Stanley and Livingstone

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Audience Member Decent movie but a bad ending -- As was common at this time in Hollywood, the facts of the Stanley-Livingstone saga were highly fictionalized and romanticized in this film. This was an era in movie-making when close attention was not always given to historical accuracy. The ending of the movie, with "Onward Christian Soldiers" playing in the background, turned the movie into a salute to the "spreading of Christianity to heathen lands," one of the common arguments used in the 19th century to justify European imperialism. It's another example of Hollywood portraying Christianity as the "true religion" superior to all other beliefs. On top of that, the ending clearly overlooks the fact that while Stanley returned to Africa after Livingstone's death, it was for purposes of exploration and empire building, not to follow in Livingstone's footsteps as a missionary. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review kevin w From one of the best years for movies ever comes this dull and slight biography about the journey to find a "lost" white missionary working in the then uncharted regions of darkest Africa in the 1870s, and then to get the work substantiated. Spencer Tracy helms the piece stoically although the plotting is spotty, and the rationale inconsistent. Charles Coburn and Cedric Hardwick do well as motivating factors. Meh. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Another Hollywood docu-drama which leaves you full of morality, as anything dealing with Dr. Livingstone should. A shame that Brennan was underutilized. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member sprawling historical/bio-pic Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Some people just ain't got no respect for the truth. Henry Stanley is well regarded in the newspaper industry for his coverage of the great wars against the Indians while in the field. He is sent to Africa where few civilized men have ventured and where Dr. Livingstone has gone missing. Stanley has been asked to find Dr. Livingstone, find out where he has been and what he is up to, and bring him back to America. Stanley will have to leave his love interest behind. Is leaving the love of his life worth the adventure, and can he find Livingstone on this gigantic, mysterious continent? "They hate the whites for trying to stop the slave trade." Henry King, director of The Song of Bernadette, Twelve O'clock High, Carousel, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Gun Fighter, and Carolina, delivers Stanley and Livingstone. The storyline for this picture is just okay and wasn't as interesting as I am used to from a Tracy picture. The acting is even below average and the cast includes Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Charles Coburn, Walter Brennan, and Henry Hull. "Didn't you know better than to bring this civilian into Indian territory?" I DVR most Spencer Tracy pictures and found this one to be very disappointing. The plot was straightforward and a bit predictable and the conclusion was awkward and unfulfilling. Overall, I generally recommend seeing a movie if Spencer Tracy is in it, this is a rare exception where I recommend skipping it. "You're going to Africa." Grade: C- Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Highly glamorized Hollywood biopic of Henry M. Stanley's search for Christian missionary Dr. David Livingstone in 1871 is mostly remembered for the stunning location photography that came into vogue in the 1930s when cameras got light enough and film emulsions fast enough to make that kind of shooting less onerous. Co-director Otto Brower shot 100,000 feet of film following Stanley's course through central Africa and the footage was expertly blended with the scenes shot on stage by Henry King to endow an otherwise mundane adventure story with an epic quality rare for the time. None of the principal actors ever set foot in Africa! Tracy elevates an otherwise odious historical figure to a disturbingly sympathetic level by shifting Stanley's motivation from cynical fortune-seeking to winning the heart of Nancy Kelly, a worthwhile endeavor any time. Walter Brennan seems out of place as a former Indian-fighter shadowing Tracy across Africa, but he does provide some much-needed energy to an otherwise languid cast. Tracy later recalled that he had a hell of a time keeping a straight face delivering the famous line: "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?" Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Stanley and Livingstone

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