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Trader Horn

Play trailer Poster for Trader Horn Released May 23, 1931 2h 3m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Famous African explorer Trader Horn (Harry Carey) sails to a small village with Peru (Duncan Renaldo), his best friend's son. That night, their camp is disrupted by the arrival of Trader's friend Edith Trent (Olive Carey), a missionary searching for her missing daughter, Nina (Edwina Booth). Shortly afterwards, Trader and Peru come across Edith's dead body. Continuing the expedition, they discover Nina is now the evil leader of a nearby tribe, and plans to sacrifice them.

Critics Reviews

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TIME Staff TIME Magazine Incomparably the best jungle picture made so far. Feb 7, 2019 Full Review Variety Staff Variety A good-looking animal picture. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Mordaunt Hall New York Times This shrewdly fashioned jungle melodrama proved to be thoroughly exciting to the spectators last night and it seemed as though many of them were a bit nearer than they ever wanted to be to a big game hunt. Rated: 4/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Francisco J. Ariza Cine-Mundial One of the most splendid premieres of the year. [Full Review in Spanish] Sep 10, 2019 Full Review Alexander Bakshy The Nation The picture is a magnificent record of wild life in Central Africa, abounding in thrilling episodes and in scenic splendors. Jan 18, 2013 Full Review TV Guide The first time Hollywood brought its cameras to the Dark Continent was for this adventure film that was probably more dangerous for the film crew than it was for the characters in the story. Rated: 3/4 Jan 31, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Louisa E I had a hard time watching this movie. Ethically, I had so many issues with it. Reading the trivia behind some of it made it worse. It felt so exploitative, which is a shame because an African adventure movie would have been lovely. There was racism and actual animal cruelty. It certainly hasn't aged well. That said, I applaud some of the efforts it would have taken to film in Africa. The acting was ok. I also felt this movie was overly long! I got pretty bored. Was not worth any nominations. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/09/23 Full Review Audience Member The film depicts the adventures of real life trader Horn while on safari in Africa. Much of the film is fictional, including the discovery of a white blonde jungle queen, the lost daughter of a missionary. A scene based upon a genuine incident occurs where Cary swings on a vine across a river filled with real crocodiles, one of which comes very close to taking his leg off. Many during the filming of this contracted malaria, An African crewman fell into the river and was eaten by a crocodile while another was killed by a rhinoceros. Female lead Edwina Booth became infected with malaria or schistosomiasis and it took six years for her to fully recover. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review steve d The racial ides have not aged well. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member An early talkie, great for its time. Filmed in Africa. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Notable primarily as the first Hollywood film to be produced in Africa, director W.S. 'One-Take Woody' Van Dyke's "Trader Horn" (1931) does offer some impressive footage of the so-called 'Dark Continent'. But the racist pejoratives directed at the indigenous population and the unethical treatment of animals make this a difficult pill to swallow. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Known for producing some of the best wildlife footage of its time, Trader Horn unfortunately decides to give us a story line as well. It's a white man defeats the jungle sort of inappropriate thing. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Trader Horn

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Trader Horn

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Movie Info

Synopsis Famous African explorer Trader Horn (Harry Carey) sails to a small village with Peru (Duncan Renaldo), his best friend's son. That night, their camp is disrupted by the arrival of Trader's friend Edith Trent (Olive Carey), a missionary searching for her missing daughter, Nina (Edwina Booth). Shortly afterwards, Trader and Peru come across Edith's dead body. Continuing the expedition, they discover Nina is now the evil leader of a nearby tribe, and plans to sacrifice them.
Director
W. S. Van Dyke II
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 23, 1931, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 15, 2015
Runtime
2h 3m