The Naked Jungle

Picture looks great, and audio is quite adequate. But my real point in this 'review' space is to let you know that this film was not shot in a wide screen format. It was shot full frame and then later matted for wide screen in some theatres as wide screen was not all over the place yet in late 1953 and early 1954, when this film came out. Paramount would do well to mention on their boxes this information as I'm sure it has kept people away from buying it. But please, understand that all but a very very small number of films before 1954 even SHOULD be in wide screen (or letterbox if you prefer), as it was not used in the photography of the films, and theatres generally weren't even equipped to show films in wide screen until mid-fifties.

No blackboards here! This is the real thing, with Heston fun as jungle plantation boss; mail-order bride Eleanor Parker is classy. No problem the khaki-clad Heston can't handle and nothing fazes him-until he's warned of...MARABUNTA. Ouch!

The 50's were the great time for Technicolor, exotic adventures and intense stories. This film has all of this ...and more.

A wealthy,dark, handsome plantation-owner, Chistopher Leiningen welcome his mail-order bride. She is sophisticated, elegant and to his great concern extremely beautiful. Sparks fly since the begining and after memorable dialogues, about pianos and perfumes , and second hand roses, our heros must face the ultimate danger: Marabunta.

This is not maybe a very famous film, and probably will never be considered one of the masterworks of the Seventh Art, but is one of those you always watch in delight.

The cast just suits perfectly. Charlton Heston is...well he is Charlton. He is good opening the waters of the Red Sea or fighting against a lot of Chinese in Pekin. As usual he exploits his natural masculinity to create this man who has created an oasis in the middle of the jungle, but about women is a virginal man.

Eleanor Parker is probably one of the most elegant actress of her generation. Only she is able to pass though the jungle with a white gown and look perfectly well. She matches Heston with a woman who has little to lose but only will accept her terms of "surrender".

And William Conrand is excellent. Showing the temperance a good commisioner requires and acting as the amused witness in the developement of the situation.

This one of those films you always enjoy and that proves that a good story and good dialogues are basic to create a film.

...not for the studio releasing this DVD. And for "Reviewer: B. Graham "Mercmoon" who should get real info. Although I've seen this one at the time it was released in theaters, and have been waiting for it since the beginning of DVDs, I was almost sure it was widesceen (as is IMDB). Now I'm 100% sure since it's going to be released in France in the original screen ratio of 1.77. FULLSCREEN AS AN OPTION IS UNDERSTANDABLE, AS THE DEFAULT IT IS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!! And when they add "This film has been formatted to fit your screen", it's only adding insult to injury, since the result does not 'fit' my screen, it's disgracing it!!! If FBI, Interpol, etc, would fine those studios for their contempt of intellectual & artistic property (botching the format being worse than common piracy), they could be regarded as really enforcing copyrights, and not as the helpers enforcing crookery!!!!

Set in 1901 in the Amazon jungle, this fabulous "Insect Feature" has excellent special effects and atmosphere, with Charlton Heston as a mucho macho man who is at war with the dreaded marabunta, the killer red ants who threaten to take over his plantation. He is also at war with his heart, as he tries to stay aloof to his mail order bride from New Orleans, the beautiful Eleanor Parker. Parker is cool as a mint julep in her Edith Head gowns, and tough enough to stand by her man; the chemistry between them sizzles, and they look so very fine together.
William Conrad is also good as the Commissioner, as he warns them to escape the billions of approaching ants which are "forty square miles of agonizing death !".

One of the best things about this film is the soundtrack by Daniele Amfitheatrof, which owes a lot to Stravinsky and Darius Milhaud, and is perfect in the way it underscores the dialogue, and accentuates the action. It's really worth just listening to this film once, to fully appreciate the music and the sound effects.
Ernest Lazlo's Techicolor cinematography is marvelous, and the Byron Haskin direction fast paced, with Heston doing most of his own stunts, which included having those nasty ants crawling on him.
Some of this film is quite exciting, some of it hilarious, and it's always extremely entertaining, and is the absolute best of the bug genre films.
As the ants bare the jungle, Eleanor tries to bare Chuck's soul...will she succeed ? watch this superb jungle romance and find out !
Total running time is 95 minutes.