Clint Eastwood directs and stars in White Hunter Black Heart (1990), a drama based on Peter Viertel's semi-autobiographical novel about a director's obsession with hunting an elephant while filming in Africa. The film, which features a nuanced performance by Eastwood as the John Huston-inspired John Wilson, explores themes of artistic genius, moral negligence, and the "Great White Hunter" archetype. It is regarded as a complex, personal project for Eastwood.