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The Ghost and the Darkness

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CineTV Contest: Wildlife Movies - The Ghost and the Darkness@thunderjack992d

This week on the CineTV.blog, we are asked to write about our favorite film with wildlife. This was a fairly easy choice for me, although I had previously reviewed my real favorite, Hatari!, and so I have to write about a runner-up. As such, I am taking a look at The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Staring Val Kilmer as Lt. Col. John Patterson and Michael Douglas as the hunter Remington.

My copy of the DVD and the book Set in the Tsavo region of Africa, Lt. Col. Patterson, an engineer in the British Army, is tasked with constructing a railway brdige across the Tsavo river. The area is plagued by man-eating lions, that are killing the workers. Patterson is able to kill one shortly after his arrival, and things quiet done for awhile until two more man-eaters turn up, and prove to be working in tandem. These two lions also appear to be smarter and avoid Patterson’s attempts to neutralize them. Remington turns up to lend a hand in eliminating the lions, and things get a bit worse for their cause. Hopefully that is enough to give you the idea of what is going on.

One of the lions from *The Ghost and the Darkness* - [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/mediaviewer/rm1594888705?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_23) *The Ghost and the Darkness* is an adventure film, and is not about big game hunting as opposed to eliminating predators that have killed a large number of people. It is based on Patterson’s memoir from his time in Africa, *The Man-Eaters of Tsavo*, which reading it after the first time I saw the film that is based upon it, is an example of when the book is much better than the film, as it goes into greater depth of Patterson’s experiences in Africa. Some of the film, including many of the characters, except for Patterson, and Mahina (who in reality was not attacked), are fabricated. The production team did use some of the techniques Patterson describes in his book as a means to trap the lions. It’s been awhile since I read the book, so I am glancing through it to refresh my memory of it. And yes, Patterson really did find the lions’ den, and based on his memoir, he was creeped out by it.

Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas - [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/mediaviewer/rm3585993473?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_47) That being said, Ghost holds up well as an adventure film, with a fair amount of excitement and suspense. We also see shots that are taken from the perspective of the two man-eating lions, which adds a lot to the intensity of the some of the scenes when Patterson is trying to kill these lions. It also builds up from the point when Patterson and his allies believe it is a single lion killing the workers until a second one is revealed.

Patterson also has to manage the building of the railway bridge while the workers want to get the heck out of there as they are, rightfully, terrified that they could be next on the lions’ menu. One point from the book that plays into the film is that, in the book, Patterson mentions that the lions had become very canny and relentless in the methods for obtaining, as he put it, their “favorite food”. That being said, I can understand why the workers were keen on leaving the region.

Val Kilmer does a credible job as Patterson, and Michael Douglas as Remington adds a bit of mystique and a bit of humor, as well as some sage advice to Patterson. Remington appears with a quad-barrel Howdah pistol, which plays an important role in dealing with the lions. It’s an interesting weapon, but I am not sure how frequently it was used at the close of the 19th century when the film takes place as it is a cap and ball weapon as opposed to using center-fire cartridges. Also, I am not sure if it is mentioned in the book.

Henry Cele as Mahina - [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116409/mediaviewer/rm1863324161?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_35) The film has narration provided by Samuel, played by John Kani. Interestingly he played T’Chaka in the MCU movies, including *Black Panther*. Mahina was played by Henry Cele, although I have heard of some of his other films, including *Shaka Zulu*, this is the only one I have seen him. Both men are fine actors, and performed well in their roles.

Overall, I continue to find The Ghost and the Darkness to be an entertaining film and well worth watching. My one regret – not having time to read the book again before writing his review.

Thanks for stopping by.

For more on this contest from CineTV, please check out the current post at - https://peakd.com/hive-121744/@cinetv/cinetv-contest-81-favorite-movie-with-a-wild-anima

You can find me on twitter/X at https://twitter.com/thunderjack42

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›The Ghost and the Darkness: a brief review@vickaboleyn3219d
Attention:

1) Possible spoilers.

2) This is the translation of a post that I've published the Saturday right here on Steemit. If you're a Spanish native speaker or a Spanish learner, you can click here to read the Spanish version.

