''Sands of the Kalahari'' is a 1965 British adventure film starring

Stuart Whitman Stuart Maxwell Whitman (February 1, 1928 – March 16, 2020) was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to ...

Stanley Baker Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...

, Susannah York,

Harry Andrews Harry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews, CBE (10 November 1911 – 6 March 1989) was an English actor known for his film portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in ''The Hill'' (1965) alongside Sean ...

Theodore Bikel Theodore Meir Bikel ( ; May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including '' The African Queen'' (1951), ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), ' ...

and

Nigel Davenport Arthur Nigel Davenport (23 May 1928 – 25 October 2013) was an English stage, television and film actor, best known as the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Birkenhead in the Academy Award-winning films '' A Man for All Seasons'' and '' Chariots of F ...

, based on the 1960 novel ''The Sands of Kalahari'' by William Mulvihill. The screenplay was written by

Cy Endfield Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American screenwriter, director, author, magician and inventor. Having been named as a Communist at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing and subsequently blacklisted, ...

and the uncredited William Mulvihill and directed by Cy Endfield. It was filmed in

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

(now

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

) and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and released by Paramount Pictures.

Plot

A disparate and desperate group of plane crash survivors are thrust into a desolate mountainous desert region somewhere within present-day

. Brian O'Brien –

– is a big game hunter and the best survivalist of the group. Shortly after the plane crashes, stranding its passengers, he risks his life by re-entering the burning wreck and recovering vital supplies, including a hunting rifle; however, O'Brien's motives are far from noble. Thinking his own chances will be improved by the absence of competition, he ruthlessly seeks to eliminate his fellow survivors, one by one, intending to leave only Grace Monckton (Susannah York) alive, an "Eve" for his "Adam." In addition to O'Brien's treachery, the survivors are menaced by a troop of baboons inhabiting the area. Initially content to holler at the intruders from the distance, the animals gradually become more aggressive as they realize the people are only a physical threat to them when they have weapons. Before O'Brien is able to bring his plan to fruition, one of the fellow survivors he had driven off into the desert at gun point (presumably to die of thirst) returns with a rescue party. The remaining survivors make their escape in a helicopter. O'Brien, aware he will be prosecuted for murder if he returns to civilization, chooses to remain behind. With O'Brien the sole human in their domain, the baboons become more belligerent. At first he is able to keep them at bay with his rifle. When he runs out of ammunition, O'Brien brazenly challenges the alpha male to a fight and succeeds in killing him with his bare hands. In the film's final shot the remaining baboons encircle the lone hunter and ominously amble towards him.

Cast

as Mike Bain *

as Brian O'Brien * Susannah York as Grace Monckton *

as Grimmelman *

as Bondarahkai *

as Sturdevant

Production

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

was keen for

and

to make another film in Africa after the success of '' Zulu'' (1963). They initially announced plans to adapt

Wilbur Smith Wilbur Addison Smith (9 January 1933 – 13 November 2021) was a Zambian-born British-South African novelist specialising in historical fiction about international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries, seen from the viewpoints ...

's debut novel, ''When the Lion Feeds'', but eventually decided on William Mulvihill's ''The Sands of Kalahari''. Baker persuaded his childhood friend

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

to star along with his wife Elizabeth Taylor, but Taylor was reluctant to film in Africa and demanded more money than Levine was interested in paying. Burton pulled out and

George Peppard George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...

and Susannah York were cast instead. However shortly after filming commenced, Peppard left the project (probably for ''

The Blue Max ''The Blue Max'' is a 1966 British war film directed by John Guillermin and starring George Peppard, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Karl Michael Vogler, and Jeremy Kemp. The film was made in DeLuxe Color and filmed in CinemaScope. The plot i ...

''), and

was flown in as a replacement. The film was shot on location in the

Kalahari Desert The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal d ...

, with studio work done at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

in London.

Notes

External links

* * * *
''Sands of the Kalahari''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sands Of The Kalahari 1965 films 1965 drama films 1960s adventure drama films 1960s English-language films British adventure drama films British survival films Films about apes Films about aviation accidents or incidents Films about hunters Films based on American novels Films directed by Cy Endfield Films scored by John Dankworth Films set in Namibia Films shot in Namibia Kalahari Desert Paramount Pictures films 1960s British films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

Notes

External links