White Pongo

This movie for some reason isn't as popular as Plan 9 and Robot Monster, but it's really good (in a bad way).

The whole film is a waste of your time. You got a stupid storyline - an albino gorilla running around the jungle terrorizing people. You got scientist trying to stop the havoc. Then there's the horrible monkey suit and dialogue. Yes, it's one of the worst! Watch it!

A group of explorers embark on a journey into the middle of the African jungle in search of a fabled white ape; a creature thought to be the missing link.

The idea that a white ape would be closer to man than a black one is possibly a little bit subconsciously racist if you were to choose to over-analyse this movie. But it's really best to take this detail with a pinch of salt as White Pongo is resolutely not a film to take seriously at all. It was one of dozens of adventure films from the 40's that were set in exotic and unchartered locations. Back in those days before the advent of television audiences certainly seemed to get a kick out of seeing stories set in the wild. There was still something mysterious about these places and the world hadn't been so fully explored that it didn't seem impossible that a large hitherto unknown gorilla could be out there somewhere. White Pongo like others of its type pandered to these kinds of feelings.

The film itself is a quite typical adventure film from the time. Men-in-monkey-suit movies were ten-a-penny back in the 40's and this is simply another one in the cycle. It's a fairly enjoyable one though. Aside from White Ponga (it's never actually referred to as 'Pongo' for some reason) there are other typical black apes. The latter are nastier, baser creatures. White Ponga by contrast is relatively noble. He kills bad guys and, like King Kong before him, is somewhat obsessed with the white woman of the party, whom he captures. Aside from the monkey mayhem there is strife and underhand dealings happening amongst the explorer outfit; while there is the requisite smattering of stock footage of wild animals thrown in for good measure. Overall, it isn't exactly a bad way to spend an hour of your time.

This is the kind of film that kids will enjoy and does not contain a lot of violence. The setting looked good with a lot of jungle greenery and men in gorilla suits. There is actually a plot to this thing. I would have rather had the plot revolve around looking for and trying to capture a rare white gorilla than looking for a white ape that they suppose to be the 'missing link',,,but I guess the 'link' bit adds something(??). Check out the filmography of Wrixen and Fraser, the native safari guide named, believe it or not..Mumbo Jumbo, they were accomplished actors and played in many notable films. White Pongo is not bad but not good either. There is decent character development and a slight surprise near the end. Ape gets girl, ape looses girl, guy gets girl. Happy ending. Good clean fun.

As low budget jungle movies go this one isn't that bad. The production values are reasonable and the acting is perfectly ok. The script and storyline just aren't up to much and the whole film drags badly in the middle section. Not that there's much of a climax either - they just don't seem to know how to use the white gorilla effectively. Of course he steals the girl - they always do. As far as the gorilla costumes etc are concerned believe me they are nowhere near the worst you will ever see in films of this vintage. Enjoyable fun and a decent print on the alpha DVD I saw.

White Pongo isn't an A movie. It isn't even a B movie. It falls more into the range of a D-level movie, made on a shoe string by a minor film company. It fails in just about every way a film can. It's not just that it's cheap and openly racist; it's just plain boring!

The film follows an expedition to capture a rare white gorilla believed to be the missing link. (Why would the missing link have to be white?) In the process, the adventurers run into hostile natives, criminals, and the worst gorilla suit known to man. (I know this was made before the time of Jane Goodall, but couldn't they have come up with something vaguely realistic?)

The film's racism is very obvious, to the point that it verges on satire. The lead black character is named Mumbo-Jumbo for crying out loud. The Africans are shown as savages who are automatically hostile to white people for no reason-never mind the fact that during the colonial era, they would have had every reason to distrust Europeans.

However, what's most damning is the boredom factor. Even though the movie is roughly seventy minutes long, it is filled with scenes of people just cruising down the river with canoes, with no accompanying action or dialogue. It's filler of the worst kind.