Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Mike Baker ELEPHANT WALK's plot is essentially that of Daphne Du Maurier's REBECCA. Elizabeth Taylor plays a new bride, plucked from London to be the mistress of an enormous tea plantation in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka). Her husband, Peter Finch, blends into his old role as plantation Governor, in thrall to his dead father and the influence of his colonialist friends. The nights are spent drinking to excess as Taylor simmers in the bedroom, wearing a series of alluring nightgowns to be appreciated by nobody... Nobody, that is, apart from Dana Andrews's jaded plantation manager, destined to be the third point in the film's love triangle. Taylor is a fish out of water in her massive new home, the palatial Elephant Walk, so called because it was built by Finch's father right in the path of the route the elephants took to reach water. The symbolism here should be clear enough. The elephants want their path back and are stopped in their attempts by Finch's army of retainers, until a bout of cholera cuts down their numbers... Finch has a Mrs Danvers style manservant, who worships the old Governor as though he's still alive, not remembered a little too closely via his ostentatious mausoleum in the garden and his old study, which is locked at all times. Finch is fine as the boozy, weak willed lead, trapped by memories of his father and drinking to forget. Andrews plays the traditionally stolid American male presence, but it's Taylor's vehicle and despite being a little miscast (she's a bit too forthright to play a demure bride) stands out through sheer force of personality. The role was initially Vivien Leigh's, and some footage of her can still be seen in several long shots; sadly ill health removed her from the project. The film is essentially a pot-boiler, elevated by the Sri Lankan photography, the set built for the Elephant Walk 'bungalow' and a good cast, also the fact that any movie directed by William Dieterle can never really be boring. But it would have been better with Vivien Leigh, the star whose mental health problems removed her from a project that was made to fit around her. In her hands it would have been quite a different and potentially more interesting and definitely more complicated film, whereas with Ms Taylor its female presence is played straight and the script's sympathies - which really should lie with Finch's tragic daddy's boy - get lost.

Robert J. Maxwell It's a familiar template. An ordinary girl is swept off her feet by a millionaire who takes her to his exotic home where some sort of dread secret spell seems to prevail. Will the spell be broken and will the young girl finally win the love of her man? Did Joan Fontaine in "Rebecca"? Did Joan Fontaine in "Jane Eyre"? Did Eleanor Parker in "The Naked Jungle"? Don't they all? This particular mansion happens to be in Ceylon. It was built by the father of Peter Finch, who carved a plantation out of the wilderness, and it's Dad's spirit that hangs heavily over the sprawling joint. He must have been quite a man. The name of the plantation is Elephant Walk and the old chap deliberately built it across the path the local elephants must take to their watering hole when the rains fail.The rains fail.Of course, before the big destructive climax there must be domestic problems. Peter Finch loves his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. Who wouldn't? With her white dress, raven hair, and violet eyes, she's perfection in her innocent salacity. But Finch turns a bit gloomy now and then, as if channeling his father, and weekends turn into drunken parties with polo being played on bicycles, a tradition left over from Dad's day. And like all new wives, what Liz Taylor wants to do is clean house and get rid of all of her husband's old friends.Dana Andrews is the second male lead. He's there so that when she's at her wit's end, Taylor can consider running off with him to Paris. There is an elaborate dance with colorful native costumes to celebrate Finch's birthday. There is always an elaborate dance with colorful native costumes in these movies. The natives are superstitious (they're Theravada Buddhists) and easily frightened. They run away at the first sign of danger from cholera and they keep out of the way when crazed elephants are on the march -- all but the faithful Mammy, I mean Appuhamy, who shouts and waves his arms at the elephants -- "Go back! Go back!," even as they mow down the wall and destroy furniture deliberately like the Vandals they are. Appuhamy actually runs up and tries to push one of the elephants away from the mansion. He shouldn't have done that.It all ends happily with Manderley, I mean Elephant Walk, burning to the ground and the Old Master's domineering spirit with it. At one point, Andrews suggests to Taylor that they retire to the "bungalow." That's a Hindi word that English borrowed, along with a number of others like "jungle", "loot," "thug," and "khaki." They never did make it to the bungalow but I'm beginning to envy Dana Andrews. He got to smooch up the delicious Gene Tierney in "Laura" and now the unimpeachably nubile Liz Taylor. What makes HIM so hot?

LaDonna Keskes I was prepared for a turgid talky soap opera cum travelogue, but was pleased to find a fast-paced script, an underlying moral, excellent portrayals from all the actors, especially Peter Finch, amazing special effects, suspense, and beautiful cinematography--there's even a shot of the majestic stone Buddhas recently destroyed by the Taliban. Not to mention Elizabeth Taylor at her most gloriously beautiful and sympathetic, before she gave in to the gaspy hysterics that marred her later work. All the supporting players round it out, and I do wonder who trained all those elephants.Speaking of the stone-Buddha sequence, you really can discern that it's Vivien Leigh in the long shots. Her shape and the way she moves is distinct from Taylor's. The only thing marring that sequence are the poorly done process shots, where the background moves by much too fast for horses at a walk.If you want a thought-provoking film that is beautiful to watch and never boring, spend a few hours with Elephant Walk.

bkoganbing Elizabeth Taylor, fresh from Chillingford-on-the-Thames, has just married Ceylonese tea planter Peter Finch and he's taken her back home. He's got quite a place over in what is now Sri Lanka, a 'bungalow' big enough to have a polo field. And that's exactly what they do there. He and his father's friends get on bicycles and play polo in the living room.It's all tradition you know started by Finch's dad who is known to one and all as 'the Guv'nor.' He must have been something else, in everyone's memory he becomes almost a caricature of the colonial Briton.The man must truly have been nuts or else he was one of those colonials who Noel Coward warned went out in the noon day sun a little too long. He built this palatial estate right on a well worn path that the elephants use to get to fresh water when the streams dry up in their neck of the woods. The local natives have to periodically ward them off with noise. They can't kill them because of the strict conservation laws and the Buddhist tradition. Maybe I missed something here, but did he have to build the house right there? Does make for a spectacular climax though.Peter Finch feels the need to keep traditions up and all the friends come over every week, get stinking drunk, and play bicycle polo in the living room. Not exactly the home Liz had in mind. She seeks some solace with overseer Dana Andrews who being American is not into all the colonial British traditions.Elephant Walk, which is also the name of the Finch estate, has the advantage of some really beautiful cinematography in Sri Lanka. Lends an air of realism to a rather unreal plot. Check out Abraham Sofaer who plays the major domo of Elephant Walk with the biggest handlebar mustache on record. One that Terry-Thomas would have envied.Vivien Leigh was supposed to do Elephant Walk, but she bowed out do to health issues. That tuberculosis did flare up at the right time though.