The Roots of Heaven is a 1958 American adventure film made for 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor is based on Romain Gary's 1956 Prix Goncourt-winning novel of the same name. The film stars Errol Flynn, Juliette Gréco, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas, Herbert Lom and Grégoire Aslan. Huston later said that Roots of Heaven "could have been a very fine film. And largely owing to me was not a good film at all." Plot In French Equatorial Africa, crusading environmentalist Morel sets out to preserve the elephants from extinction as a lasting symbol of freedom for all humanity. He is helped by Minna, a nightclub hostess, and Forsythe, a disgraced British military officer hoping to redeem himself. Cast Errol Flynn as Maj. Forsythe Juliette Gréco as Minna Trevor Howard as Morel Eddie Albert as Abe Fields Orson Welles as Cy Sedgewick Paul Lukas as Saint Denis Herbert Lom as Orsini Grégoire Aslan as Habib André Luguet as Governor Frederick Ledebur as Peer Qvist Edric Connor as Waitari Oliver Hussenot as The Baron Pierre Dudan as Maj. Scholscher Marc Doelnitz as De Vries Francis de Wolff as Father Fargue Dan Jackson as Madjumba Maurice Cannon as Haas Jacques Marin as Cerisot Alain Saury as A.D.C. Production Development 20th Century Fox bought the film rights the novel in April 1957 for more than $100,000. The novel had sold over 300,000 copies in Europe but had not yet been released in the U.S., where it would become a bestseller. In May, Darryl F. Zanuck announced that he would produce the film independently for Fox (he had a contract with the studio to make films), and wanted John Huston to direct. Zanuck said that the theme of the film was "simple... A man comes to the conclusion that if we don't stop killing people we destroy ourselves." And he says, "Why not start with our biggest companions on earth, the elephants, whose only enemy is man?" He later added: This picture is really great for us – intellectually great. Whether it's commercially great, whether people will grab on to it, we must wait and see. If they grab on to a man in love with a bridge, then why shouldn't they grab on to a man in love with an elephant? Huston said that