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By
NICK ZEGARAC
William Dieterle's "Elephant
Walk" (1954) is one of those sumptuously mounted
exotic bores that tend to rely too heavily on
location and setting and not enough on plot to
sustain its running time. It stars the delicious
Elizabeth Taylor -- never looking more ravishingly
beautiful -- as Ruth Wiley. The owner of a book
emporium in London, she is quickly married off to
John (Peter Finch) before the first reel has had a
chance to expire. John is one of those fabulously
wealthy but narrow minded colonialist plantation
owners, living in the opulence of his late
father's estate in Ceylon -- The Elephant Walk.
Seems John's late father, Tom was a bit of tyrant.
He deliberately built this palatial estate in the
middle of a path carved by the elephants that --
even to this day -- attempt to enter the gated
grounds en route to their watering hole.
The story is, of course, a parable for man's cruel
and inane self image of supremacy over beasts of
burden. But what Ruth soon discovers is that that
sense of supremacy extends to her place on the
plantation. She is a trophy wife. Unhappy, unloved
and unsure of what the future holds for her, Ruth
is given temporary purpose as a nurse when a
plague breaks out amongst the workers. But from
here on, the plot really doesn't have much to say.
Nor does it clarify for us as the audience why
John is so maniacal about the preservation of his
late father's memory. At one point Ruth suggests
that John really hated his father but is strangely
becoming more of a tyrant than he ever was. Her
snap analysis does not go over well.
Director Dieterle gives us only glimpses of
storylines that were probably more in depth and
fully realized in rough drafts of the script; from
head servant, Appuhamy (Abraham Sofarer) almost
séance-like 'conversations' with the former master
-- while standing over his grave -- to his instant
and unfounded dislike of Ruth, or the way that
Dana Andrews has just been thrown into the mix as
Dick Carver -- an overseer who would rather be
surveying Ruth than the tea fields. Dick's
advances are met with passion, then discontent,
and finally rejection -- but for no apparent
reason or logic -- after a fabulously staged
stampede virtually levels The Elephant Walk in a
blaze of fire.
At least there's something to celebrate with
Paramount's DVD. The image is rather impressive
for the most part, exhibiting rich and vibrant
colors. Contrast and black levels are accurately
represented. There's a hint of age-related
artifacts but nothing that will distract. There's
also some minor softness during a few brief scenes
that is probably the result of shrinkage in the
original Technicolor negative. Nevertheless, the
image throughout is remarkably solid and resilient
to the ravages of time. The audio is mono but
nicely balance and cleaned up. There are NO
extras. |
