Quand les vautours ne volent plus

Such was the nickname of Anthony Steel,who one could say was the English equivalent to Randolph Scott in terms of his imobile features. Ealing Studios were great exponents of producing films in the Empire and colonies. Here they had the advantage of Technicolour which is used to its best advantages. Lots of shots of animal wildlife. It highlighlights the concerns about animal wildlife existed when this film was madeToo many rich individuals thought it was sport to go and hunt wild game. John Huston did this whilst he was engaged on making The African Queen. Anthony Steel gives his standard wooden performance as the game warden. Dinah Sheridan looks very fetching. She soon abandoned her career after marriage to Rank chief axeman John Davis.

Ealing's first Technicolor tour of the Dark Continent has a sharper script - which extends to the title - and more interesting wildlife photography than it's follow-up 'West of Zanzibar' (including a truly hair-raising encounter with a lioness and her cub) and an indignation at rich foreigners with itchy trigger fingers laying waste to the local wildlife just for kicks that still resonates today.

Tight story well told. Features one of the first rhino versus truck on film. Unglamorous presentation of foundation of early game reserves in Africa. Identity of the villain will be no surprise.