La Montagne du dieu cannibale

Many of the Italian cannibal movies tread a fine line between jolly jungle caper and gut-munching exploitica; 'Mountain of the Cannibal God' falls firmly into the former category. With a bigger budget than most movies of it's kind, the higher production values allow for a more coherent storyline and, in Stacy Keach, an actor who is able to deliver a badly written line with an admirable level of conviction. Nevertheless, the whole thing is really just a mildly interesting romp through the jungle, with very little suspense, and no real violence, sex or gore to speak of. Quite inexplicably, considering the movie's total removal from the trapping of the cannibal genre, it is littered with real-life animal killings. Of all the elements of the cannibal movie to keep, why the animal suffering? I'd rather have seen a good disemboweling.

The only redeeming qualities are the locations and the tribespeople. The vast cave complex is a beautiful and awe inspiring sight (and looks suspiciously like the caves of 'Ultimo Mondo Cannibal'). The tribespeople, caked in dried mud and wearing home made masks are actually quite frightening for once, like a Jungle DIY version of Leatherface. It's refreshing to see something new in cannibal design, it's just a shame the efforts are wasted in a movie that is more reminiscent of 'King's Solomon Mines' than a cannibal movie.

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)

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.

Exploitative Cannibal movie is filled with some genuine fright , horror and doom. A woman named Susan Stevenson (Ursula Andress) and her brother Arthur (Antonio Marsina) get off a plane in Papua New Guinea, looking for her missing husband . As they fly to New Guinea to look for a lost expedition, they team up with Dr. Edward Foster (Stacy Keach) to find her husband which has vanished in the great jungle . Subsequently , they reveal the horrible truth behind his disappearance . Then they're trapped by a barbaric , evil tribe of cannibals are not left to the imagination and subjected to further torture and humiliation . When the price of lust is death..! Filmed in the savage and unexplored jungle .Their cult was death...their lust was blood !.

¨Slave of the Cannibal God¨ turns out to be a really gory film with full of nudism , cruel indigenous cannibalistic tribes , lots of gratuitous animal cruelty, resulting in one the most savage and brutal tales in modern history along with Ultimo Mondo Cannibale (1977) also titled Jungle Holocaust or The last Survivor and of course the classic¨Holocaust Cannibal¨ by Ruggero Deodato , the latter deemed to be the most controversial movie of all-time and the mother of all cannibal films. A sinister and disturbing flick that goes on growing more and more and developing little by little until the predictable finale. A typical cannibal film that went on a sub-genre about a familiar theme in the Seventies , the cannibalism , a script full of shocks , scary happenings and screams in which is disembowelled internal organs , pulling out guts , and while the native warriors eating loathing in front of the prisoners who watch the whole thing . It's an average semi-documentary flick by adding several animal scenes with much stock-footage , including excitement enough , filled with sleaziness and non-sense of style . Despite exploitation style , short budget and poor dubbing , this is more interesting film that its schlock-horror and subject matter might suggest. ¨La montagna del dio cannibale¨(1978) is really a brutal yarn with full of graphic killings , iguana getting eviscerated , body dismemberment, sexual violence , disfigured people , grisly murders by means of slashing , ripping to death , killings in cold blood executed by ominous cannibals, loathsome and lots of blood and gore . A mysoginist movie with plenty of nudism , sadistic frames , explicit scenes of violence and extremely violent style and no for squeamish . ¨La montagna del dio cannibale¨ displays passable special effects , with special mention for the really disturbing scenes of chopping, beheading , stomach ripped out , actual animal slaughters and other cannibalistic frames .

It contains a creepy and eerie musical score by Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis . Along with an atmospheric and colorful cinematography by Giancarlo Ferrando , shot on location in Royal Botanical Gardens, Sri Lanka, Peradeniya, Kandy District, Central Province, Sri Lanka, Rainforest , Malaysia and Centro Safa Palatino, Piazza dei Santi Giovanni Rome, Lazio, Italy. This was one of the most grueling films ever made , being original but regularly made by Sergio Martino which remains his most successful horror film . Prolific filmmaker Sergio Martino usually uses pseudonym as Martin Dolman . Talented and versatile writer/director Sergio Martino has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as horror , Giallo , comedy , Western , and science fiction in a career that spans over 40 years . He was especially expert on Western as proved in ¨Mannaja¨ and this ¨Arizona returns¨ , Giallo such as ¨The case of scorpion's tail ¨ , ¨Torso¨ ,¨the scorpion with two tails¨ , ¨The strange vice of Mrs Ward¨ , Cannibal movies such as "Mountain of the Cannibal God", Italian crime thrillers as "Violent Professionals" and ¨Sci-Fi as ¨Destroyer¨ , "2019: After the Fall of New York" . Rating: 5/10 , acceptable and passable , this is a so-so horror flick in which the camera stalks in adequate style throughout a story with decent visual skills . This is a bewildering and violent story , only for Cannibal sub-genre followers .