Mister Moses (1965) is a technicolor adventure film that blends a lighthearted modern story with a religious, almost biblical, parallel, directed by Ronald Neame and based on the 1961 novel by Max Catto. Set and filmed entirely in Kenya—specifically around Lake Naivasha and Amboseli National Park—the movie stars Robert Mitchum and Carroll Baker. Plot Summary
Filming involved interaction with the Maasai tribe, with Carroll Baker spending significant time with them on set. Mister Moses
The core conflict arises when the government forces an entire local tribe to abandon their traditional home and relocate for safety. The tribe is reluctant, but they become convinced that Joe Moses is a contemporary savior figure sent to lead them to a new "promised land". Despite his rough edges and selfish intentions, Moses eventually embraces his role, guiding the tribe and their animals through the wilderness to safety. Production and Reception Mister Moses (1965) is a technicolor adventure film
The story follows Joe Moses (Robert Mitchum), a rough, cynical con man, diamond smuggler, and patent-medicine hawker who is chased out of a village in French Equatorial Africa. Following his departure, he is found injured and unconscious in the river "bull-rushes" by Julie Anderson (Carroll Baker), the daughter of a local missionary. The core conflict arises when the government forces
The New York Times review of the 1965 release noted that while it was a picturesque color adventure, the plot struggled with credibility.
While marketed as an action-adventure film, it leans heavily on religious allegory, drawing parallels to the Book of Exodus.