The Naked Prey (1965)

April 10, 2018 2:10 PM

During the 1800s, a safari guide, two elephant hunters and their crew run into trouble with natives in the South African veld when they refuse to offer gifts to the tribesmen.

[Trailer CONTENT WARNING: real animal death, extreme plot spoilage] [IMDB] [Wikipedia] [Rotten Tomatoes] [TV Tropes] [BBFC]

some pro

As a film it's not without its challenges, but there's definitely more going on here than the standard colonial survival adventure and it's worth seeing for Cornel Wilde's direction alone. CineOutsider

The film might appear slightly outdated now, but its final humanist message of understanding and unity is as pertinent as ever and when viewed in context of the time that it was made, The Naked Prey is truly a remarkable achievement. Cinebeats

a con

Sure, it's nice to think you could outrun half a dozen hand-picked African warriors simply because you'd been to college and read Thoreau, but the truth is they'd nail you before you got across the river and into the trees... One of these days maybe the Africans will get to be in a movie where they hunt the hero down and catch him. I wonder if that one will be filmed in South Africa, too. Roger Ebert (1967)

miscellany

• The Naked Prey: Into the Wild
• The Chase Scene That Scarred an Era
• Films In Review Interview with Cornel Wilde
• John Landis on The Naked Prey trailer [same CW as above]
• John Colter’s Escape From the Indians [true story The Naked Prey is based on]
• The Coen Brothers remade The Naked Prey in their youth

posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs