I am not a fan of John Huston, and I am not surprised he did not like it. Many have given away the plot, but it is, as some have observed, way before its time. I cannot simplify it by saying it is just about the legal slaughter of elephants, hunting and extinction. It is that, but it also shows how we human animals are the worst of all, and humanity itself is put on trial in this film. Find it if you can and treasure it and ask if humanity has made a great leap forward or are we in terminal decline? As for the cast, Trevor Howard is excellent in arguably his finest role. Juliette Greco only has to say a few words and she shines far greater than many other supposedly great French actors. Errol Flynn is equal to both of them, raw in his truth about those around him, and in his humanity. I for one forget his swashbuckling image. Quite simply a film that depicts we are as human animals made up of both good and evil, and I asked while watching it if evil would in the end triumph, and the roots of heaven, which is the earth itself would ultimately be destroyed. A truly necessary film shamefully hard to find.
Review of The Roots of Heaven
