THE MACOMBER AFFAIR
US, 1947, 89 minutes, Black and white.
Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston, Reginald Denny.
Directed by Zoltan Korda.
The Macomber Affair is an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber. The film was written and produced by veteran writer Casey Robinson. It was directed (with African locations) by Sir Alexander Korda's brother Zoltan Korda (who worked on so many of his brother's London Film productions and directed Humphrey Bogart in Sahara). Gregory Peck is effective as embodying the Hemingway hero, as he was to do in The Snows of Kilimanjaro five years later. Joan Bennett is also excellent as the disillusioned wife (in a role similar to her performance in Jean Renoir's Woman on the Beach, made at the same time). Robert Preston is good as Macomber.
The running time is brief, the device of the flashbacks well used to get some tension as regards guilt and responsibility in the central characters. The film highlights in its dialogue a lot of the elements of Hemingway's image of what it is to be a strong American man - and some implied criticisms of it. The film compares favourably with other versions of Hemingway's books e.g. The Sun Also Rises.
1. An interesting and entertaining version of an Ernest Hemingway story? Hemingway's interest in Africa? on hunting and hunters? Men and women and their relationships? Tensions? Types? An effective adaptation of his short story?
2. Comparisons with other film versions of Hemingway's work especially The Snows of Kilimanjaro. again with Gregory Peck? Production values, black and white photography. African locations? The contribution of the stars and their personalities? The interpretation of Hemingway by Hungarian/English Zoltan Korda?
3. Hemingway's drama of the eternal triangle? In the African setting? Authentic atmosphere of Nairobi and the jungle? Wild life? The musical score for atmosphere and feeling?
4. The title? Its focus and ironies? As explained? The original title and its irony about Macomber?
5. The structure of the screenplay: the initial information, introduction to the characters. tensions, focus on the accident, suspicions? The flashback? Expectations about Macomber's death? The puzzle about the motivation? The resumption of the court case at the end? Margaret's confession?
6. 'Forties style drama: love, hate, sexuality, infidelity, murder? The realism? The importance of suggestion, gesture, innuendo? The use of hunting symbols to express psychological realities? The strength of the film psychologically?
7. Gregory Peck's strong performance and presence as Wilson? A Hemingway hero? The return from the hunt and the accident? The encounter with the journalists? In the bar? His report? official questions? Suspicions? Audience suspicion about his relationship with Mrs. Macomber? The memoir and his explaining things to the official? The meeting of Macomber and his wife? The hunting job, talk with the couple and the easy relationship? The attraction to Margaret? Macomber as a genial fellow? The expedition? The hunting and the feel for hunting? Macomber's running away from the lion? Camping, the meals and their tension, the nights? The increasing unease after the experience with the lion? The reaction of Macomber and his physical abuse of the servants? The talk with Wilson and his changing? The taunts of Margaret and Wilson's reaction? The build up to the buffalo-shoot? Macomber's death and Wilson coping with it, with Margaret? His official report? The court case? The discussion with Margaret and checking out her motivation? A man of integrity, the strong American Hemingway hero?
8. Robert Preston as Macomber? The rich and spoilt American? His place in society? Brittle personality? His idle life, holidays? Talk, buying the guns etc.? In Africa to prove himself, to reconcile himself with his wife? Setting out on the expeditions? The relationship with Margaret and the tensions? Love and memories of love? Cynicism? The possibility of proving himself and his manhood with the confrontation with the lion? His fear? Subsequent moodiness? Margaret's jibes? His bullying of the native bearers? Margaret's explanation of his being a bully? His reaction to her disdain? His change of heart, and Margaret saying that he always said this? The friendship with Wilson? His being ready to die? The irony of the bullet from his wife? The sketch of a spoilt affluent American?
9. Margaret and the ambiguities of her presence? Her relationship with Macomber? Bitchiness? Giving Wilson the come-on? The buying of the guns - and her saying she knew nothing about them? The irony of the subsequent death? Her caution? Growing interest in Wilson and admiration for him? Her being more at peace out on the expedition? The meals? The nights and her memories? The possibilities of reconciliation and Macomber's attempts? Her later discounting these? Her enquiries about masculinity, fear and bravery in confronting animals? The sexual tension and innuendo of her character and enquiries? Her reaction to her husband's cowardice? Her wanting to know what it was like to kill? Despising her husband, audience ambiguity about her shooting him? Her reaction ? did she mean to shoot him? The return from the hunt? The interrogation? Her explaining herself to Wilson? murder in the heart? Not in actuality? Her confessing, her real feelings to Wilson? A credibly ambiguous character?
10. The traditional triangle theme but its strong presentation? Fear, love ambition, passion, despising? The image of men and women? The strong man, the hero, the coward, truth?
11. Africa as a location for testing out American manhood and relationships? Satisfying drama?
