King Solomon's Mines

Released Jul 2, 1937

1h 20m

Adventure

List

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

39%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

Kathy's (Anna Lee) father is intrigued by the stories Umbopa (Paul Robeson), a man they meet on their way to the South African coast, tells them about Solomon's diamond mines. So, he steals away in the night, leaving Kathy with a group of relative strangers. To find her father, Kathy enlists the help of hunter Allan Quatermain (Cedric Hardwicke) for a journey to the mines, where they are met with some less than hospitable natives -- who do not plan on making their task any easier.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Dated [but] still of interest… production values and special effects are impressive for the period… makes good use of authentic African locations and performers.

Rated: B-

Apr 4, 2005

Full Review

Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Thanks to brilliant handling, superb acting and an authentic background filmed in Zululand, King Solomon's Mines is the sort of thriller which manages to be wildly incredible and perfectly believable at the same time.

Oct 9, 2019

Full Review

MFB Critics

Monthly Film Bulletin

The film is remarkable for admirable production qualities and outstanding technical work. The impressive climax of the volcanic eruption is staged with great skill and realism.

Feb 22, 2017

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A witty script.

Rated: B+

Jul 30, 2009

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 1, 2005

Full Review

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

Fascinating to compare this with more famous remake.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 5, 2005

Full Review

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dave j

Although some of the themes are similar to other King Solomon Mines movies, the direction is completely different which opens with an Irish father and daughter of (Arthur Sinclair) and Kathy O'Brien (Anna Lee) are down on their luck in search of diamonds. It is then they decide to hitch a ride with infamous hunter, Allan Quatermain (Cedric Hardwicke ) and it is then is when they stumble onto an African man,Umbopa (Paul Robeson) and a dying man attempting to seek the treasure of "King Solomon's Mines- hence the title by map. The daughter who begins to get worried about the safety of her dad, many others tag including Allan Quartermain himselfalong in search of him with actor Paul Robeson stealing the movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

kevin w

Standard 1930's adventure safari tale ("Let's go find a lost treasure!") with 2 twists: witty dialogue and Mr Paul Robeson, who gives out with 3 songs AND is an integral part of the action. There's the obligatory love story, too, but its actually downplayed. Good times! The difference between the studio shot scenes and those done by the second unit are glaring, shaking up the suspension of disbelief thing, by it's doable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A rousing adventure yarn in search of Solomon's Lost Treasure--The Granddaddy of Indiana Jones!!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's hard to know what was crappier..the movie or the book that doesn't resemble it but isn't any bit better. A complete waste of time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Some elements are certainly disagreeable with today's audience, particularly Paul Robeson's character's out of place singing antics. Nevertheless, this is an almost perfectly balanced adventure film, backed up by excellent production values that make it look stunning.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Dated [but] still of interest... production values and special effects are impressive for the period... makes good use of authentic African locations and performers.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Robert Stevenson

Director

Paul Robeson

Umbopa

Cedric Hardwicke

Allan Quatermain

Anna Lee

Kathleen "Kathy" O'Brien

Roland Young

Cmdr. John Good

John Loder

Sir Henry Curtis

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Synopsis

Kathy's (Anna Lee) father is intrigued by the stories Umbopa (Paul Robeson), a man they meet on their way to the South African coast, tells them about Solomon's diamond mines. So, he steals away in the night, leaving Kathy with a group of relative strangers. To find her father, Kathy enlists the help of hunter Allan Quatermain (Cedric Hardwicke) for a journey to the mines, where they are met with some less than hospitable natives -- who do not plan on making their task any easier.

Director: Robert Stevenson
Screenwriter: Charles Bennett, Michael Hogan, Roland Pertwee
Production Co: Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd.
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 2, 1937, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2016
Runtime: 1h 20m

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