If I knew who was responsible for the title, I'd seriously be tempted to sue him for false advertising. There's absolutely no huntress in this movie, white or otherwise. A woman picks up a gun at one point, but she's told by a man not to use it and she obediently puts it right back down again. Nice.
According to IMDB, White Huntress is just the US title. It's actually a British film called Golden Ivory, which is bit more accurate. At least it describes something that's actually in the plot. The story is about a couple of brothers who are obsessed with finding a hidden valley with a ton of elephants that they can shoot for the tusks. Not having any money to finance their own expedition, they hire themselves out as guides to a British family hoping to homestead near the valley in the far wilds of British East Africa. When one of the brothers starts falling for one of the girls in the caravan, the other brother questions his commitment to the scheme.
It's actually not a bad movie for what it is; I just didn't appreciate the bait-and-switch. What it is though is a British version of a Western wagon train movie. I'm curious if more of these were made, because it's really an ingenious concept. You could take just about any Western plot, move it to the British colonization of Africa, and substitute African tribal people for American Indians. Instead of the calvary running around trying to keep the peace, you've got British officers. There's no gold rush, but there are plenty of diamond mines. And it's even better than a Western because you get to add monkeys, big cats, and giant snakes.
The acting isn't great in The White Huntress, but it's serviceable and there are actually some nice moments. Robert Urquhart as the love-struck brother is especially good. He's perfectly convincing as a guy torn between loyalty to his brother and the desire to settle down and start a new life with nice people and a beautiful woman.
Even though it wasn't what I expected, I'm giving it...
Three out of five leopard attacks.
The movie is part of a double-feature DVD with 1942's Jungle Siren. Hopefully that one's got a leopard skin-wearing gal fighting wild animals in it.
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