The Naked Jungle
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Movie Reviews of The Naked Jungle
Movie Review: Strong Characters, Strong Acting, Weak Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
Charlton Heston plays a strong willed rancher in South America who carved out an empire through shear force of will. Eleanor Parker plays a mail order bride ordered by Heston to share his life with him. Things do not turn out as either expect. He is disappointed that she has been married previously. He cannot stand the idea of following someone else. Even so, he is an honorable person by his own standards. He wishes her no ill but, being socially inept, comes across as an ogre. He has his problems but is not as bad as he seems.
She, on the other hand, really wants the relationship to succeed. She is willing to put up with a lot but she does have her limits and her own conception of honor as well as right and wrong. Finally, when she thinks she can stand him no more, he decides to send her back. He is attracted to her but can't get over her past.
The relationship begins to change when they head upriver to investigate some strange happenings. Heston takes her along because he figures he can arrange return passage for her. It never happens. They find the source of the strange reports and it turns out that an army of ants is on the march. Parker's courage in the face of the natural disaster brings to two of them together. His stalwart defense doesn't hurt either.
The story is a credible if overblown dramatization of the fury of certain insects in South America. It does not rely on any "science fiction" gimmicks. The characterizations are creditable as well. That being the case, its hard to identify why this film is not better than it is. I suppose that this was one of Heston's earlier films. His intensity is almost overbearing. Still, it is worth seeing. There are better films out there but there are also many much worse.
Movie Review: "40 square miles of agonizing death!"
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought about giving this film 3 stars due to the lack of ants for the first 40 minutes, then I read about how Charlton Heston improvised the perfume splashing during the argument scene with Eleanor Parker and I had to give it a extra star just for that!
Heston is a plantation owner in South America who doesn't have time for romance, but still wants kids, so he has his brother pick out an American bride and has her shipped down. They fight and argue and bicker for half the movie until a gigantic herd of hungry ants start threatening the plantation. Suddenly Heston and Parker find love amongst dead natives and thrashing antennas.
Great story idea and I enjoyed the performances by the two leads, but way way too much time goes by before the first ant even shows up. If you're looking for straight ant action then you'd be better off with PHASE IV or even the campy 1977 Suzanne Somers/Myrna Loy vehicle IT HAPPENED AT LAKEWOOD MANOR.
Based on the 1948 radio play "Leiningen vs. the Ants"
D: Bryon Hasking (WAR OF THE WORLDS, TREASURE ISLAND)
Christopher Leiningen - Charlton Heston (EARTHQUAKE, TOUCH OF EVIL)
Joanna Leiningen - Eleanor Parker (THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON)
Commissioner -William Conrad (THE KILLERS, SORRY WRONG NUMBER)
Movie Review: The Red Ants...very cool
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember my brothers taking me to this movie as a little kid. All that mattered was that people got eaten by red ants. I've never been fond of red ants since. In the 50's, this stuff was fodder for idiot kids like me. ("Them" and "Tarantula" were really cool.)I since discovered that the real title was "The Naked Jungle", after seeing it again on TCM or AMC, whatever."The Naked Jungle" is soap opera from beginning to end, with the "marabunta" as a catalyst. The stars are interesting. I was never a fan of Charlton Heston (as an actor), but Eleanor Parker was quite lovely, being gorgeous & tough at the same time, not unlike her magnificent performance in "Caged". The "marabunta" is, apparently, a force to be reckoned with, and makes the Amazon all that more intriguing. The beliefs of Amazonian natives is somewhat brought out, so much more brought out in Hector Babenco's "At Play in the Fields of the Lord". It's hard to make comparisons, since the sensibilities of the 50's and the 90's have been broadened. "The Naked Jungle" is really one of the first disaster films. All of the most famous disaster films were soap opera (Towering Inferno, Airport, Poseidon Adventure, etc.). In some ways, this is a trend-setter. I enjoyed it. Movie Review: A Film You AND Your Husband Can Love
Summary: 5 Stars
Here's a movie for couples who fight over which video to watch. For the adventurers, you have Charlton Heston as the solitary, brooding male hero who has cut a magnificent swath through the jungle using his bare hands and the help of only several hundred unworthy underlings to whom he is a patriarchal god. The encroaching marabunta provide the exciting challenge to his domain. For the romantics, you have the encroaching mail-order bride, wonderfully played by a breathless, bosomy, brainy Eleanor Parker, who, after a few stumbles along the way, cuts a magnificent swath through Heston.
The movie has several memorable features: the wonderful banter between the protagonists, especially the bits about the piano--hilarious; the virginal Heston, who came to the jungle as a youngster and never went near the village women, shaking in his riding boots at the prospect of an experienced bride and blustering to shore up his defenses against her; and a wily female lead who plays it oh so smart. Oh yeah, the adventure stuff is good too (can you tell I'm a romantic)?
Whether you see the marabunta as a metaphor for the relationship or vice-versa, the film is a monument to Hollywoodized sexual repression. So, you'll love it when the floodgates finally open!!! (Sigh).
Movie Review: Survivor--50s Style.
Summary: 3 Stars
What was that line from the old serials ? " Jungle no place for woman " ? ! Released in 1954, "The Naked Jungle " seems like two movies in one. The first half is a rather tedious soap-opera--the second half a genuinely exciting thriller that may have you itching and scratching by the time it's over !
Charlton Heston plays Christopher Leiningen, owner of a South American cocoa plantation in 1901, who has decided that it's time to take a wife, and start producing heirs for the estate.
His "mail-order bride" arrives, and it's gorgeous Eleanor Parker, dressed to kill and ready for life in the jungle with Mr. Heston. Unfortunately he knows nothing about women, and proceeds to treat her abominably. Maybe he needs glasses ? anger management courses ? A voluptuous, stunning redhead wants to settle down with him, and his attitude is rude and insulting.
Why Ms. Parker doesn't take the next boat home will puzzle more than a few viewers !
Luckily for all of us--except Mr. Heston--there is big trouble brewing in the jungle--a vast army of soldier ants, 20 miles long and 2 miles wide. Guess who owns the plantation right in their path ? Will Charlton cut and run ? Will a strong-willed woman abandon her man, even after he has treated her like dirt ?
I think you know both answers ! Special effects are a bit primitive, but there are enough close-ups of the marauding ants to give you some idea of this extraordinary enemy. The final showdown between the ants and Mr. Heston is "worth the price of admission"--and many thought that his "disaster film period" was in the 70s ! By the way, ants were popular "villains" in 1954--"Them" came out the same year !
I have to say that I had a problem with the sudden change in our hero's personality--at a certain point in the film, his attitude to Ms. Parker switches so suddenly and completely that it strains credulity--but don't blame Mr. Heston--he had a script to follow and , unlike many of his films, less than two hours to tell the story. I thought that Ms. Parker was excellent, although her character takes that "stand by your man" philosophy to a whole new level ! William Conrad--much slimmer than in his later "Cannon" role on television--gives able support as the local Commissioner, wondering why Charlton doesn't immediately thank his lucky stars for this goddess who wants to be with him.
The full-screen, colour picture is vivid and beautiful--the sound--mono--the extras--zero.
Again--an interesting, colourful relic from the 50s--but you have to be patient before the big-payoff.
A very sad footnote, dated 6 April, 2008--Mr. Charlton Heston has passed away--he had been ill for some time. While he played many types of roles during a long career in movies, he will likely be best remembered for the spectacles like "Ben Hur" and "El Cid", where even a "cast of thousands" could not detract from Mr. Heston's formidable presence.