La Montagne du dieu cannibale

Italian horror supremo Sergio Martino managed to persuade Ursula Andress into this now notorious jungle adventure and moreover got her to display her boobies! Back in the days when animal rights activists were just a glimmer in their fathers eye, film makers were able to shock audiences by showing gratuitious scenes of animals being killed. In this case, a giant snake eating a monkey, tribesmen slicing open a large lizard, and a number of others - intense imagery but it does go to show how brutal nature can be.

Andress plays Susan Stevenson, the wife of a scientist who has become lost in the New Guinea jungle, and mounts an expedition with the help of her brother and another scientist. They soon meet up with the mysterious Manolo who helps in the search and discover that Susan's hubby has gone in search of a secret tribe living on a remote mountain called Ra Ra Me which translates as Mountain Of The Cannibal God.

Much of the group are killed on the way by members of the cannibal tribe and when they do arrive at the mountain, it is the Uranium in the rocks that Susan seeks for financial gain rather than locating her husband. However, her plans are quickly scuppered when the tribe capture her and the last remaining scientist and take them to their mountain lair. They believe that Susan is a goddess and create a living monument by smearing her naked body with fluid and putting ceremonial items on her. How sweet.

The jungle locations are rich and vibrant, and the cannibals are genuinly scarey looking characters - especially the midget one. The flick does over use shock tactics in parts such as the frenzied sex scene which includes a large boar as far as I can make out. That said, I personally enjoyed the whole 70's exploitation experience but that may be due to having something wrong with my head.

7.75 out of 10.

I just finished watching "Mountain of the Cannibal God", one of a 50 movie Mill Creek collection of "Drive-In Movie Classics". This version is titled "Slave of the Cannibal God", oddly enough - maybe because it is the 82 minute R version and not the original version. The movie is about a rich beautiful woman (Ursula Andress) who goes to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, where her husband disappeared while prospecting for uranium. She is accompanied by a professor (Stacy Keach) and her slimeball brother. A good bit of time is spent hacking their way through dense forest on some jungle island off of Papua New Guinea in search of the supposedly lost Puka tribe.

The movie is mildly entertaining, it's sort of like watching a more cruel version of Wild Kingdom at times. The version I saw has most of the more disturbing animal cruelty parts cut out, and more disappointingly, the nude scene with Ursula Andress is cut out. As compensation though, a pretty native girl (played by Luigina Rocchi) appears in a scene where she lifts her top off and shows off her nice titties for several seconds.

The Mill Creek version is poor quality, unfortunately. The colors are washed out badly, and there are several places where it is obvious that it is a dub from a VHS tape.

Of all the infamous Italian cannibal movies of the seventies and early eighties, this is the most tedious. They all include pointless depicting of animals killing animals - and people killing animals.

Of course, they also include people killing people, but whereas this, of course, is fake, the animal killings are for real. Not that nature's not cruel, but what's the point in including suffering monkeys, iguanas, snakes and turtles in the movies?

Most of the time, these scenes seem staged, and in this movie, it's very clear a monkey was thrown before a hungry boa, and there was probably even a rope tied to it, while throwing! At 23:31 into the uncut DVD, you can see that a very clear and sharp, green branch is added onto the film in the left of the frame afterwards, in order to cover something up.

If it isn't a rope, it's probably the arm of the one throwing the poor monkey to its certain death. The following scene, where the producers show close-ups of the monkey's face, in all its anguish, is almost unbearable, and adds, of course, nothing to the story, except a bitter aftertaste.

The music (by de Angelis & de Angelis) is beautiful, and watching the then 41-year-old Ursula Andress in the nude, all tied up, are this movie's highlights.

Sergio Martino's 'Mountain etc' is somewhat an outcast in the notorious Italian field of cannibalism… This film has a bit more style, depth and – compared to such films as 'Cannibal Holocaust' or 'Cannibal Ferox' – you don't necessarily feel the need to take a shower after seeing it. It's actually better to compare this film with old-fashioned adventure-movies, actually…but with cannibals and a healthy dose of authentic Italian sleaze. Ursula Andress (still the finest, most ravishing Bond girl to date) stars as a strong woman who goes on an expedition, deep down the Guinean jungle, to search her missing husband. Her brother and another respected anthropologist (Stacy Keach) accompany her to 'Ra Ra Mu' … Roughly translated: the mountain of the Cannibal God, where a savage tribe still feasts on human flesh.

The first hour of the film is slow, atmospheric and surprisingly educational! Several sequences, portraying animal's hunting rituals, seem to come right out of a National Geographic broadcast and you're actually waiting for the voice-over to inform you more. The original, uncut release of Mountain of the Cannibal God contains a good share of violence and nudity, but it never becomes repulsive or nauseating. To be entirely honest: the 'horrible' cannibal tribe actually is rather lame. So, the fact they're only appear in the movie after the first hour is a good thing! Until then, you've got compelling adventure and Andress's ravishing body to keep you entertained. Highly recommended viewing!

"Mountain of the Cannibal God" may disappoint those looking for a hardcore cannibal flick, but if you're willing to accept it as a jungle adventure with occasional doses of gore it works better. The production is colorful and polished; this movie really looks great on DVD. Sergio Martino does a solid job with the direction; apart from "Predator", I don't think I've seen a film with a better sense of place during its jungle scenes. The plot has a good build-up, and even attempts a couple of twists. Ursula Andress handles her physically demanding role well (no wonder the cannibals mistake her for a goddess; that's what Ursula is. And did anyone else find one of the cannibal girls that were painting her up quite hot?). Stacy Keach is a solid lead and has the best (and best-delivered) line in the film: "You never forget the taste of human flesh!". By the way, I watched a 97-minute version which was quite gory, but had some "extreme" scenes that others have mentioned (bestiality) missing. (**1/2)