Another anger inducing drama about the injustices that befall already established civilizations when foreign powers move in, play God and try to change everything. The Mau Mau revolution could have been avoided had the white men treated the Africans of Kenya as human beings and not tried to stop them of observing their already established customs and acted like their masters.
It's a gruesome battle where there's a lot to lose, including some of the Kenyan natives of tribes other than the Mau Mau who are in conflict with their fellow country men. Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier have been close friends all their lives but are now at odds because of Poitier's involvement in the revolution. There's a brutality of the Mau Mau that is almost as inhumane as the foreign powers who have attempted to completely take over.
Good performances by Dana Wyntner as Hudson's wife, Wendy Hiller as his sister and especially Juano Hernandez as a Kenyan native fighting against the Mau Mau helps make this racial drama a very powerful one along with the direction of veteran Richard Brooks, nearly topping "The Blackboard Jungle". English treatment of the Kenyans is presented shockingly brutal, with Hudson offended by what he sees them do, but perhaps too scared of the power of other white men to stand up against it. Definitely a film to express a sad truth about so-called civilized men.
It's a gruesome battle where there's a lot to lose, including some of the Kenyan natives of tribes other than the Mau Mau who are in conflict with their fellow country men. Rock Hudson and Sidney Poitier have been close friends all their lives but are now at odds because of Poitier's involvement in the revolution. There's a brutality of the Mau Mau that is almost as inhumane as the foreign powers who have attempted to completely take over.
Good performances by Dana Wyntner as Hudson's wife, Wendy Hiller as his sister and especially Juano Hernandez as a Kenyan native fighting against the Mau Mau helps make this racial drama a very powerful one along with the direction of veteran Richard Brooks, nearly topping "The Blackboard Jungle". English treatment of the Kenyans is presented shockingly brutal, with Hudson offended by what he sees them do, but perhaps too scared of the power of other white men to stand up against it. Definitely a film to express a sad truth about so-called civilized men.