African Film Archive

Stanley and Livingstone

1939 — Henry King, Otto Brower — United States

feature · adventure, drama, history · pre-history

This 20th Century Fox production dramatizes journalist Henry Morton Stanley's expedition through East Africa to find the missing missionary David Livingstone, with contemporary critics noting the film took considerable liberties with the historical record.

Fun fact: Spencer Tracy played Stanley, and the film's most quoted line, Dr. Livingstone, I presume, remains one of the most referenced phrases to come out of colonial-era African exploration narratives.

Notes: Non-African-directed Hollywood production set in pre-colonial East and Central Africa, included per methodology as clearly labeled pre-history era work.

Verification: verified · Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Poster source: Wikipedia