| Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978) 103 min |
| aka - La Montagna del dio Cannibale Slave of the Cannibal God Prisoner of the Cannibal God |
| Director Sergio Martino's Mountain of the Cannibal God is a peculiar film. It doesn't have the raw intensity and downright savageness of some of the more notorious cannibal adventures (Deodatto's Cannibal Holocaust or Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox). It was made on a higher budget, it's technically more competent, and even features some name actors. These attributes run the risk of alienating it from the hardcore grindhouse gorehounds who want things down and dirty. On the other hand, this is in no way accessible to mainstream audiences. Witnessing the horrific staples of the Italian cannibal sub genre is really far to much for most moviegoers to deal with. By pointing out its glossy nature I'm in now way saying that there's nothing upsetting to be found; one particular scene that stands out features a monkey being eaten by a huge snake. |
| Somehow though, in the midst of all this, Martino succeeds in creating an unforgettable ride that is far and away more entertaining than Deodatto's masterpeice (not saying that it's better, I would say many things about Cannibal Holocaust - but never that it's entertaining). I'm torn in my feelings for Cannibal God as I thorougly enjoy the movie on one level but at the same time completely object to some of the material found therein. I will go into this slightly later on, as there is an interesting comparison between what Martino says in an interview and what the screen shows. This debate though is more suited for the Deodatto film as he attempts to tackle the issue head on and in turn participates in the very acts that he's apparently condemning. |
| While this debate lies at the core of virtually every Italian cannibal film, Mountain of the Cannibal God is at heart a fun serial-style ride. Like I said earlier, this is glossy. The camera work is fantastic, the music is strong (composed by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, who had worked on Martino's earlier Torso, Lamberto Bava's excellent A Blade in the Dark, and over 100 others), and the actors are convincing. Martino still manages to work the necessary elements of a cannibal film in though. There are several savage jungle sequences that are impossible to forget, the effects in these scenes are gruesomely realistic. |
| Keeping that in mind, I'll move on to the film's story. Susan Stevenson's anthropologist husband has disappeared while exploring the jungles surrounding the mountain of Ra-Rami. She recruites one of her husbands former colleagues and her brother (Dr. Edward Foster and Arthur Stevenson respectively) to go on an expedition in search of him. Martino keeps the focus on adventure and plot twists instead of the moral scrutiny of media sensationalism that Cannibal Holocaust was interested in the following year. This focus keeps the overall pacing relatively light and fast compared to other works in the subgenre, despite the occasional inexcusably cruel scenes involving staged animal violence. As they plod on through the jungle they eventually meet up with Manolo and take refuge in a nearby village. Here we learn more about the mountain and the cannabalistic Puka that supposedly inhabited it upon a time. Dr. Foster tells how he was held prisoner there for a time and forced to partake in rituals that involved eating human flesh. As they continue up the mountain things just get wilder and more outragous. There were several times where I found myself genuinely shocked at what I was seeing. The climax contains more sexual debauchery than I ever care to see again in such a concentrated period of time! |
| I realize that at this point my feelings about the film might seem rather ambigious. I'm trying lay down at least some groundwork of fact before I move on to pure opinion. Now that I've hopefully established some background for my feelings, I'll move on to them. I seriously loved this movie. While I consider myself a fan of most works in the subgenre (albeit with some serious reservations), this one stands out as one of the most important and enjoyable entries for me. Cannibal Holocaust will always be the main staple of such works (with good reason). That being said, Mountain of the Cannibal God stands out for working within the subgenre but having enough of its own identity to stand as an individual. I say this while thinking of Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox in particular, Ferox doesn't try to do anything different than its predecessors - it just tries to do more. Not that I have no appreciation for Lenzi's film, but it's a different type of appreciation that merits a seperate review. |
| Getting back to Mountain. Aside from all the inevitable comparisons to similar works of the period, I really do believe this one holds its own as an individual film. Martino's direction is first rate all the way. The pacing and camerawork combined with the music are totally absorbing. I have to say that it's been a long time since I've been this drawn into a film. Normally I would say that name actors are a bad idea for this type of movie, in this case I would have been proved wrong. First and foremost is Ursula Andress in the lead role of Susan. The former playmate/Bond girl is not only stunningly beautiful but quite a trooper considering the conditions under which the the film was made. Not only that, but she displays a range of ablities not generally seen in exploitation films. Leonard Maltin once again displays his 'critic as superstar' bafoonery when describing Andress in his Movie Encyclopedia - '...but by the 1970s she had exhausted her appeal and showed little but her epidermis in The Sensuous Nurse (1976) and Slaves of the Cannibal God (1978).' I'm pretty sure Maltin was pretty impressed with himself for working in the word 'epidermis' for really no reason other than to flex his big bad vocabulary muscle. Aside from that nitpicking though, I have my doubts as to whether Maltin has seen either movie he mentioned or much less understood them (note that he can't even get the title right, adding an 'S' to Slave). Maltin loves to hear himself talk, and really seems to think he understands film so well that he doesn't even need to see the film he's slamming. I find this particularly offensive in this case due to the wonderful performance turned in by Andress and the fact that Maltin can make such a quick snap judgement with little or nothing to back it up. He treats what must have been an extraordinarilly difficult film shoot to endure with absolutely zero respect by making it seem like nothing but a skin vehicle for Andress. Stacy Keach also turns in a great performance as the doctor with a past experience with the cannabalistic Pukas. Antonio Marsini (Fulci's The Black Cat) also stands out as one of the most dislikable characters this side of John Morghen in Cannibal Ferox! I would also like to make mention of Claudio Cassinelli. He works well as the love interest/dashing hero character. Cassinelli tragically died in a helicopter crash during the filming of another picture with Martino in 1985 (Hands of Steel). |
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| As for the natives, although the majority of them are admittadly interchangeable at most points, they all serve their purpose extremely well - whether it be menacing or sympathetic. |
| Speaking of the natives, I'll now move on to some of the more controversial issues of the film and how they are viewed by different parties. I'll begin with the natives, and the inherent racism that is often implied in this and similar films all the way to King Kong. From there I'd like to move on to discuss how I feel about the touchy subject of the staged animal killings and what they potentially say about both the viewer and the producers. And to wrap things up, I'd like to say a few things about the tragic death of Claudio Cassinelli. |
| Note: Text in RED is directly related to the film and presentation, while YELLOW is used for a more critical analysis and is therefior more given to tangents using other films as examples. |