African Gold

I watched this movie a lot as a kid because it would play often on weekend or late night tv. It was called RIDE THE HIGH WIND. It's South African title was AFRICAN GOLD. The film starts out where Darren McGavin's character named Mike Gregory is a pilot whose plane has mechanical failures and forces him to crash the plane in the African Desert. As he wanders the desert looking for help he comes across an old wagon and the bones of horses or mules. He is rescued by two surveyors who take him to the house by a mine. The miner's wife, Maria Duval (Alison Seebohm) is attracted to Mike and propositions him because she is so unhappy with her husband who is cruel and walks around with a vicious German Shepherd. Mike has a quickie with her and returns to Johannesburg. He is soon propositioned by a Major Dillon to go back into the desert to where the wagon ruins he discovered because that is suppose to have a fortune in gold buried nearby them. The Major (John Hayter) his son, Jack Dillon (Michael McGovern) and his fiancee Helena Hason (Maria Perschy) want to have Mike take them to the wagon ruins to find this gold. They do some initial scouting an fact finding by talking to the sole survivor of the Boer gold wagon and then proceed on their mission. The conflict arises when they are followed and confronted by the cruel Karl Duval (Albert Lievan) along with his wife Maria and that crazy mean German Shepherd. Needless to say some people will die. The movie has a fantastic twist ending and it is one of Darren McGavin's best. Great performance by him. Clever script, even threw in some science on how to make distilled water from urine. This film has the potential to be perfect for a remake if they had the right cast and did not screw up the script.

This brings back Henry Rider Haggard and his marvellous African adventures of treasure-hunting and quests for the unknown, with terrible villains on the way. The moment you come across the horrible watch-dog of Albert Lieven you immediately understand that he must be the villain here, but what a villain! He will constantly surprise you with new dirty tricks, while no one, not even himself, could ever expect the last one. Darren McGavin is totally himself as he continued to be for many years to come, and he never gives in, not even after that awesome single combat with Lieven, in which they both beat the hell out of each other, leaving no scars in neither. The ladies are lovely, and at least one of them survives. You feel sad about all the victims on the way that just are left rotting in the desert, but what is an adventure film without at least one or two survivors? The action is fierce all the way, they drink a lot whenever there is a chance to, and all the ladies can cook, while we never learn the end of the story. Whatever happened to all that gold? Was it just a great fake all from the beginning, someone deceiving everyone and vanishing? Maybe that old blind fellow with no wits left in his ruined mind, left alone in his hut to continue preaching for himself.

While this film is dated by today's standards I enjoyed it for it's beautiful African locale and use of LAND ROVERS! Dialogue is a little corny but remember that it was made in the 1960's after all...The film has a decidedly surprise ending and Darren McGavin does his best with the dialogue that was written. All and all, I still enjoy this movie!