The Snows of Kilimanjaro

By: Casey Robinson

Narrated by: Sean Pratt, various

"It may be the dawning of suspicion, but, the fact that the airplane is faster than the horse, does not necessarily prove that the world is getting any better."–Harry Street, The Snows of Kilimanjaro

This audio edition of the Oscar-nominated The Snows of Kilimanjaro is adapted from the original 1952 film screenplay by Casey Robinson, based on the 1936 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. Directed by Henry King, this American Technicolor romantic adventure film stars Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner, whose performances are critically acclaimed.

When the writer, Harry Street (Peck) is gravely wounded in a hunting accident in Africa, he feverishly recalls his failures in love and in writing. He reflects on his loss of his one true love, Cynthia Green (Gardner), due to his obsession for roaming the world in search of stories for his novels. Although she is dead, Cynthia continues to haunt Harry’s thoughts.

Street feels he has compromised his talent to ensure the success of his books, and feels he is a failure, despite his achievement of having one successful novel after another.

His neglected wife Helen (Hayward) attends to his wounds, listens to his ranting, puts up with his talk of lost loves, and encourages him to fight to survive until help arrives. Her commitment and devotion to him makes Street finally understand that he is not a failure. He realizes that he can have the love and happiness he desires with Helen and he regains his will to live.

The original dialogue from the film is reproduced complete with an accompanying narration that enables the listener to vividly visualize the splendor of this Hollywood classic.

This version offers a unique opportunity to enjoy this film complete in an audio format, with the original musical score by Bernard Herrmann. The New York Times states, “it is Mr. Herrmann's music, singing sadly and hauntingly…a saxophone and a piano in a Paris studio, an accordion in an old Left Bank bar and an arrogant guitar in a Spanish café—these are also actors in this film.”

Listeners can enjoy this superb tale while commuting, jogging, exercising, cooking, walking pets, or during countless other activities.

©1952 Casey Robinson (P)2025 Maple Spring Publishing