Green Fire (1955) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

An emerald prospector clashes with a beautiful plantation owner in South America.

Cast & Crew

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Andrew Marton

Stewart Granger

Rian X. Mitchell

Grace Kelly

Catherine Knowland

Paul Douglas

John Ericson

Donald Knowland

Murvyn Vye

Photos & Videos

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Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) A Treacherous Woman

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Green Fire (1955)

Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Open, 1687

Film Details

Genre

Adventure

Drama

Romance

Release Date

Jan 21, 1955

Premiere Information

New York opening: 24 Dec 1954

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Location

Barranquilla,Colombia; Bel Air, California, United States; Bogata,Colombia; Magdalena River,Colombia

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 40m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Color (Eastmancolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.55 : 1

Film Length

9,017ft (11 reels)

Synopsis

Outside an old, abandoned mine in Colombia, mining engineer Rian X. Mitchell is attacked by a gang of bandits, who shoot him and toss him down the side of a mountain. When he comes to, Rian sets off on foot and is rescued by the local padre, Father Ripero. After explaining that the bandits were the notorious El Moro's men, the priest brings Rian to Catherine Knowland's coffee plantation, where his wound is treated. The following day, Father Ripero tells Rian that the ore sample he was carrying indicates that he has located Carrero, the lost emerald mine of the Conquistadors. The priest adds that he discovered the mine five years before, but kept it a secret, fearing that it would only cause problems for his people. Rian returns to Entrada and goes to the office he shares with Vic Leonard, his partner in a mining consulting business. He greets his secretary Dolores with a passionate kiss, and she tells Rian that Vic has booked passage for Canada. Rian immediately goes to the harbor and intercepts Vic, who scoffs at his talk of an emerald mine. Vic tells his partner that he has taken a job as foreman of the Manitoba Carbon Company, and is looking forward to some security after twelve years of chasing fortunes in mines throughout the world. Rian gets Vic drunk, then puts him to bed and takes his money, which he gambles with and greatly increases. Vic is furious when Rian returns in the morning, but against his better judgment accompanies him on the riverboat back to the mine. After attempting without success to assemble a mining crew, Rian goes to the church and confronts Father Ripero, who admits he has used his sermons to plant the idea that working in the emerald mine would be a foolish, dangerous idea. Undeterred, Rian recruits workers by promising a bounty for the first man to find an emerald, and the excavation begins. One day, Catherine's younger brother Donald comes to the mine to escort Rian and Vic to dinner at the plantation. Donald confesses that he is not really interested in growing coffee, and expresses envy of the miner's life. After the dinner party, Rian contrives to get Catherine alone, and they kiss. Rian tells Catherine that his father was a coal miner who was killed in a cave-in, and he has vowed to go into a mountain himself and come out rich. One night, while Rian is staying at Catherine's plantation, they are visited by El Moro, who claims that the mountain belongs to him, and shows Rian a deed. The bandit wants Rian's project to continue, as he lacks the expertise to get the emeralds out himself, and proposes a partnership whereby he will share in the mine's profits. When Rian calls the deed a forgery, El Moro strikes him, and vows to come for his share when the emeralds are discovered. Soon after, the mine shaft collapses, and Vic manages to save Rian in the nick of time. Vic is ready to quit, but Rian refuses to abandon his quest for the emeralds, and decides to try a much more expensive mining technique, which he manipulates Donald into financing and staffing with workers from the plantation. The new operation begins, and Catherine angrily confronts Rian and Vic, saying that Donald's investment has taken all their money and manpower. Disgusted by Rian's dealings, Vic gets drunk and ends their partnership, then goes to Catherine, with whom he is in love, and offers his services on the plantation. The following day, Father Ripero shows up with a makeshift but eager crew, and the coffee harvest resumes. One day at the mine, Donald is struck and killed by falling boulders, and Catherine refuses to speak to Rian after the funeral. The harvest is threatened when the river changes course because of landslides caused by the mining operation. Vic proposes blowing up the mountain to redirect the course of the river, or risk losing the plantation to a flood once the rainy season comes, and Catherine reluctantly agrees, despite Father Ripero's admonitions. After setting the dynamite, Vic calls on Rian and apprises him of the plan. Rian tries in vain to stop his departing workers, whom Catherine has rehired, then refuses to leave the mountain. Vic and Rian fight until Catherine breaks it up and calls off the explosion, declaring that nothing is worth having this way. As giant rain clouds approach, Rian looks at the weeping Catherine and gives the order for the mountain to be blown up. Just then, El Moro and his men launch an attack. Greatly outnumbered by the bandits, Rian devises a desperate plan. While Vic, Catherine and mining foreman José exchange gunfire with El Moro's men, Rian makes his way to the detonator on top of the mountain. After his friends escape on horseback, Rian detonates the dynamite and, with exactly two minutes before the explosion, finds shelter from the avalanche, which diverts the course of the river. As the rain begins to pour down, Rian catches up with the others and embraces Catherine, presenting her with the single emerald unearthed during their operation as his "dowry."

