of Hawks career and the themes he deals with throughout his career – both high and low (including a great discussion of Red Line 5000); a larger discussion throughout of the actors and crew that made the film; a larger discussion of animal conservations, big game hunting, Africa, shooting on location, and much more. Kirgo and Hankoff give us a wonderful commentary track on not only this unique production but Hawks the man himself giving us an understanding and context as to why he made the film.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Hatari! (3:01); The Shepherd of the Hills (2:19); Reap the Wild Wind(2:17); Legend of the Lost (3:43); Jet Pilot (2:51); The Horse Soldiers (2:39); Brannigan (2:22); Man’s Favorite Sport?(1:59)
The Final Thought
Kino had done a marvelous job bringing Hatari! to 4K UHD. Highest Possible Recommendations!!!
Howard Hawks and John Wayne team up for the late-career adventure film Hatari! newly upgraded to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber.
The Film
There never was a film like Hatari! before and will never be a movie like Hatari! ever again. The Howard Hawks adventure film that follows a group of professional game catchers in East Africa was shot on location and without stunt doubles. The result is an event film that feels dangerous no matter how many times you see it.
Like the best of Hawks work not necessarily plot-dependent but a character-based film about a season in the life of these professional game catchers as they track down various animals for the season to send to Zoo’s around the world. Sean Mercer (John Wayne) leads this capable group of men and women as a wildlife photographer Dallas (Elsa Martinelli) documents their efforts both the highs and the lows. As the season moves forward Mercer and Dallas begin a romance. One that blossoms a “will they, won’t they” dance to the end.
Part of the greatest of Hawks films, here is no different, is the ensemble cast that fills the runtime with their “micro” storylines creating a pastiche of a film. Hatari! never feels like it’s haphazardly put together, though it was from production stories. The screenplay credited to Leigh Brackett (along with uncredited rewrites by Hawks himself) feels like both a rousing and fun adventure and character study into these nomadic thrill seekers who make this their stock and trade (at least for a certain time of the year).
Wayne is at his relaxed best here as Mercer the leader of these game catchers. Hardy Krüger, Red Buttons, Gérard Blain, Bruce Cabot, Michèle Girardon, and Valentin de Vargas all do excellent work here as the crew that Wayne’s Mercer leads. Buttons and Krüger in particular do the best with their screentime as the second and third fiddle of the crew. One does feel the lack of female strength here, something not common considering Hawks women are usually very capable, relegated to “romantic leads”.
However, the real attractions here are the locales and the animals themselves. Shot on location in East Africa (at least partially) and with real animals, Hatari! is a sight to behold. Even the questionable judgment of having all the actors, including the Duke, doing their own animal wrangling leads to a verisimilitude that even Top Gun: Maverick can’t top. Even now, after this reviewer has seen the film countless times, there is a true sense of danger when watching these actors capture these animals. This just doesn’t extend to the rhino that is the centerpiece/bookends the film. Monkeys, elephants, zebras, and wildebeests are all captured and look like at any moment may attack these actors.
Hatari! unintentionally feels like the spiritual grandfather to MTV Wildboyz and other reality TV shows that feature animals in the wild. A comp that if one loved that show or Steve Irwin’s shows would delight in watching this one-of-a-kind film. As long as one does not think too much of the dangers of the animals and humans on screen.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 16bit 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a drop-dead gorgeous, almost perfect representation of the film’s Technicolor origins. Having seen the film multiple times thanks to revival houses in Los Angeles, the film’s new transfer represents the best of its 35mm origins. More than just being a flawless image, the Dolby Vision manages to imbue the transfer with a luster in the color reproduction that mirrors the film’s original look (I was lucky enough to see an IB Technicolor Print of the film more than a decade ago). The clarity and sharpness look only more refined on a larger screen accentuating the beautiful grain structure making the image look more like a freshly struck 35mm print than an actual transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff begins the definition of the word Hatari in Swahili. Some of the other details include a bit of the history of big game hunting films – and this film differs; how director Howard Hawks, a hunter himself, had a change of heart and how that began the development of Hatari!; a discussion of Hawks career and the themes he deals with throughout his career – both high and low (including a great discussion of Red Line 5000); a larger discussion throughout of the actors and crew that made the film; a larger discussion of animal conservations, big game hunting, Africa, shooting on location, and much more. Kirgo and Hankoff give us a wonderful commentary track on not only this unique production but Hawks the man himself giving us an understanding and context as to why he made the film.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Hatari! (3:01); The Shepherd of the Hills (2:19); Reap the Wild Wind(2:17); Legend of the Lost (3:43); Jet Pilot (2:51); The Horse Soldiers (2:39); Brannigan (2:22); Man’s Favorite Sport?(1:59)
The Final Thought
Kino had done a marvelous job bringing Hatari! to 4K UHD. Highest Possible Recommendations!!!
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Hatari! is out now
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