La Montagne du dieu cannibale

I'm a big fan of director Sergio Martino, who ranges among the finest filmmakers in Italian Horror, particularly for his Gialli. Especially his insanely brilliant "Il Tuo Vizio È Una Stanza Chiusa E Solo Io Ne Ho La Chiave" (aka. "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key") is a masterpiece that ranks among my all-time favorites, and among the greatest Gialli ever made. Having adequately praised Martino, it has to be said that his early contribution to the Cannibal sub-genre is not one of the most stunning examples for its type of film. Nonetheless "La Montagna Del Dio Cannibale" aka. "The Mountain Of The Cannibal God" of 1978 is a film with undeniable qualities (Which other Italian Cannibal flick could claim to star an international star like proto-Bondgirl Ursula Andress in a very revealing role?). After the disappearance of a scientist in the unexplored jungle of New Guinea, his sexy wife Susan (Ursula Andress) is dedicated to find him. In spite of all warnings, She decides to search for him herself. Accompanied by her brother (Antonio Marsini) and her husband's colleague Professor Edward Foster (Stacy Keach), she travels deeper into the jungle... a menacing and savage jungle...

Within the Cannibal sub-genre, "The Mountain Of The Cannibal God" is not a particularly memorable film, but it has several qualities that no Italian Exploitation lover should miss. This is one of the early specimen of the sub-genre (as far as I know the fourth, after Umberto Lenzi's pioneering "Deep River Savages" of 1972, Ruggero Deodato's fascinating "Last Cannibal World" of 1977 and Joe D'Amato's ultra-sleazy "Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals" of 1977 starring the ravishing Laura Gemser). While this is not as nauseating and shocking as some of the Cannibal flicks to come (such as Deodato's masterpiece "Cannibal Holocaust" or Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox" and "Eaten Alive") it is quite focused on the sleaze factor, at least in its uncut version. The film's main attraction, of course, is Ursula Andress, who was still very sexy at 41, when the film was made. But seeing sexy Ursula naked is not the only reason to watch the film. It often has a good atmosphere, the jungle settings are great and the score by the De Angelis Brothers is superb (the Cannibal sub-genre is generally known for great scores). As most other Cannibal flicks, the film includes real animal killings, which might shock animal protectors, but which actually seem like whatever one might see in wildlife documentaries. Overall this is a worthwhile, but not particularly memorable example for the Cannibal sub-genre. Fans of the genre should see it, and in case you wanna see Miss Andress undress (who would't?) this is your film. To experience a masterpiece of the Italian Cannibal sub-genre, however, watch "Cannibal Holocaust". This "Mountain of The Cannibal God" is warmly recommended to my fellow Italian sleaze fans.

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.

I can't figure out why these late 1970s, Italian cannibal adventures intrigue me so much. I always get disgusted when they kill animals for the sake of a stupid movie, and yet time and time again, I'm drawn to movies like SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD, which, in this case, I saw under its uncut European version, MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD. I had thought that with big names like Ursulla Andres and Stacey Keach involved, this one would be at least a little cleaner than CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, the most notorious of the genre.

As another of those "movies we love to hate", I recommend this one if it's easily accessible. Fans of Andres will enjoy seeing her naked, of course. As a jungle adventure, it succeeds and the occasional gore makes it that much more intense. Scenes of humans bleeding are faked, but as is often the case, the scenes of animals (i.e. a monitor lizard) bleeding are way too authentic. I don't advise eating spagheti while watching this story of some lady seeking her missing husband in a dense jungle, and stumbling upon "The Puka", a group of cannibals (one of which is a dwarf; added for comic relief).

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)