Naked Jungle, the

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.


Top-notch thriller is a hidden gem   May 30, 2004
Exciting drama-horror film about a South American planter who faces death and destruction from deadly soldier ants. The swarming Marabunda, as the ants are called, cover an area ten miles long and two miles wide and are the scourge of South American jungles, sweeping everything before them. Leiningen, the plantation owner, ignores warnings by the commissioner to abandon his acres of coffee and chocolate and makes preparations to fend off his intelligent, relentless foe. The ants are about two inches in length with razor-sharp mandibles and devour plants and trees in their path and even fierce jungle predators such as jaguars, wild hogs and tapirs flee before the voracious insects.

Another plot narrative is the marital discord between Leiningen [Charlton Heston] and his mail-order bride [Eleanor Parker]. Desiring a wife with whom to share his vast jungle holdings, Leiningen marries a woman by proxy from New Orleans and is displeased to discover that she is a widow, and has known men. The Leiningens clash repeatedly until the planter softens in his attitude towards his bride. Mrs. Leiningen stays by her husband's side and they and his plantation workers band together to turn aside the savage Marabunda.


"20 miles long ,2 miles wide......Marabuta!"   March 25, 2004
Brian C. Lawton (Brooklyn, New York United States)
Another film on the "It should have been on dvd already" list. This
is again fine vintage entertainment that still holds up thru repeat
viewings.

Based on the novel "Lanlogen and the ants" Charlton Heston stars as
the main character a plantation owner whose roots go further in the
ground than any of trees in the amazon, who has cut all ties to the
civilized world outside his. That is until "made to order" bride to
be Eleanor Parker shows up on his step. Prim,Proper and intelligent
& a mind of her own, she is not at all what he expected his brother
to send to him form New Orleans. To say more would spoil the show

I will tell if your screamish about ants (That's Marabuta in this
neck of the woods) then prepare yourself for millions of them as
they threaten to destroy everything in thier path leaving nothing
but "The naked jungle"

A great film with just the right amount of romance and adventure
Heston has never been brutal and Parker never more beautiful and
William Conrad in a good supporting role. Paramount's VHS tape is
the only to watch this gem for the moment,It has a fairly decent
picture and sound quality but (excuse the pun) I'm itching to get
my hands on the dvd when it finally comes out.


A Surprise At The Theater   October 13, 2003
Karen Kuhn (A Gypsy, USA)
In junior high school, in an English book, I read a true story titled "Leinengen Versus the Ants", a good and interesting story for a school book.

Years later, when I saw this movie, I realized that it is the same story. Surprise! Having read it in a school reader gave it authenticity to my mind. Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker gave it color and flavor. Very enjoyable movie.


Another Fine DVD Prospect!   December 12, 2002
L. A. Mandeville (Montreal, Canada)
I still remember when I saw this movie as a teenager this absolutely otherworldly vision of a luxurious jungle mountain turning crimson red through a spectacular red ants invasion that was truly creepier than "Them". And of the ever-machismo Charlton Heston defying their multitudinous hordes all by himself (I'll let you guess who won)! I wonder why this fine jungle adventure is not on DVD yet! I, for one, look forward to it (in WideScreen please!).