Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

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Allan Quatermain and
the Lost City of Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGary Nelson
Screenplay byGene Quintano
Lee Reynolds
Based onAllan Quatermain
1887 novel
by H. Rider Haggard
Produced byYoram Globus
Menahem Golan
Starring
CinematographyFrederick Elmes
Alex Phillips
Edited byGary Griffen
Alain Jakubowicz
Dan Loewenthal
Music byMichael Linn
Distributed byCannon Film Distributors
Release dates
  • December 18, 1986 (1986-12-18) (West Germany)
  • January 30, 1987 (1987-01-30) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$13 million
Box office$3.8 million (US) (sub-total)

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold is a 1986 American adventure comedy film directed by Gary Nelson and released in West Germany on December 18, 1986, and in the United States on January 30, 1987. It is loosely based on the 1887 novel Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard. It is the sequel to the 1985 film King Solomon's Mines.

The role of Allan Quatermain is reprised by Richard Chamberlain as is that of Jesse Huston by Sharon Stone, who was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for this role, for which she lost to Madonna for Who's That Girl. The film also starred James Earl Jones as Umslopogaas, Henry Silva as Agon, Aileen Marson as Queen Nyleptha, Cassandra Peterson as Queen Sorais and Chamberlain's then real-life partner Martin Rabbett as Robeson Quatermain.

Plot[edit]

After surviving their expedition to King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain and Jesse have settled down in colonial Africa. They are engaged to be married and Jesse plans to travel to America for the wedding. But Allan is restless.

A man chased by two strange masked men emerges from the jungle, and is recognised as one of Quatermain's friends. He is delirious and is cared for by Jesse and Allan, but at night, his pursuers return and kill him.

Before he dies, he tells Allan that his brother, supposedly lost, is alive, and that they have found the legendary 'Lost City of Gold'. Quatermain immediately starts preparing for an expedition to find his lost brother. Jesse is furious and stalks off, but then realises how important this is to Allan.

Allan and Jesse are assisted by Umslopogaas, a fearless warrior and old friend of Allan's, to put together an expedition. Swarma, a spiritual guru, and five Askari warriors, accompany them. The group crosses a desert and reaches the Walls of Japora; two Askari are lost when Swarma trips a boobytrap that opens a pit under the road to the city. Another member of the party is lost when savage Eshowe warriors attack the group. Many spears are thrown at Quatermain and his friends, but Umslopogaas deflects most of them with his giant axe. The remaining askaris are lost in a subterranean river.

Quatermain and his friends indeed discover the city. The inhabitants, both black and white, are friendly, and Allan meets his brother Robeson, seemingly in good health and at peace in the society. The city has two queens—the noble and beloved, Nyleptha and her power-hungry sister, Sorais. But the real leader is the evil High Priest, Agon, feared by all.

Allan raises the population against Agon and Sorais, who musters an army to recover the city by force. Allan realizes that they can make all the weapons they need out of gold, which is mined by the population. The final battle ends when, atop the temple, during a lightning storm, Allan uses Umslopogaas' axe to channel the lightning and melt the gold, causing it to flow off the side of the structure and pour over the attacking horde, turning Agon and his army into gold statues.

Cast[edit]

  • Richard Chamberlain as Allan Quatermain
  • Sharon Stone as Jesse Huston
  • James Earl Jones as Umslopogaas
  • Henry Silva as Agon
  • Robert Donner as Swarma
  • Larbi Doghmi as Nasta
  • Aileen Marson as Queen Nyleptha
  • Cassandra Peterson as Queen Sorais
  • Martin Rabbett as Robeson Quatermain
  • Rory Kilalea as Dumont
  • George Chiota as George
  • Alex Heyns as Dutchman
  • Stuart Goakes as the trader
  • Themsi Times as the nurse
  • Philip Boucher as the bartender
  • Nic Lesley as the toothless Arab
  • Fidelis Cheza as the Eshowe chief
  • Andy Edwards as Stand-in for Richard Chamberlain

Production[edit]

The film was made simultaneously with its predecessor, King Solomon's Mines, although it was released a couple of years later. Despite the tremendous liberties both films took with the source material, being more similar in tone to the Indiana Jones film series, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold was loosely based, mostly, on the book sequel of Haggard's King Solomon's Mines, entitled simply Allan Quatermain. In that book, which depicts Quatermain's last adventure (although it is just the second in the series of novels), the character and his associates go searching for a lost white tribe in Africa, and end up involved in a war between the rival queens of the kingdom.

An opulent set was constructed for the film just outside Victoria Falls.

