The title of this movie, "Mister Moses," is right on the mark. Robert Mitchum's Joe Moses is the savior who leads an African tribe 300 miles across jungle and desert to their new land of plenty. The move is necessitated because the government - at the time, the British government, was building a huge dam in colonial Kenya that would flood out the native village and valley. A lot leads up to this, of course, and Mister Moses was not at all keen on the idea - at first.
But, when the Chief (played by Orlando Martins) learns that his name is Moses, the Chief finally agrees to the government's demands and plan for the tribe to relocate. But there's a small hitch. He doesn't want to go by transport planes as the government plans. The chief has studied his Bible under the auspices of Rev. Anderson (Alexander Knox) and his daughter, Julie (played by Carroll Baker). They are missionaries in the area. So the chief thinks that Moses was sent to lead his people just as the Biblical Moses did the Israelites.
Julie's fiancé, Robert (played by Ian Bannen), is the district officer who has been trying to impress the Chief and tribe of their need to move. Up to this point, the chief has resisted. When Robert returns with armed troops to evacuate the village, the situation is dire.
Just in the Nick of time - a few days before this, the natives had fished Mr. Moses and his medicine wagon out of the river as it was floating by. Joe had been tossed out of an upstream village for whatever scam he was trying that got him caught at the time. He has some good tricks up his sleeve, including a gas jet that makes it look like he can throw flames at will. But, Joe's medicine show is only a front that Julie discovers early on. Joe's game is smuggling diamonds out of the country. Oh, yes, and he has an aged (70-year old) elephant, Emily, that adores him. She gets to pull his sizable wagon around the country.
Well, naturally there's a culprit in this film, in the form of Ubi (played by Raymond St. Jacques). He's a descendant of the tribe's witch doctors of the past. But, Ubi has been to the U. S. where he lived amidst the poverty of Harlem. There's no explanation for why or how he wound up there, but he seems to have returned with a plot to regain his family's role as witch doctor for the tribe. It definitely has certain privileges, not the least of which is the power of fear over the tribe. As one can imagine, this scenario is a fine set up for some confrontations and action.
Well, just as Robert shows up for the confrontation, the Chief says they will follow Moses. This, of course, is news to Joe, who was just about to move on his way, looking for the first rest stop with a bar. But, Joe reluctantly recants his decline after Julie explains that a 30-day trip leading the tribe to the promised land would be must less undesirable than a long stretch in prison for smuggling. Joe sees the light in her wisdom, and Mister Moses leads the natives onward.
This is an entertaining adventure film with a little mystery, comedy, drama and romance. The scenery is fantastic as it was filmed in Kenya. All of the cast are very good. Mitchum's Moses is just a little irreverent in a couple places, but it's more in a type of poking some fun than anything anti-religious. The trek is quite an adventure, and Moses leads them across the lake after its waters are lowered. Reginald Beckwith, who played the dam engineer Parkhurst, died of a heart attack the month after this movie was released.
The screenplay is very good, but the plot ends with a plop. Joe Moses is a sort of hero, and won't be arrested by the police. He's quite comfortable going his way with his elephant, wagon and booze. But then Julie bids her dad farewell and runs to catch up with him. The perfect ending for this film would have been Joe Moses walking off in the distance with his elephant and wagon and no girl running after him. The phony Hollywood ending reduces this film two notches.
Here are some favorite lines from the film.
Chief, "The Lord works in mysterious ways." Julie, "Amen!"
Ubi, "I don't understand you at all, Mr. Moses. And Another thing, you told me you was blowin' this coop. But here you are - right here. I don't' understand you at all." Joe Moses, "Yeah, that's my trouble. Nobody understand me."
Joe Moses, "What's the matter with you, Charlie - you swallow a Scrabble board?" Parkhurst, the dam project engineer, "I don't think that's very funny, old chap."
Joe Moses, "What'd you want me to do, hit the little weasel?"
Rev. Anderson, "And, finally, we give thanks, almighty Father, for the devious, a... and sometimes improbable means by which we were brought through the valley of the shadow into the promised land. Amen."
Rev. Anderson, "Where will you go, Joe?" Joe Moses, "Some place where a bum can sit down with his elephant and have a quiet drink without being bugged."
