Mogambo

Honey Bear arrives at a remote African outpost hoping for a rich maharaja. She learns the trip has been cancelled due to unrest in the realm. With time to spare, she waits for the next river boat out.

In the camp, she spars with Victor Marswell, a hard-edged American big game hunter. He treats her with skepticism and dismissiveness, seeing her as disreputable. The tense exchange foreshadows the prickly attraction to come.

Marswell's partner Brown-Pryce remains sympathetic to Kelly, noting that scars aren't visible but they're there. He provides quiet encouragement in the face of her abrasive reception. The exchange hints at a deeper connection to come.

Kelly and Marswell's attraction deepens and they share an intimate moment. Their evolving romance brings tenderness into a harsh frontier setting. The night scene signals a turning point in their relationship.

The river steamer brings Londoners Donald Nordley and his wife Linda. Honey Bear boards the steamer at Marswell's urging, though she would prefer to stay with him. Marswell expresses quiet regret as they part ways.

The Nordleys want a safari into gorilla country to record the apes' cries. Marswell refuses to guide them there because of the dangers and insists the trip follow the route his assistant will handle. The disagreement foreshadows tension within the group.

Engine trouble strikes the steamer and it runs aground, forcing Honey Bear to rejoin the others. The delay tightens the group's dynamics in a precarious wilderness. Marswell and Linda's growing attraction continues off-stage.

Marswell rescues Linda from a panther, cementing her attraction to him. He later speaks privately with her and agrees to take the Nordleys toward gorilla country while escorting Honey Bear part of the way to the district commissioner. The arrangement intensifies the triangle of loyalties.

They discover the district commissioner mortally wounded by belligerent Samburu tribesmen. With reinforcements days away, the party must improvise and carry the dying official with them. The group barely escapes into safety with the commissioner.

A romance blooms between Marswell and Linda, while Donald remains oblivious to the danger and tension around him. Marswell wrestles with telling Donald the truth about his feelings. The emotional stakes rise as loyalties are tested.

Marswell reluctantly shoots a gorilla to save Donald, sacrificing a potential baby gorilla and paying a personal price. The moment leaves him depressed and morally torn. He returns to camp in a daze.

Back at camp, Marswell drinks heavily and withdraws into his tent. Honey Bear crosses the threshold, offering company and a fragile comfort. The mood is somber and unsettled.

Linda appears and discovers Marswell and Honey Bear cuddling. Marswell theatrically pretends disdain to push Linda away, hoping to anger her into leaving him. The tension deepens as Linda's feelings collide with his manipulations.

Linda shoots Marswell with his own pistol, wounding his arm, after the failed manipulations. Honey Bear lies to the others, saying Marswell had been making advances to Linda for some time, which forced Linda to shoot him in a drunken state. The lie complicates loyalties and curses the party's fragile dynamics.

The next day the group breaks camp and heads back, leaving Marswell behind to try to capture young gorillas to pay for the safari. Marswell confesses his love for Honey Bear and asks her to stay, but she initially rebuffs him. As the canoes set off, she suddenly wades into the water and swims back to him, affirming their bond.