I only caught the latter part of this movie on TCM so this review is based on a partial viewing, but there was enough to appreciate a few things. First, I was impressed at the subject matter at this date (1957) that demonstrated a willingness to tackle both an unknown problem (to those of us in the US) and controversial subject with as much depth and nuance as could be expected in the time it was made and the time duration of the film...very complicated stories within the main story and told with as much as can be expected. Second, knowing that Rock Hudson was known mostly for his fluff roles in color in the 60s, except for the great Sirk films, this was unexpected, with the bonus of being paired with a young Sidney Poitier and his usual brilliance. At the time, Hudson was not known to be gay, so it is possible that if he knew he was (no way of knowing now) subject to discrimination in general society, that he appreciated the role that much more...perhaps there was a level of conviction in his portrayal that was beneath the radar. I (we) would be curious to know how Poitier today recalls his personal and working relationship with Hudson in this film. Third, the whole unavoidable messiness and conflict in how colonial rule in Africa was withdrawn is portrayed well and probably fairly realistically, and all people have their own agendas and it is and was never simple. The story of Kenya in this case was an opportunity for learning while being entertained, and it is one of many such stories of this old continent. Fourth and last, it is both poignant and eloquent how the story ends, with a personal tragedy but with a possibility of redemption from that tragedy, in that what the two main characters shared as children but lost as adults caught in the power and politics of the adult world, might be played out again with the possibility that there will be a better outcome. This movie is indeed, a lost gem.
Review of Something of Value
