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The Snows of Kilimanjaro

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Adventure · Romance · Drama · 1952

Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Movie details

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

“His adventures . . . Like his loves . . . Were great and exciting!”

1952 Adventure · Romance · Drama 1h 57m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Snows of Kilimanjaro?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Castaway

Castaway

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Middle-aged Gerald Kingsland advertises in a London paper for a female companion to spend a year with him on a desert island. Young Lucy Irving takes a chance on contacting him, but once on the island, things prove a lot less idyllic than in the movies. Gradually, it becomes clear that it is Lucy who has the desire and the strength to try and see the year through.

The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild

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John Thornton, is a fearless man who's after more than gold; he wants to do what's right. Thornton works for the U.S. mail and is the only person daring and smart enough to figure out how to travel the deadly 600 miles from Skagway to Dawson, Alaska in the icy winter. His incredibly dog Buck is by his side and part of how he survives.

Mogambo

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

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Forks, Washington resident Bella Swan is reeling from the departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, and finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black, a werewolf. But before she knows it, she's thrust into a centuries-old conflict, and her desire to be with Edward at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

The Aeronauts

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Adventure · 2019

In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing scientific discovery, their voyage to the very edge of existence helps the unlikely pair find their place in the world they have left far below them. But they face physical and emotional challenges in the thin air, as the ascent becomes a fight for survival.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

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A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

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Romance · 2025

Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Henry King

Written by

Casey Robinson

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck

Harry Street

Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward

Helen Street

Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner

Cynthia Green

Hildegard Knef

Hildegard Knef

Countess Liz

Leo G. Carroll

Leo G. Carroll

Uncle Bill Swift

Torin Thatcher

Torin Thatcher

Johnson

A

Ava Norring

Beatrice

Court is in session

Put The Snows of Kilimanjaro on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.