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A common theme among my reviews is the fact that the movie going public after the release of The African Queen and King Solomon's Mines was not satisfied with studio jungle sets, they wanted the real Africa. Well no one ever gave them the real Africa quite like Cornel Wilde did in The Naked Prey.
That it was shot in Africa is a given, in fact it was shot in the former Union of South Africa, Bechuanaland, and Southern Rhodesia, two out of the three final gasps of white colonialism on the continent. And the cinematography is spectacular in color and quite graphic about the beauty and brutality of the jungle.
The story as it is is set in Africa of the 1850s before the European had penetrated much beyond the coastal areas. Wilde plays a safari guide and tries to talk a thickheaded and obstinate man heading the safari to part with a few trade goods. What this nitwit does is insult the chief. Such an act of lese majeste is not tolerated and the tribe swoops down on the safari with a vengeance and kills all of them in some truly terrifying ways. Wilde however is given a break, a small head start as he's sent out buck naked into the jungle and pursued by the tribe.
Wilde who has the experience in the jungle proves to be quite capable and ingenious at foiling the warriors after him. In many ways The Naked Prey is the ultimate survival film.
For those curious Wilde does not stay naked, he finds some animal skins to protect the privates.
With minimal and I mean minimal dialog Wilde turns in a great performance, in many ways similar to Spencer Tracy in The Old Man And The Sea, but with a lot more action.
The Naked Prey is one of the best African location films ever done and it's a timeless classic.
score 9/10
bkoganbing 17 February 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2755120/ |
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23-2-2021 18:07:13