The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writer (WGA):

William Goldman (written by)

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Control Your Fear

Plot:

Set in 1898, this movie is based on the true story of two lions in Africa that killed 130 people over a nine month period...

Plot Keywords:

Baboon | Lion Attack | Blood | Bridge | Colonialism

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Charles Remington
Val Kilmer	...	Col. John Henry Patterson
Tom Wilkinson	...	Robert Beaumont
John Kani	...	Samuel
Bernard Hill	...	Dr. David Hawthorne
Brian McCardie	...	Angus Starling
Emily Mortimer	...	Helena Patterson
Om Puri	...	Abdullah
Henry Cele	...	Mahina
Kurt Egelhof	...	Indian Victim
Satchu Annamalai	...	Worker #1
Teddy Reddy	...	Worker #2
Raheem Khan	...	Worker #3 (as Rakeem Khan)
Jack Devnarain	...	Nervous Sikh Orderly
Glen Gabela	...	Orderly #1

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and gore involving animal attacks.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | USA:R (certificate #33990) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Songimvelo Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Company:

Constellation Entertainment

Trivia:

The Lions of Tsavo were maneless, perhaps due to environmental variables, although maneless lions are not unique to Tsavo. Their taste for man may have been due to an outbreak of Rinderpest at the time, which may have depleted their normal prey. The legend surrounding this event is almost entirely based on the books written by Patterson which became run-away best sellers for their day, and made Patterson a good bit of money. It is possible, if not probable, the count of 140 deaths may have been trumped up a bit. Patterson certainly set himself up as the hero of the story, which certainly fit in with the Western notion of the "great white hunter" of the period. It is known that he killed both lions (both nearly nine feet long), and that they did indeed kill and eat humans. It is also possible that they did this because they may not have been able to kill and eat their normal prey as the jaws of the two show some sign of unusual dental disease. They now reside in the permanent collection of the Field Museum of Chicago, but the government of Kenya is moving to try to obtain the pair. The Michael Douglas character was introduced for the purposes of the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Misuse of bird songs/calls. Barred owl, boreal owl, and common nighthawk are native to North America, not Africa.

Quotes:

John Beaumont: I don't care about the thirty dead. I care about my knighthood.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Bwana Devil (1952)

Soundtrack:

Terere Obande

A success in originality, story telling, and terror.

The Ghost and the Darkness is an excellent film. It has the ingredients of a landmark movie. The story is based on fact. There was a bridge being built in Tsavo in 1898. There were two man-eating lions there who killed 130 people for no reason. And I believe there was something more behind the intentions of these lions. Evil can and does exist anywhere. Undoubtedly in humans, and, probably more than we'll ever know, in animals. The Ghost and the Darkness is a reminder how vulnerable we are to nature's fury, and that we should never under-estimate the potential of any animal.

In closing, I'll say that this movie is perfectly directed, superbly scored, and beautifully filmed, and to the adventurous and open-minded viewer, a movie with lasting satisfying and chilling effects.