Director

Andrew Marton

Cast

Stewart Granger

Rian X. Mitchell

Grace Kelly

Catherine Knowland

Paul Douglas

John Ericson

Donald Knowland

Murvyn Vye

José Torvay

Robert Tafur

Joe Dominguez

Nacho Galindo

Charlita

Natividad Vacio

Rico Alaniz

Paul Marion

Bobby Dominguez

Charles Stevens

Joe Herrera

David Garcia

Martin Garralaga

Alberto Morin

Rudolfo Hoyos Jr.

Pedro, bartender

Yvonne Doughty

Lillian Molieri

Louis Oliviera

Background singer

Freddie Hernandez

Background singer

José Salaz

Background singer

Marie Delgado

Juli Loffredo

Frances Dominguez

Tina Menard

Crew

Jack Brooks

Malcolm Brown

Reggie Callow

Assistant Director

Armand Deutsch

Alvord Eiseman

Color Consultant

Joel Freeman

Assistant Director

Cedric Gibbons

A. Arnold Gillespie

Special Effects

Ivan Goff

Written for Screen by

Sydney Guilaroff

Ralph Hurst

Harold F. Kress

Frank Mackenzie

Jay Marchant

Wesley C. Miller

Recording Supervisor

Warren Newcombe

Special Effects

Walter Plunkett

Ben Roberts

Written for Screen by

Helen Rose

Grace Kelly's Costume

Miklos Rozsa

Miklos Rozsa

William Tuttle

Paul Vogel

Director of Photography

Edwin B. Willis

Photo Collections

Videos

Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) A Treacherous Woman Adventurer Mitchell (Stewart Granger) has maneuvered hostess Catherine (Grace Kelly) away from the other guests at her family's coffee plantation in Colombia, a tempestuous scene from Green Fire, 1955.

Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Open, 1687 Opening credits and engineer Mitchell (Stewart Granger) discovering mineral clues, then getting spooked, in MGM's South American adventure Green Fire, 1955, co-starring Grace Kelly and Paul Douglas.

Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) You Were Very Lucky Attacked by bandits, mining engineer Mitchell (Stewart Granger) is taken in by Colombian coffee plantation owner Catherine (Grace Kelly), and the Padre (Robert Tafur) in an early scene from MGM's Green Fire, 1955.

Green Fire (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Thinking Like A Woman Beautiful when angry and on horseback, Cathy (Grace Kelly) tells off brother Don (John Ericson) and emerald mine partners Vic (Paul Douglas) and Rian (Stewart Granger) in MGM's Green Fire, 1955.

Green Fire - (Original Trailer) Stewart Granger has to decide which to take: the emeralds in the mine or beautiful coffee plantation owner Grace Kelly in Green Fire (1955).

Intro Aired: Apr 2016

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Green Fire (1955) Ben Mankiewicz introduces Green Fire, 1955.

Film Details

Genre

Adventure

Drama

Romance

Release Date

Jan 21, 1955

Premiere Information

New York opening: 24 Dec 1954

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Location

Barranquilla,Colombia; Bel Air, California, United States; Bogata,Colombia; Magdalena River,Colombia

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 40m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Color (Eastmancolor)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

2.55 : 1

Film Length

9,017ft (11 reels)

Articles

Green Fire

September 26, 2007

A story of emerald mining and romantic misadventures in South America, Green Fire (1955) stars Stewart Granger, Grace Kelly, Paul Douglas and the beauty of Columbia's mountains in dazzling color and Cinemascope. The plot follows two Americans, Rian (Stewart Granger) and Vic (Paul Douglas), as they search for priceless gems in a hot and often hostile terrain. During their hunt they encounter Catherine (Grace Kelly), a coffee plantation owner, and her brother Donald (John Ericson). Rian's quest to find his emeralds soon presents a problem for Catherine, who owns the land where the treasure lies. She is committed to preserving her family's coffee business while Rian wants to convert the property to a mining operation. So what's it going to be? Emeralds or coffee? How about romance? Yes, there is that plus a lot of obstacles to overcome before the romantic fade-out, like Rian's jealous partner Vic, the dreaded El Moro (a murderous bandit who wants to steal the "green fire"), and numerous natural disasters. But what did you expect from Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, the duo who would go on to create television's Charlie's Angels? The film zips along thanks to director Andrew Marton who is no slouch when it comes to action sequences (He supervised the chariot race scenes for Ben-Hur, 1959) and yes folks, those effects are real stunts and not enhanced computer effects.

Stewart Granger's reputation as a movie star rests on his swashbuckling roles in a series of sumptuous costume epics at MGM Studios; his physique and handsome features were ready made for leading man status. In his autobiography, Sparks Fly Upward, Granger recalled the rather unpleasant film shoot; "Grace arrived with her sister as her chaperone, and Paul Douglas with several bottles of Scotch as his. Everywhere was dusty, dirty and swarming with flies and God knows why we went there as I didn't see any emerald mines, which was the theme of our story."

