Green Fire (1954)

Green Fire - 1954

Coming up next is 1954's "Green Fire", starring Stewart Granger and Grace Kelly.  The film follows a man on a mission to uncover a rich emerald deposit in South America and the lengths to which he will go to satisfy his greed for the gems.

The film's supporting cast includes Paul Douglas, John Ericson, Murvyn Vye, and Robert Tafur.

Rian Mitchell, a miner, finds evidence of a rich emerald deposit deep in the Colombian jungle.  The mine he finds is abandoned and was established in the 1600s by the Spanish conquistadors.  After he leaves, he covers it up so that no one else can discover it.

Unfortunately, a band of thugs led by "El Moro" is waiting for him.  He's injured in the fight and left for dead.

He wakes up and staggers through the jungle only to arouse the interest of a jaguar waiting in a tree.

The jaguar sees an easy meal and follows him through the jungle until Rian comes to some water.

Just as the jaguar is about to pounce, Rian is saved by Father Ripero, a local priest who is riding nearby.

Father Ripero takes Rian to a coffee plantation that is close by where he can get rest and some medical attention.  The plantation is run by Donald Knowland and his sister Catherine.

Rian is in for a pleasant surprise when he wakes up days later and sees beautiful Catherine Knowland.  He's instantly smitten with her.  She gets him some clothes and he gets dressed.  He needs to get on a boat so that he can find his business partner.

Trouble is brewing at the Knowland plantation.  There's not much money, and also not much chance of a good harvest.  When Cathy tries to tell Donald that things will be back to normal soon, he tells her "Good try, Cathy.  But I still believe coffee’s best in a cup.  Say on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean."

Cathy takes Rian to his boat.  On the way, she tells him about what it's like to grow coffee.  "My grandfather used to say there’s nothing to it.  You just find a wilderness, clear the land, plant the seed, watch over it while it grows.  Then after five years, if it hasn’t been killed by root borer, caterpillar, frost, moss, drought or flood, you’ve got a coffee bean."

They say goodbye once Rian reaches his boat.  He tells her he'll be back and he expects her on the dock waiting.

Once he reaches his destination, he finds his business partner Vic.  Vic is on his way out of Colombia, but Rian convinces him to stay and help him mine for the emeralds.

On the way back, they come across an abandoned fishing village, remnants of a territorial war with the bandit "El Moro".

Once they reach their port, Rian doesn't see Cathy, and he goes off to do some business.  Vic meets Cathy and likes her immediately.

Rian tries to round up some men to help with the mining.  Father Ripero doesn't want it to happen, and says the men are better off in the village.  Rian doesn't agree and continues to hire men.

Vic tells Cathy how he and Rian met.  Eventually, Rian catches up with the two of them.  "You didn't tell me how charming your partner was," says Cathy.  Rian replies, "I never noticed."

Things start taking shape at the mine.  They use dynamite to blast away at some of the rock so they can dig easier.

Donald comes up to the mine and takes an active interest in the goings on.  Guards are on duty to help patrol against "El Moro".

With his days spent up at the mine, Rian's evenings are spent at the plantation with Cathy.  The two slip easily into conversation.  She smiles at him, "I take it you must be an expert in romantic movement in South America."

On one of these evenings, they are interrupted and held at gunpoint by "El Moro" and his gang.  The bandit tells Rian that the land he is mining rightfully belongs to him.  He'll allow him to continue mining as long as he gets a share in the profits.

Vic later tells Rian that he likes Cathy and doesn't want to see her hurt.  He tells Rian to be careful when it comes to her feelings.

Things go badly at the mine when a cave in occurs.  Rian feels they've done all they can do and is ready to walk away.

He gets an investor when he approaches Donald.  Donald is only too ready to volunteer up at the mine and he also volunteers the plantation's workers, plus ten thousand dollars in capital.

With no men to help her harvest and no money in her bank account, Cathy angrily confronts Rian and Donald.  She is forced to rely on the women of the village to fill the void left by the men.

Vic feels badly and decides to quit mining and help Cathy.  He also tells her that he's in love with her.

A bad accident occurs.  Donald is killed while up at the mine.  He thinks he's found the emeralds, but he hasn't.

At Donald's funeral, Rian watches from a distance.  Afterwards, he tries to speak to Cathy but she turns her head and walks away.

Rian is thrilled when some emeralds are actually discovered at the mine.  This discovery increases his greed and desire to find more emeralds.

His mining activities even redirect a river towards Cathy's plantation and it soon begins to flood.  Cathy is in danger of losing everything.

She and Vic devise a plan where they steal Rian's dynamite and rig the mountain to blow up so that it will stop.

As they talk, "El Moro" shows up with his gang and a shootout occurs.  Rian realizes the only way to get rid of them is to blow up the mountain himself.  Cathy and Vic are worried that he'll be killed as a result, but Rian knows it's their only chance.

Cathy and Vic watch anxiously as Rian works to ignite the dynamite as bullets fly around him.

He's successful and the mountain gives way.  The dirt/rockslide it creates falls into the river and it is diverted away from Cathy's plantation in another direction.  Cathy and Vic wait for Rian to appear, but they fear he is dead.

Just when they've given up hope, Rian appears.  He and Cathy run toward each other.  He gives her the emeralds that were found and they share a kiss in the rain.

Cast rundown:

   Stewart Granger............................Rian X. Mitchell

   Grace Kelly...................................Catherine Knowland

   Paul Douglas.................................Vic Leonard

   John Ericson.................................Donald Knowland

   Murvyn Vye...................................El Moro

   Robert Tafur..................................Father Ripero

And that's it for Green Fire.  The film was originally supposed to star Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker.  At first, Grace Kelly refused to do the film.  She wanted to make "The Country Girl".  When the studio refused to loan her out, Grace threatened to retire.  They pushed back production on "The Country Girl" so that she could eventually work on both films.  Grace later said that it "was not the kind of picture I became an actress to do."  She was forced into accepting it in order to be able to do "The Country Girl" for which she was awarded a Best Actress Academy Award.

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