Quand la jungle s'éveille

Good thing the producers went up the Amazon River for location shots, because headline monster Curucu amounts to a big lump of moldy cheese. Then too, for some unknown reason the screenplay tips its hand halfway through, killing what little suspense there is. But we do get a good look at comely Beverly Garland getting menaced by about everything that creeps, crawls, or oozes through the jungle. Plus, she confirms her title as the Queen of Scream with at least three ear blasters. Good thing hunky John Bromfield is on hand to handle the hero stuff. Still, the movie was something of a treat for 1956, that is, before color TV made such travelogues everyday fare. Now the movie is little more than a very obscure curiosity.

(In passing-- Catch the script's sneaky probing of modernity. Tupanico {Payne} wonders whether the Indians really are better off after entering the white man's money economy. Unless I missed something, the probing is surprisingly left unresolved. It's a provocative note in an otherwise sloppy script.)

Any movie that has a scene of the hero smoking while the doctor is giving him his annual medical check up has to be a classic.

There is validity to every single negative review of this picture, but who cares? Look, I love Ingmar Bergman films, but am I going to kick back with beer and nacho cheese Doritos on a summer Saturday afternoon watching "Cries And Whispers?" I didn't spend all morning cutting the grass to then crash the couch and drown myself in Swedish angst. That's for cold bleak winter nights. For summer I want a jungle, a tight pants adventuress and a hero who can spend an entire week lost in the Amazon and still not have a single day's facial hair. Yes, as everyone agrees without a doubt the movie rips you off and leaves you a chump for ever believing such a thing as truth in advertising exists. But stop crybaby'ing about it already. Get over your disappointment like a big boy and just enjoy the mustard we got. To hell with your Grey Poupon!

For those of You who speak Spanish.... As I do!.... Knowing that this movie was filmed in South America in 1955/56... You can´t help but wonder if that MEGAHIT... Released in 1954, and played incessantly on the Radio in Latin America throughout most of the 50s... inspired the TITLE and even some aspects of the BIRD-BEAST Referred to in the TITLE itself!?!¿!¿!?!

Several of the cast members are locals! (Brazilians were much cheaper to contract... I am sure!) Andrea Bayard also appeared in several Brazilian TELENOVELAS made in the 50s and 60s!)

This production absolutely cannot be watched from start to finish without a good number of unintended Belly laughs! Sure looks as though Cast and Crew had one Hell of a good time making this! But still...During the last 20 minutes, or so, of its 75 Minute TOTAL... I pretty much was hoping it would END...And put me out of my MISERY!!!

Gave it 6****** because I did get a lot of those unintended belly laughs mentioned earlier!!!

I spend a lot of time trying to add lesser known 50's sci-fi titles to my ever growing collection. Unfortunately I came to this title. Cool title and stars Beverly Garland made by Universal - how could I miss? Although the poster looks great on this flick, find the strength to resist. The Brazilian locations are great and acting was acceptable but whoever wrote the script was a loser. This played out more like an episode of Scooby Doo(old man Smithers and all). The part that really killed me was that after they ruin the whole movie after 45 minutes, it goes on for another 35 minutes!! Seriously, for lesser known movies, check out Giant from the Unknown or Monster from Green Hell before you ever touch this garbage.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed and Written by Curt Siodmak; Produced by Richard Kay and Harry Rybnick for Universal-International release. Photography by Rudolf Icsey; Edited by Terry Morse; Music by Raoul Kraushaar. Starring: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Tom Payne, Harvey Chalk, Larri Thomas, Wilson Viana, Frank Bevan, Sergio de Oliveira, Robert Aurel and Andrea Bayard.

The natives' mythical monster causes trouble until his true identity is ferreted out. Having John Bromfield and Beverly Garland head up the otherwise no-name cast spells B-movie heaven.