This early cannibal outing from Umberto Lenzi is one of his better films, which actually boasts characterisation (gasp!) and a plot involving real people over mindless violence! Ivan Rassimov is given star billing as an explorer who hooks up with a cruel native tribe. This is probably Rassimov's best performance, initially tough and powerful, and yet later on accepting the ways of the native tribes and even going native himself. At the film's heart is a tragic story of love and death which is surprisingly moving, considering the usual Italian exploitation film (i.e. bad dubbing + bad acting = unintentional hilarity).
I'm not usually a big fan of films which use little or no understandable dialogue (like some of Hammer's prehistoric movies), but this film is a real exception. Rassimov, who later camped it up in the likes of EATEN ALIVE, is genuinely sympathetic as he goes through the horrors of tribal torture and emerges as the leader of the group. Me Me Lai, who starred in loads of films like this, is actually not bad either as Rassimov's bride. The rest of the cast is made up of bad actors and genuine natives, but the emphasis is upon Rassimov and his entrance into this tribal world.
For a cannibal film, there is surprisingly little cannibalism here. The central tribe are actually not cannibals at all, merely animal-chomping natives. Within this tribe there are the typical crusty old leaders and baddies, which makes for a lot of interesting confrontation. At the end of the film there is an attack by cannibals, but there is little human violence in this film which may be disappointing for some viewers. Unfortunately, in place of this, we get a ton of real-life animal cruelty, which is truly difficult to watch. It's best just to try and ignore it.
The best bits come when Rassimov tries to escape from the tribe and is captured, and then blown darts at or whipped within an inch of his life. It's exploitative and at times racist, but Umberto Lenzi's film is actually an in-depth and thoughtful look at an uncivilised culture totally opposite to the one in which we live, a primal world in which the "survival of the fittest" rule is the only way in which to live. If you're at all interested in this particular genre, I would recommend this film, even if it's just to see how the cannibal genre started out.
I'm not usually a big fan of films which use little or no understandable dialogue (like some of Hammer's prehistoric movies), but this film is a real exception. Rassimov, who later camped it up in the likes of EATEN ALIVE, is genuinely sympathetic as he goes through the horrors of tribal torture and emerges as the leader of the group. Me Me Lai, who starred in loads of films like this, is actually not bad either as Rassimov's bride. The rest of the cast is made up of bad actors and genuine natives, but the emphasis is upon Rassimov and his entrance into this tribal world.
For a cannibal film, there is surprisingly little cannibalism here. The central tribe are actually not cannibals at all, merely animal-chomping natives. Within this tribe there are the typical crusty old leaders and baddies, which makes for a lot of interesting confrontation. At the end of the film there is an attack by cannibals, but there is little human violence in this film which may be disappointing for some viewers. Unfortunately, in place of this, we get a ton of real-life animal cruelty, which is truly difficult to watch. It's best just to try and ignore it.
The best bits come when Rassimov tries to escape from the tribe and is captured, and then blown darts at or whipped within an inch of his life. It's exploitative and at times racist, but Umberto Lenzi's film is actually an in-depth and thoughtful look at an uncivilised culture totally opposite to the one in which we live, a primal world in which the "survival of the fittest" rule is the only way in which to live. If you're at all interested in this particular genre, I would recommend this film, even if it's just to see how the cannibal genre started out.