Green Mansions, the 1904 William Henry Hudson novel, was made into a 1959 movie starring Anthony Perkins and Audrey Hepburn. The director, Mel Ferrer, after concluding that he could not stage the film in the thick and impenetrable, not to say dangerous, jungles of Venezuela, had, nevertheless, taken the equivalent of about an hour of footage south of the Orinoco (not too far from the mining camp) and also in Canaima, much of which was incorporated into the movie. Although the motion picture, in its denouement, is not faithful to the book, it was pretty popular in Venezuela. The full title of the book included this subtitle: A Romance of the Tropical Forest. In sum, a young man fails at leading a revolution in Caracas and avoids execution by escaping to the deepest jungle, convinced he’ll never be able to return to civilization. There he meets an ethereal, mysterious beauty. Where did this non-Indian woman come from? Why do Indian tribes seek to kill her?
The Lost World, the Arthur Conan Doyle novel, published in 1912, was written after Doyle had bid farewell to Sherlock Holmes. It is a science fiction account of Englishmen who explore South America and discover an unknown jungle where dinosaurs roam. A major character is a young man who is determined to accompany the expedition in order to demonstrate his courage to a lady in London whom he hopes to marry. Upon his return he finds his efforts have availed him nothing and he goes back to the lost world. The inspiration for this work was most likely Venezuela, though some believe it’s Bolivia. However, Venezuela is the one most often alluded to, especially Canaima, a vast region of interminable forests occupied by massive tepuys, which are, in essence, huge mesas or table top mountains with vertical walls. One of these is Auyantepui, the site of Angel Falls, the tallest uninterrupted water fall on earth. Another is Roraima, most likely Doyle’s inspiration for The Lost World, much of whose adventures take place on a tepui.
Incredibly, it has had over 5 film adaptations, the first being in 1925 with Wallace Beery in the title role of Professor Challenger and the next in 1960 with the inimitable Claude Rains in that role. If you’ve seen the great movie, Grand Hotel, the one with Greta Garbo’s plaintive, “I want to be alone! I just want to alone”, you’ll remember Wallace Beery as the unscrupulous General Director Preysing. As for Claude Rains, if you’ve seen Casablanca, you’ll recall him as bribe-taking Captain Louis Renault who, deadpanned, utters some of the most famous lines in the movies: “I am shocked! Shocked! That there is gambling in this place!” And also, “Round up the usual suspects.”
I confess to having seen the 1960 Lost World adaptation but only recalling the scene where a member of the expedition is eaten by a dinosaur. Sorry. I was just a kid. I also saw Green Mansions. I have not read either of the novels. But both books and movies have been a continuous presence in my mind given their link to Venezuela — even to the area where I was born — and the many times they were referenced in conversations as I was growing up.
As noted above, Angel Falls is in Canaima, on the spectacular Auyantepui. Although first seen by a European explorer, the Spaniard, Felix Cardona, in 1927, it bears the name of the American aviator, Jimmie Angel who, following the directions given to him by Cardona, flew over the falls in 1933. He returned in 1937 and attempted to land atop the mesa only to have his plane nosedive and sink in the marsh. He, his wife, Marie, and two other companions were faced with either staying atop a site where no one ever visited — the Pemon Indians, reasonably, considered it too dangerous — or to descend the mighty mount by foot. It took them 11 days. It is entirely possible that the Pemon Indians had never seen the falls until after its discovery by air. It is a fact that they avoided Auyantepui and only began approaching it regularly after Angel’s fall (pun intended).
This adventure brought Angel Falls to the attention of the outside world and it in turn honored Jimmie Angel by naming the falls after him. His monoplane remained atop the mesa until 1970 when it was lifted by helicopters and now, restored, sits at the airport in Ciudad Bolivar, the capital of the state where the El Pao Bethlehem Steel mining camp operated.
Sir Walter Raleigh also explored Canaima in the late 1500’s. Some say he was the first European to have seen Angel Falls, but that’s doubtful given the extreme remoteness of Auyantepui. Even today, to get there, the traveler flies to Canaima from Ciudad Guayana. Then by foot, donkey, and canoe, he arrives at the foot of the falls days later, assuming the weather permits it. I visited once but never made it to the falls due to weather and having run out of time.
As a side note, the incident which led to Raleigh’s execution took place in Venezuela. It was his second expedition, in 1617. Against his orders, and against the express conditions of the English crown, a detachment of his men attacked a Spanish outpost, Santo Tomé de Guayana on the Orinoco. (The ruins of the fort are still there and the mining company arranged outings there several times. As can be imagined, this was exciting for us kids.) Raleigh’s son was killed in the attack. Raleigh returned to England where he knew he would be executed by beheading.
Both Sir Walter Raleigh and Jimmie Angel kept being pulled back to Venezuela. Raleigh suffered great loss with his son’s death, exacerbated by knowing he also would die upon his return to England. Angel kept being drawn back time and again, and, during a rough landing in Panama, he suffered severe head injuries followed by a heart attack from which he never fully recovered. He died 8 months later in Panama but not before making sure to ask that his ashes be taken back to Auyantepui. Venezuela, especially Canaima, has drawn and continues to irresistibly draw explorers, naturalists, novelists, cinematographers, and many others. And will continue to do so.
They, and such as they, understand the pull of the land.
As to the tepuis (tepuy or tepuyes in Spanish), let’s get off the beaten track of precambrian quartz sandstone and go into the science fiction, Twilight Zone world of some contemporary theorists. Giant trees. Yes, some believe these structures were of a time when trees were giants in the land, composed of the equivalent of silicone and used by earth’s gods and priests to communicate across vast distances. So, suspend reality for a moment and when you see the photos of tepuis below, imagine them as tree stumps.
Giants indeed!