But whereas Stewart Granger had only fond memories of working with Grace Kelly, the actress had a different impression of her co-star and later confided to a friend, "I don't think I have ever met anyone who was quite so conceited." She had just completed her role in The Country Girl (1954) and would go on to star in To Catch a Thief (1955). Green Fire was a fitting conclusion to a year that had been packed with a most intensive work schedule, not to mention Kelly's equally tangled love life. The production literally left her no time to dally and as Kelly later recalled, "I finished Green Fire one morning at eleven, I went into the dubbing room at one — and at six o'clock I left for France."

Director: Andrew Marton
Producer: Armand Deutsch
Screenplay: Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts
Cinematography: Paul Vogel
Editor: Harold F. Kress
Music: Miklos Rozsa
Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie
Cast: Stewart Granger (Rian X. Mitchell), Grace Kelly (Catherine Knowland), Paul Douglas (Vic Leonard), John Ericson (Donald Knowland), Murvyn Vye (El Moro).
C-101m. Letterboxed.

By Celia M. Reilly

Green Fire

Green Fire

A story of emerald mining and romantic misadventures in South America, Green Fire (1955) stars Stewart Granger, Grace Kelly, Paul Douglas and the beauty of Columbia's mountains in dazzling color and Cinemascope. The plot follows two Americans, Rian (Stewart Granger) and Vic (Paul Douglas), as they search for priceless gems in a hot and often hostile terrain. During their hunt they encounter Catherine (Grace Kelly), a coffee plantation owner, and her brother Donald (John Ericson). Rian's quest to find his emeralds soon presents a problem for Catherine, who owns the land where the treasure lies. She is committed to preserving her family's coffee business while Rian wants to convert the property to a mining operation. So what's it going to be? Emeralds or coffee? How about romance? Yes, there is that plus a lot of obstacles to overcome before the romantic fade-out, like Rian's jealous partner Vic, the dreaded El Moro (a murderous bandit who wants to steal the "green fire"), and numerous natural disasters. But what did you expect from Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, the duo who would go on to create television's Charlie's Angels? The film zips along thanks to director Andrew Marton who is no slouch when it comes to action sequences (He supervised the chariot race scenes for Ben-Hur, 1959) and yes folks, those effects are real stunts and not enhanced computer effects. Stewart Granger's reputation as a movie star rests on his swashbuckling roles in a series of sumptuous costume epics at MGM Studios; his physique and handsome features were ready made for leading man status. In his autobiography, Sparks Fly Upward, Granger recalled the rather unpleasant film shoot; "Grace arrived with her sister as her chaperone, and Paul Douglas with several bottles of Scotch as his. Everywhere was dusty, dirty and swarming with flies and God knows why we went there as I didn't see any emerald mines, which was the theme of our story." But whereas Stewart Granger had only fond memories of working with Grace Kelly, the actress had a different impression of her co-star and later confided to a friend, "I don't think I have ever met anyone who was quite so conceited." She had just completed her role in The Country Girl (1954) and would go on to star in To Catch a Thief (1955). Green Fire was a fitting conclusion to a year that had been packed with a most intensive work schedule, not to mention Kelly's equally tangled love life. The production literally left her no time to dally and as Kelly later recalled, "I finished Green Fire one morning at eleven, I went into the dubbing room at one — and at six o'clock I left for France." Director: Andrew Marton Producer: Armand Deutsch Screenplay: Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts Cinematography: Paul Vogel Editor: Harold F. Kress Music: Miklos Rozsa Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie Cast: Stewart Granger (Rian X. Mitchell), Grace Kelly (Catherine Knowland), Paul Douglas (Vic Leonard), John Ericson (Donald Knowland), Murvyn Vye (El Moro). C-101m. Letterboxed. By Celia M. Reilly

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The film opens with the following onscreen prologue: "From the time of the Conquistadores, the search for treasure has drawn men to South America, fabled land of El Dorado. Nowhere has the call been stronger than in Colombia, whose mountains hide the most concentrated wealth of all-the jewel of green fire-the emerald." Studio publicity material dated September 14, 1953 announced that the film would be based on Peter W. Rainer's 1942 novel Green Fire. According to information in the M-G-M Collection at the USC Cinema-Television Library, the galleys of Rainer's novel were read by the studio in September 1942, and a screenplay treatment by Everett Freeman, based on the novel, was submitted in December 1952. Aside from the setting, however, the final film's story does not resemble either the novel or the treatment.
A October 23, 1953 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Alix Talton would test for a role in the film, and March 1954 news items add Frank DeKova and Lucy Knox to the cast, but the appearance of these actors in the final film has not been confirmed. Portions of the film were shot on location in Barranquilla, along the Magdalena River and in the mountains surrounding Bogata, Colombia. According to a May 16, 1954 New York Times article, producer Armand Deutsch visited Colombia a year before the start of production, only to discover when he returned to begin filming that the country's government had been reorganized following a military revolution, leading to considerable bureaucratic problems. An May 11, 1954 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that additional location shooting took place in the hills behind Bel Air. According to a December 1960 Daily Variety news item, Harry Merrick brought a plagiarism suit against M-G-M related to Green Fire, but the case was dismissed in Superior Court.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Winter January 1955

CinemaScope

Released in United States Winter January 1955

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