With a man-eating tiger on the loose and terrorizing the residents of a small Indian village, big-game hunter, Harry Black (Stewart Granger), is brought in to kill the animal. Accompanied by a native guide, Pabu (I. S. Johar), tin-legged Harry tracks the animal, narrowly missing him on a couple occasions. One time, due to the misfiring of an accompanying man's rifle, the big cat jumps Harry, severely injuring him.
People from Harry's past live in the area, and his arrival has brought them back into his life. Desmond Tanner (Anthony Steel), is an old Army buddy, now overseeing a local plantation. As he spends time with Desmond while recovering from the tiger attack, Harry finds himself reliving the scene in which Desmond's cowardice resulted in the loss of his (Harry's) leg and the need for a prosthesis. Attempting an escape from a German POW camp, Desmond's fear paralyzed him, causing Harry to hesitate and lose precious moments. While he did manage to escape, the few-seconds' delay enabled the enemy to get a shot off, shattering Harry's leg, leaving him with no choice but amputation.
Upon being released from the hospital, Harry called upon Desmond's family, and he and Desmond's wife, Christian (Barbara Rush), ended up falling in love. Knowing the futility and heartbreak of such a relationship, Harry said goodbye to Christian and moved into a life without her. Seeing each other once more, though, has brought their feelings for one another back to the surface. When Harry wonders if she has been happy, Christian responds that while there have been no flashes of lightning, she has been content.
Unsettled by Christian's nearness and the realization that his love for her has never died, Harry's ability to capture the tiger is hampered, so hampered, in fact, that after his own moment of cowardice, he determines to give up the quest. Yet when Desmond and Christian's young son, Michael, is thrown from his horse and is stranded alone in the jungle where the man-eating beast lurks, Harry will have to put his feelings aside. How it all plays out is the balance of the film.
While Harry Black and the Tiger is not one of my most favorite Granger films, the character of Harry Black is one I like a lot. He is a very likable man...one you can't help rooting for. His rapport with young Michael is very sweet, as is his rapport with the guide Pabu. Obviously, the on-screen chemistry with Mr. Johar was felt off-screen as well, for about him, Granger wrote, "His lilting accent and marvellous (sic) hand gestures were a joy, and our obvious affection for each other played a big part in the success of the film." The scenery is beautiful, as is the tiger...and so is Stewart Granger. The man looks fantastic with the touch of gray in his hair!
Having worked so well with Deborah Kerr in other films, Mr. Granger had really hoped to have her as his co-star/love interest once more. However, "to his bitter disappointment, Twentieth Century wouldn't release her," so Barbara Rush was given the nod. Even if Miss Rush wasn't to Granger's liking, though, the sexual tension between the star-crossed lovers seemed very believable to me.
Having worked so well with Deborah Kerr in other films, Mr. Granger had really hoped to have her as his co-star/love interest once more. However, "to his bitter disappointment, Twentieth Century wouldn't release her," so Barbara Rush was given the nod. Even if Miss Rush wasn't to Granger's liking, though, the sexual tension between the star-crossed lovers seemed very believable to me.
In Sparks Fly Upward, Mr. Granger shares some fun facts about the making of Harry Black. During the early part of the filming, the star tiger (a tigress, not the male they had thought) was in season and loudly called to the males each night. Besides being kept awake by all the racket, in the morning, they always discovered evidence that cats had been wandering through their camp the night before. Eventually, "the star" went out of season, and things settled down. Also adding to the excitement of filming in India was the fact that there had recently been a cholera outbreak, resulting in water so "cleaned up" that they felt they were drinking pure chlorine. Coupling that with having curry for every meal, he writes that his "memories of that enchanting camp were smells of curry and chlorine." (The things people go through to bring a movie to us!!)
Although Leonard Maltin gave Harry Black and the Tiger 0 out of 4 stars, I'm going with 3 out of 5. I found it to be an interesting, enjoyable, solid film. For me, it's right up there with King Solomon's Mines as an exciting trek through the jungle (albeit on two different continents). Both films feature a brave adventurer, native guides, superstition, danger, and a woman in love with a man other than her husband. While there were times the film dragged, I found that to be true with King Solomon's Mines as well. In the end, I was interested enough in the story to persevere through the slow parts, and even though I will probably never watch Harry Black and the Tiger again, I, nevertheless enjoyed it. It even touched me a bit and got me lightly misty-eyed at one point.
While not on the TCM schedule in the near future and not out on DVD here in the U.S. (though a Region 2 disc has been released) the film is available in its entirety on YouTube.
Happy viewing!!
NOTE: All quoted material derived from Sparks Fly Upward, by Stewart Granger, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981
