Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

HotToastyRag Elizabeth Taylor's role in Elephant Walk reminds me of her role in Giant. She's married to a very powerful man, but she can't seem to quell her rambunctious nature, often starting fights and dishing out what she takes. So, if you liked Giant, try this one, and vice versa.In Elephant Walk, Liz is wooed and wed by the wealthy Peter Finch, but when he takes her into his world (much like in Giant), she doesn't quite fit in. She moves to the tropical tea plantation in Ceylon, but the cultural and lifestyle changes are difficult. And when hunky Dana Andrews enters the picture, she just might find a distraction from her new surroundings. . .With Liz and Dana, there's lots of eye candy in this movie. A few strong-willed speeches and some romantic scenes don't make it the most memorable film to come out of the 50s, but it's worth it if you like good-looking people up on the screen.

ma-cortes Agreeable romance/adventure film in which a British gorgeous woman marries a wealthy colonial owner and go to live in his huge plantation but it happens to be on the path where elephants roam. This romantic adventure movie in soap opera style was lavishly produced by Paramount Pictures with all-star-cast , glimmer cinematography and luxurious scenarios . As the young bride named Ruth Wiley (Elizabeth Taylor) of a rich planter (Peter Finch) finds herself the only white woman at Elephant Walk tea plantation, British Ceylon . In the plantation Dick Carver (Dana Andrews), works as a right-hand man and she finds certain protection , thanks to Dick the tough foreman , then a mutual attraction emerges each other , soon makes him indispensable . The jungle , of course, is endangered by some kind of wild life and some dangerous elephants , for this reason she finds herself in a strange atmosphere . Furthermore , a cholera epidemic outbursts , followed by elephants destroying the plantation . There takes places a searing story of sudden love and sudden death in the hot green hell of the Ceylon jungle , being threatened by the hovering , ominous appearance of the hostile elephants . One man and several elephants claimed the land , two men claimed the woman who lived there . This exciting film has emotion , romance , intrigue , exotic landscapes , colonial settings and results to be pretty entertaining . Ceylon's balmy jungles provide the backstage for a triangular torrid love between Elizabeth Taylor , Peter Finch and Dana Andrews , in this post-prime William Dieterle effort . Intelligent and engaging script which uses intriguing situations to give us an acceptable movie in a high sense and intimate sensitivity and that kept me entertained for the almost 100 minutes of duration . ¨Elephant walk¨ is an enjoyable adventure movie , a menace melodrama with a wide view of a huge tropical bungalow , exotic scenarios with rage excessively colorful , big bull elephants , an amazing mansion , a love story , drama and many other things . The movie is very persuasively made , usually rise to a crescendo of emotion and had at the time a remarkable success. Entertaining romance/adventure is visually striking with a spectacular final . I liked everyone in the excellent cast, and the male and female actors , especially Elizabeth Taylor , were all very attractive . The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching and attractive Elizabeth Taylor who gives one of her best screen acting . Elizabeth wears lush gowns splendidly designed by expert costume designer Edith Head . Although Vivien Leigh was originally cast, but her mental illness begun affecting things during filming, and so she was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor ; many long shots and shots from behind are still of Leigh . Furthermore, a thrilling as well as breathtaking climax at the mansion in which the protagonist are besieged by a herd of elephants . This picture bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Escape to Burma¨ (1954) by Allan Dwan that contains a similar jungle scenario (Sri Lanka) , elephants and known actors as Barbara Stanwyck , Robert Ryan and David Farrar . It also has several points in common with ¨The naked jungle¨ by Byron Haskin regarding a woman , Eleanor Parker , who marries a planter , Charlton Heston , living in jungle until a final tragedy takes place . ¨Elephant walk¨ packs a colorful cinematography print in Technicolor 1.37:1 and composed for Widescreen presentation, by Loyal Griggs considered to be one of the best cameramen of the 40s and 50s . Sensitive as well as evocative musical score by the classic Franz Waxman . This adventure yarn from the golden age of Hollywood was well directed by William Dieterle as a classic example of drama/romance/adventure of the fifties . Dieterle is a German director who was in Hollywood by 1930s and directing dramas (Scarlet down, Fog over Frisco, Fashions) , costumer (Hunchback of Notre Dame,Kismet,Omar Khayyan) and biopics (Life of Emile Zola, Dr Ehrlich, Juarez, Madame Curie, Reuter) that were a revelation at the box-office. Rating : 6,5/10 , better than average . Well worth watching . The picture will appeal to Elizabeth Taylor fans .

classicsoncall My summary quote may seem strangely out of place, but there was not a single significant line of dialog in the picture worth remembering. So I went with the song lyric commemorating the late Tom Wiley, the Governor of Elephant Walk who's spirit overshadows the characters and temperament of all those who inhabit this idyllic retreat in the middle of a Ceylanese jungle. It's hard to imagine all the opulence and wealth of this 'bungalow' in a film made almost sixty years ago and I have to say it all looked rather impressive. Questioning why the late Tom Wiley built his palatial home across a trail leading to water for a native elephant herd is probably missing the point of the film. It has all to do with the arrogance of Man and a need or desire to conquer his surroundings and make it subject to one's grand pleasure. But you know, ultimately, you can't mess with Mother Nature.I have to admit, this film held a strange fascination for me for the most part. The story is so unlike anything else you might come across, what with the threatening elephant herd and John Wiley's (Peter Finch) permanent house guests who break into bicycle polo well after the sun goes down. It's what "Animal House" might have been without John Belushi.This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea (no pun intended), but you really do have to stick around for the elephant rampage finale. I'm not easily buying the way they knocked down the brick and concrete walls of the bungalow compound, but the way they trashed the house was magnificent. Did you see that staircase move a couple of feet and still stay in one piece? If this wasn't a movie, I would have really felt bad about Elephant Walk going up in flames like that because it seemed entirely preventable. Maybe next time they could build it along side the water trail instead of right across it.As ever, the young Elizabeth Taylor is her usual gorgeous self as she walks a tightrope between a newlywed husband and plantation foreman Dick Carver (Dana Andrews). The ending that's hinted at never does get resolved and in a way seems almost unrealistic, but Miss Ruth married for love in the first place, and I guess that's the way it was meant to be. If you like Liz Taylor and colorful spectacle you'll probably find this uniquely entertaining, vibrantly filmed in brilliant Technicolor.

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?