Rhodes Reviews

Empire builder Cecil Rhodes became so important in Africa that they named an entire country after him. This film about his life begins in about 1870, as fortune hunters are flocking to Africa to seek their destinies. Walter Huston, as Cecil Rhodes, finds a huge trove of diamonds and establishes the Kimberley Mines Company. Not satisfied with being filthy rich, now Huston wants to control the continent, seeing an opportunity to unite the warring factions in the southern half as one country. His dream, not so much dictatorial as benevolent, is to improve the lot of the natives; but the Boer War arises, interrupting Huston's plans, then fate cancels them entirely, when Huston, not yet 50, dies and is buried high on a hill in the country which bore his name. Several scenes were shot in Africa, magnificent location work directed by Geoffrey Barkas and photographed by S.R. Bennett. At age 27, Rhodes started the DeBeers company, then bought out Barnato Diamond Mining in 1888 to establish a monopoly. The following year, his British South Africa Company was empowered to take over everything north of the Transvaal and west of Mozambique. He became prime minister of the Cape Colony in 1890, then pioneered the copper mining industry in 1891. He died in 1902, leaving a fortune for public service as well as a fund of $10 million for the famed Rhodes Scholarships.