The Roots of Heaven (1958)

★ 6.1 2h 1m IMDb

In French Equatorial Africa, an idealist campaigns to save the African elephant, gaining support from a nightclub hostess and an ex-soldier. His cause attracts a mix of characters, including a U.S. commentator, a government aide opposed to him, and an ivory hunter with conflicting interests.

The Roots of Heaven

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Cast

Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn as Forsythe Died 1959 · Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 - October 14, 1959) was an Australian-American actor and writer. He is popularly remembered as a charismatic romantic hero in the eight films he starred in wi...
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard as Morel Died 1988 · Cliftonville, Kent, England, UK Trevor Howard (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was a British actor. He was born in Cliftonville, Kent, England, the son of Mabel Grey (Wallace) and Arthur John Howard. He was educated at Clifton C...
Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert as Abe Fields Died 2005 · Rock Island, Illinois, USA Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 - May 26, 2005), known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in...
Juliette Gréco
Juliette Gréco as Minna Died 2020 · Montpellier, Hérault, France Juliette Gréco (7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by S...
Orson Welles
Orson Welles as Cy Sedgewick Died 1985 · Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio....
Paul Lukas
Paul Lukas as Saint Denis Died 1971 · Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary] Paul Lukas (originally named Pál Lukács) was a Hungarian born stage, screen, radio, and television actor, in Hollywood from 1927..

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 5/10 Apr 04, 2022
I just wonder how much acting Errol Flynn or Orson Welles actually had to do in this really disappointing and meandering yarn - they both appear as disinterested as the other. Trevor Howard doesn't fare much better as the early ecologist "Morel" who is determined to put a stop to elephant hunting. That's quite a task given he is slap bang amidst French Equatorial Africa where most of the community is employed in this "sport" and most of the establishment takes part. More by luck than judgement, his campaign attracts the attention of "Sedgewick" (Welles) and soon photographer Eddie Albert ("Abe") in on site to capture the images and tell the world the story. What now ensues is a battle with the hunters now having something entirely new to hunt. The story isn't half bad, but the execution is rally poor. Flynn, playing a dissolute former British officer is nowhere near his best form, Welles features but sparingly and the rest of this is looks little better than a glorified episode of "Daktari" (without "Clarence"). It is way, way, too long with production standards that are mediocre at best. It's sad to see such an high profile ensemble cast going to waste like this, but this is really pretty dull and forgettable.

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