King Solomon's Mines (1985)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

H. Rider Haggard (novel)
Gene Quintano (writer) ...

Release Date:

22 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Action

Tagline:

The Adventure of a Lifetime

Plot:

Fortune hunter Allan Quatermain teams up with a resourceful woman to help her find her missing father lost in the wilds of 1900s Africa while being pursued by hostile tribes and a rival German explorer.

Plot Keywords:

Indiana Jones Spoof | Africa | Expedition | Giant Spider | Jungle

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	Allan Quatermain
Sharon Stone	...	Jesse Huston
Herbert Lom	...	Colonel Bockner
John Rhys-Davies	...	Dogati
Ken Gampu	...	Umbopo
June Buthelezi	...	Gagoola
Sam Williams	...	Scragga
Shaike Ophir	...	Kassam
Mick Lesley	...	Dorfman
Vincent Van der Byl	...	Shack
Bob Greer	...	Hamid
Oliver Tengende	...	Bushiri
Neville Thomas	...	German Pilot
Bishop McThuzen	...	Dari
Isiah Murert	...	Rug Carrier

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-14 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Zimbabwe

Company:

Cannon Group

Trivia:

There were rumours that the six month shoot was cursed, so the director J. Lee Thompson had called for a witch-doctor, a N'anga, to lift the curse.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The German troops are largely using the Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I rifle, a British weapon not developed until the late 1930's and never adopted by the German armed forces.

Quotes:

Dogati: We must cross rivers, we must climb mountains. Must we listen to this, too?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in High Adventure (2001)

GREAT FILM!

This is one of my favourite films, as it is so easy to watch, i think the director was being Padraic of other action/adventure films and that is why it appears cheesy. I think the areoplane scene which we can tell is really fake, is meant to make you laugh. I particularly like the way secretly Sharon Stone's shorts within the film start as clam diggers and by the end of the film she almost has hot pants on (typical Hollywood male gaze of woman). I think for that time the special effects were excellent for an action/adventure treasure hunter film. I like the narrative of this film, as its not really complicated, i also like the way light is used in the tree tops when sharon & quatermain meet the upside-down people. This film is perfect to watch hungover eating warmed up pizza from the night before.