Something of Value

Something of Value (1957)

Love in an Inferno

As Kenya's Mau Mau uprising tears the country apart, former childhood friends Kimani (Sidney Poitier), a native, and Peter (Rock Hudson), a British colonist, find themselves on opposite sides of the struggle in this provocative drama. Though each is devoted to his cause, both wish for a more moderate path -- but their hopes for a peaceful resolution are thwarted by rage, colonial arrogance and escalating violence on both sides.

Date of release
1957-05-08
TMDB
5.5 / 10 (22)
Runtime
1h 53m
Genres
Drama, War
Director
Richard Brooks

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: Something of Value
  • Filmed in: Kenya

Something of Value is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, and Sidney Poitier. The film was reissued under the title Africa Ablaze.

Production

In January 1955, MGM announced they had bought the film rights to the novel by Robert Ruark for $300,000. The novel was published in April. The New York Times wrote of the book that "the explosive impact of Robert Ruark's Something of Value will reverberate for a long time to come on both sides of the Atlantic."

The film was originally announced for Grace Kelly. It was to follow a proposed remake of The Barretts of Wimpole Street. Producer Pandro S. Berman assigned the script to Richard Brooks, who undertook a research trip to Kenya. At one stage British actor Bill Travers, then under contract to MGM, was discussed as a possible lead. Elizabeth Taylor was mentioned as a possible female lead.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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