Grade: C-
Synopsis: A married anthropologist (Grace Kelly) and a chorus girl (Ava Gardner) fight over a white hunter (Clark Gable) in Africa.
Time has not been kind to Mogambo. The overwrought melodrama, grainy jungle footage, and 1950’s sensibilities are all glaringly obvious fifty some years later, and, were it not for the combined star power of Clark Gable, Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner, Mogambo would be entirely forgettable.
Director John Ford seems unsure just how best to combine the script’s two stories, one an adventure showcasing the wilds of Africa, and another involving a man torn between good-girl Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner. Perhaps he should have taken a cue from John Huston and just made two separate movies, as Huston’s two films, The African Queen (1951) and The Night of the Iguana (1964), combined tell a similar story and manage to age amazingly well.
Unfortunately though, we’re stuck with a frustrating film that often hints at greatness, whether it be the location photography, or the chemistry between Gable and Kelly, but never follows through, and, at almost two hours, becomes somewhat tedious by the time the credits roll.
Bottom Line: Fans of Gable, Kelly, or Gardner should find Mogambo passable, but expect to come away frustrated.