Source

Known in Latin America with the names Garras and El fantasma y la oscuridad, and Los demonios de la noche on Spain, The Ghost and the Darkness is an adaptation of the well-known story of Tsavo, Kenia's men eaters lions, which happened in 1898.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins and with the outstanding performances of Val Kilmer as Gral. John Henry Patterson and Michael Douglas as the professional hunter Charles Remington, the movie transport us to the last years of the XIX Century, in the middle of Africa's colonization. From London, Patterson at Tsavo with the sole purpose of building a bridge which would unite Kenia and Uganda. At the beginning, things are going well; the bridge was about to be finished... But The Ghost and The Darkness had another plans.

I remember the first time I watched this movie; I was a 9, 10 years old little girl when it was transmited on TV. My mom, my aunt and my grandmother, as far as I remember, sat to watch it. The four were on the board of our sits watching the carnage made by the lions.

Even now, years later, that same suspense effect affects yet. And my grandmother, who watched it with me and my aunt the Saturday, said that these lions were not men eater. Quoting her, "it seems that they dissected each movement made by the man (Patterson)... They thought as human beings".

I gave her the reason in that side; the villains of this movie were smart, clever, perhaps excellent connoiseurs when it comes to at whom are going to attack and whom are going to avoid. That's tangible in the scene where Patterson and Remington, locked in a far building, were waiting for the lions, which are supposed to be seduced by the odor of the blood of cows. Nevertheless, the plan backfires; in a certain way the lions realized that they were going to a trap, same that favoured them inmediately when they entered to the camp and attacked the hospital.

The lions didn't need to excuse their killing with the famine; "they're hunting by pleasure", as well as Remington said when he and Patterson, astonished and horrified, discovered a lot of human bones in the lions cave.

They were, actually, serial killers.

If you're a fan of the adventures and thriller movies, this movie is highly recommended for you to watch in a weekend with family and friends.

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Consulted sources
- "Tsavo Man-eaters", on Wikipedia.
- "The Ghost and the Darkness", on Wikipedia.
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›El Fantasma y la Oscuridad: una breve reseña@vickaboleyn3221d
Ojo: Posibles spoilers

Fuente

También conocido bajo el nombre de Garras en algunas partes de Latinoamérica y Los demonios de la noche en España, El Fantasma y la Oscuridad (The Ghost and The Darkness en inglés) es una adaptación del caso de los famosos leones devoradores de hombres de Tsavo, Kenia, acontecido en 1898.

Del director Stephen Hopkins y con las formidables actuaciones de Val Kilmer como el coronel John Henry Patterson y de Michael Douglas como el cazador profesional Charles Remington, la película nos traslada a finales del siglo XIX, en plena colonización de la parte central del continente africano. Patterson llega a Tsavo desde Londres bajo el único fin de construir un puente que una a Kenia y Uganda. Al principio, las cosas marchaban viento en popa; el puente estaba a punto de ser terminado... Pero el Fantasma y la Oscuridad tenían otros planes.

Recuerdo la primera vez que vi esta película; era apenas una niña de unos 9, 10 años quizás cuando lo pasaron en la televisión. Mi abuela, mi mamá y mi tía, según recuerdo, se sentaron a verlo. Estábamos las cuatro al borde de nuestros asientos viendo tanta carnicería hecha por los leones.

Ahora, años después, ese mismo efecto de suspenso todavía sigue causando su efecto. Y mi abuela, quien lo vio conmigo y con mi tía hace apenas varios minutos, dijo que aquellos leones no eran devoradores de hombres. Citándola, "parecía que ellos analizaban cada movimiento que el hombre (Patterson) hacía... Pensaban como seres humanos".

Le dí la razón en ese lado; los villanos de la película eran inteligentes, astutos, quizás excelentes conocedores de a quiénes atacar y a quiénes evitar. Eso es palpable en aquella escena en que Patterson y Remington, encerrados en un edificio lejano, esperaban a que los leones se acercaran seducidos por el olor de la sangre de vaca. Sin embargo, el plan fracasa; los leones de alguna forma se dieron cuenta de que iban directo a una trampa, misma que usaron a su favor inmediatamente al penetrar en el campamento y atacar el hospital.

Esos leones no necesitaban el hambre como excusa para matar; como bien dijo Remington cuando vieron, con una mezcla de asombro y terror, el lecho de huesos humanos en la cueva, "ellos cazan por placer"... Cazan cuan asesinos seriales.

Si eres fan del género suspense y aventura, pues aquí tienes esta excelente recomendación para verlo a solas o en compañía de tus seres queridos.

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Fuentes de consulta
- "The Ghost and the Darkness", en Wikipedia (versión inglesa)
- "Devoradores de hombres de Tsavo", en Wikipedia (versión española)
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2 more reviews

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