Naked Jungle [VHS]

The Naked Jungle’s reputation rests on its last couple of reels, when plantation owner Charlton Heston battles the Marabunta, the twenty-mile long, two-mile wide army of billions of soldier ants (“forty square miles of agonizing death!”) heading straight for the empire he carved out of the jungle with his bare hands. Well, his and the local natives bare hands. Of course, you have to get through an hour of soap opera first as the arrogant and virginal Chuck (“They have a word for men who go to the native villages at night. No one ever used that word about me”) is more than a tad miffed to discover that after shipping new furniture and a new piano out to the jungle that he’s been sent a second-hand mail-order bride in Eleanor Parker, despite her admonitions that “If you knew anything about music, you’d know that a good piano always sounds better if it’s been played!” But then you have to expect that sort of thing when you marry by proxy (we learn that William Conrad, who played the Heston role in the earlier radio version of the original story, stood in for Parker!). Still, at least Ranald Macdougal and blacklisted Ben Maddow have fun with the script with exchanges like “I’ve been trying not to irritate you.” “I noticed that. I find it irritating.” It would have been good to have less of the matrimonials and more of the Marabunta, but the picture is great fun for both the right and wrong reasons and I can’t say I felt short-changed revisiting it.

No extras at all, but the fullframe transfer is very good.

The Naked Jungle is directed by Byron Haskin and based around the short story Leiningen Versus The Ants written by Carl Stephenson. It stars Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, Abraham Sofaer and William Conrad. Music is scored by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Ernest Laszlo.

1901, South America, and mail order bride Joanna Selby (Parker) arrives at the plantation owned by her husband Christopher Leiningen. She is shocked to find life at the plantation is hardly idyllic, but not as shocked as Leiningen is when he finds out that Joanna was once married before. With his own hang ups gnawing away at him and he refusing to accept Joanna as his bride, the relationship appears to be heading nowhere. However, she's made of stern stuff, and when a swarm of soldier ants is known to be heading towards the plantation, Joanna and Chris might just find that love is actually there?

Filmed in glorious Technicolor by Laszlo and produced by George Pal (Destination Moon/The War of the Worlds/The Time Machine), The Naked Jungle seems to be a forgotten movie on the CV's of Pal and Heston. A crying shame since it's very well mounted and carries a uniqueness worthy of further delving. Perhaps it got lost in the slipstream of Them! The other Ant movie out that year? What transpires is an hour of interesting character build up, where Heston & Parker's characters take centre stage and benefit from literate writing (Philip Yordan). The sweaty backdrop of the jungle plantation keeps things on the simmer, but it's the dialect and emoting of the performers that really holds the interest. True, Heston does at times over do it with some "woe is me" acting as he looks off into the distance (he has major issues we learn), but it works because it bounces off of Parker's (a Technicolor treat for the eyes) intelligent and stoic performance.

Film then shifts to creature feature territory for the last third. Once the army of Marabunta are spied off in the distance, laying waste to everything in their path, picture has become a war involving man against nature, where if man wins? He may not only save his life, but more pertinently his soul. Heston stops the tortured emoting and sticks out is lantern jaw, squares up his shoulders and stands firm in the face of such a hostile and intelligent enemy. By his side, the wife, multi talented and brave of heart, they make quite a couple. The chemistry between the two is simmering with sexual tension, and thanks to the writing the characters are fabulously engaging and make us care about the outcome of picture. Director Haskin, too, utilises the scenery and plantation setting to frame his protagonists for maximum impact, his camera work airy and unobtrusive. While his crafting of the biblical fight against the ants is thrilling and boosted no end by marvellous effects work (John P. Fulton).

An oddity? Yes, for sure. But it's a smart and intelligent picture that successfully manages to blend the sci-fi and nature aspects with complex human characterisations. 8/10

Keith Chegwin moves from his natural home as a little child's tv presentar to a more upmarket, upbeat, aldut show. The results, predictabley, are hilarious. This vid is a must for all fans of both Keith & nudity (and a double bonus bonaza for fans of nude Keiths). The media feeding frzenzy that followed the original broadcast was all out of proportion & over the top & plain ridicucluos. This was a quality program & people just failed to see the funny side which I just cant believe because it was hilarious & a great celebration of the human body in its natural, unadraoned state. So get off Keith's back, sit down, relax & enjoy the mayhem!!! This is a vid that rewards repeetd viewing as there are many subtle aspects to the show that you might miss if you only seen it once time.