Music[edit]

The film features just over half an hour of original music written by Michael Linn; for financial reasons, the producers reused material composed by Jerry Goldsmith for the first film (although Linn's score does use Goldsmith's main theme), supplemented with music composed for other productions from Cannon Films.[1]

The score was initially released by Silva Screen in 1988 on a CD with cues from Manifesto (scored by Nicola Piovani), Making the Grade (Basil Poledouris), Doin' Time on Planet Earth (Dana Kaproff) and The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (Dov Seltzer); in 2009 it was issued on its own album by La-La Land Records. Cues in italics contain material composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

  1. Train Delivery/Don’t Fool With Quatermain (1:48)
  2. Quatermain Shows Off (1:53)
  3. Quatermain Meets Swarmi/Dumont Dies (3:20)
  4. The Ruse (2:53)
  5. Jessie Fingered (2:07)
  6. Umslopogaas (3:27)
  7. Earthquake (2:57)
  8. Quatermain Leaves Akawi (1:40)
  9. Worms (1:12)
  10. Love Scene (3:02)
  11. Agon Wants Revenge (5:04)
  12. Dumont's Gold City/Coda (3:11)

Release[edit]

The film debuted at number seven at the box office during its first week, earning $2 million.[2]

It was a box office disappointment, one of several that led to Cannon Films reporting a loss in early 1987. The other box office disappointments for the company included Assassination, Masters of the Universe, The Hanoi Hilton, Over the Top, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace and Street Smart.[3]

"I know it went through town pretty fast", said Richard Chamberlain. "I know my family didn't like it much. My father was too ill to see it, but my mother said, 'Richard, the advertising was all wrong. They should have told people it was funny.' But I don't think it hurt my chances for other movies. I know a lot of people who do a lot of movies, and some of them are good and some of them aren't. Michael Caine's one example. He's wonderful in some movies and forgettable in others. I think as long as you're doing generally good work that you enjoy, things will be okay."[4]

Reception[edit]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 40%, based on 5 reviews.[5][6][7][8]

The Boston Globe film critic wrote " there's nothing new under the broiling afternoon sun. It's the same: washed-out scenery, stale dialogue and lackluster performances... Except for the presence of James Earl Jones doing a depressing turn as a native chieftain, "Allan Quatermain" is just for folks who don't mind mining for fool's gold."[9] The New York Times said the film was "of minor academic interest. Those who take the Spielberg special effects for granted are sure to learn a lot by watching these same tricks done badly... Fortunately, Richard Chamberlain is professional and then some, since the film would otherwise be virtually unwatchable."[5] The Los Angeles Times said the "movie seems largely aimed at fans who can't wait for the next installment of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Unfortunately, most of the battle scenes were... ineptly staged... Chamberlain has none of the breezy, irreverence that made Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones such a delightful hero. In his Banana Republic khaki duds and a bullet-proof undershirt, he exudes the dashing spirit of a game-show host. The rest of the cast is good largely for unintentional laughs."[10]

Criticism of racism[edit]

Based on a 19th-century novel that, though progressive for its time, reflected some racist attitudes, the film itself has been criticized for conveying some of these same racist themes.[11] The book Africans and the Politics of Popular Culture provides a harsh critique saying it reached "levels of racism unachieved since the 1930s."[12] Though the film has been portrayed as a comedy and a satire not all critics have been satisfied that the racist themes are excused under this pretense.[13]

Abandoned sequels[edit]

The Cannon Group originally planned a trilogy of films, the third film to be an adaptation of She and Allan but this was ultimately abandoned after the extreme negative reception of Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, coupled with the financial difficulties of the company at that time.

In 2011, a new sequel was proposed by Menahem Golan called Allan Quatermain and the Jewel of the East. The script was written by Golan and Richard Albiston and was to be directed by Golan himself. The plot concerned Quatermain attempting to rescue his daughter from Chinese treasure hunters in the Congo. According to the 2015 documentary Golan: A Farewell to Mr Cinema, Richard Chamberlain had agreed to return as the title character but Golan died before the film began shooting.

Home releases[edit]

MGM released the film on DVD on February 10, 2004.[6] A Blu-ray edition followed in March 2015.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold/Linn". Film Music: A Neglected Art. 2 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Platon marches to no. 1 at box office". The Ottawa Citizen. February 4, 1987. ProQuest 239020580.
  3. ^ "Cannon posts loss for its 1st period as films do poorly". The Wall Street Journal. August 7, 1987. ProQuest 398004510.
  4. ^ Henry Mietkiewicz, T. S. (February 25, 1987). "Chamberlain relished lusty libertine role". Toronto Star. ProQuest 435541417.
  5. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (January 31, 1987). "Film: 'Quatermain,' Starring Chamberlain". The New York Times. ProQuest 426372553.
  6. ^ a b "Allan Quatermain & The Lost City of Gold : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  7. ^ "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  8. ^ "Movie Review : Celluloid Fool's Gold In 'Quatermain'". Los Angeles Times. 1987-02-02. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  9. ^ Blowen, M. (January 31, 1987). "'Lost City' -- Lackluster Fool's Gold Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold -- A Film Directed by Gary Nelson, Written by Gene Quintano, Based on Characters Created by H. Rider Haggard, Starring Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone and James Earl Jones". Boston Globe. ProQuest 294442024.
  10. ^ Goldstein, P. (February 2, 1987). "Movie Review Celluloid Fool's Gold in 'Quatermain'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 292650635.
  11. ^ Foden, Giles (2007-11-17). "Boy's own adventure". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  12. ^ Falola, Toyin; Agwuele, Augustine, eds. (2009). Africans and the Politics of Popular Culture. University Rochester Press. p. 231. ISBN 9781580463317.
  13. ^ "Of Dreck & Drink: Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold and Straight to Ale Illudium". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  14. ^ Landy, Tom (March 23, 2015). "Allan Quatermain And The Lost City Of Gold". High-Def Digest.

External links[edit]

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