Rent Where No Vultures Fly (1951)

Excellent Environmentalist Drama Set in late 1940s East Africa - Where No Vultures Fly review by PV

Some may moan that this film is offensive in language and portrayal of native Africans and indeed women. They would. Those who require trigger warnings and grouphugs should maybe grow up and realise this was made in 1951. AND it is very progressive.

We have a main character, a former hunter who switches sides in a way to found a wildlife reserve in east Africa - people forget now it was white Brits there and whose families had been there for several generations often who we can thank for preserving the wildlife esp larger mammals,. elephants, rhino, lions, cheetah, leopards etc. The natives wanted to hunt them or food or to supply ivory traders. Compare the British empire to the amoral empire from the east, with Chinese demand for ivory and rhino horn etc meaning all these animals will be extinct in the world very soon.

Anyway, here, in 1951, set in 1946/7 we have an environmentalist Brit who dedicates himself to found a nature reserve (across Kenya, Tanganinka(Tanzania/Zambia) and Uganda. He is pitched against the baddie of course - whose racist views of natives are made explicit here. This film is not racist - the baddie it! The hero is not, and says 'Africa is changing' and the racist baddie is of the past, that there is no place in Africa for men like him now.

Watch it, all wokies and greenies, and peel the scales from your over-sensitive eyes. This is an important film, re wildlife in Africa.

Nice to see a happy family with a happy boy growing up like that too. Compare to now and weep.

4 stars