The Naked Jungle

The previous comments about the dated quality of this film and the strange bedfellows made by a romance and a disaster movie are well taken. In its defense, though, current moviegoers are spoiled by the technology available today, and virtually no special effects of the 1950s - even Hitchcock's - could compare with what we're now accustomed to. And OK, Charlton's character is politically incorrect today, but one of the pleasures offered by older films is a look at the society of the time. Heston and Parker generate chemistry without being naked. I wonder if today's stars are capable of that. Emphatically, what this film and that time had, that today's films do not, are stars with the beauty and acting talent of Eleanor Parker. I miss the larger than life quality that she, and the few other actors of her caliber, projected. She could play my piano anytime!!

I had only previously watched parts of this movie, this time I watched the whole way through. I was not that familiar with Eleanor Parker, but now I am! She is fantastic in this movie. She is sexy, with a husky voice, beautiful body, and a presence that overtakes anyone else in her scenes. It might seem odd to some that Chuck Heston has an immediate antagonism towards her (when he meets her as his wife), but I think it is well explained. As he explains it, she is too good to be true, and his character clearly has to have total control. Why do they fall in love? Well, its tough to pull off in a two hour movie, but they do. They have similar strengths, and similar weaknesses, and later rather than sooner their animal instincts take over. It is kind of a cheesy ending, with Chuck saving the day. I give the movie as a whole 6/10, but I give Eleanor 10/10, for an average of 8/10.

Really exciting tale of mail-order bride coming to South American plantation owner to share his life and troubles. Eleanor Parker is surprisingly strong and beautiful as the bride,Charlton Heston is properly strong and macho as the husband. When army ants threaten the plantation Eleanor decides to stay and fight. I love scene where Charlton says "you're quite a woman" Eleanor slings back "you're right,I am." Great supporting cast including William Conrad as the inspector,Abraham Sofar as the loyal servant. If you're fans of older films,he played similar role in Elephant Walk with Liz Taylor. Real creeper scene where fat worker gets covered by ants. The emotional story is good,too,when Charlton finds out his bride was married before and the pain is causes him since he likes everything new on his plantation. This film is a prime example of Paramount at it's best,beautiful sets,costumes,photography,music. An era we'll never see again except in the movies, definitely a film to watch.

Now that I've seen this film in its original glorious color -- It's NOT a science fiction B movie at all, but a very good tale of a male/female battle of wills superseded by a battle between humans and nature. The human threat is redheaded, and the ants - the threat from nature - are red. Red Scare, anyone? Eleanor Parker is accomplished, elegant, and ravishing. (Perhaps it strains credibility that anyone would have the luck to send off for a 'mail order' bride and get HER.) Heston looks good too. His acting must have improved later with the help of William Wyler: he and Parker were only 2 years apart in age, but he comes across as a greenhorn by comparison. But he's as magnetic as ever and the direction and script are top drawer. It's also a pleasure to look at the mores of the 1900s through the filter of 50s Hollywood.

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

This fine drama is as much about unhappy newlyweds as it is about savage soldier ants that threaten a South American plantation. The killer ants cover a wide area, sweep everything before them and naturally are headed straight for Leiningen's cocoa plantation. The dislike between bride and groom nearly upstages the approaching army of ants. Eleanor Parker and Charlton Heston make a handsome couple but she seems to be everything he is not. Parker is confident, poised and self-assured while Heston is insecure, inadequate and out of his depth in her company. Perhaps this explains why he spends so much time trying to diminish her. The film leans heavily on the verbal sparring between Parker and Heston while building tension for the showdown with Marabunta. William Conrad is good in an early role as a jungle commissioner.

The movie The Naked Jungle was magnificent!! It was extremely enthralling!! The title "Leiningen versus the ants" was the original story!! It was first broadcast on radio probably in the 1940's maybe even earlier!! The radio show was even better than the movie if that is possible!! The suspense, the intrigue, you bit your nails down to your knuckles!! The radio show was fabulous!! That's why they re-broadcast it over and over again every year or every two years. I listened to it many times!! The movie of course gives a different perspective!! You can actually see The RED ARMY ANTS, or RED ANTS, or ARMY ANTS frighteningly live which of course you couldn't do on radio!! These ants do exist and they are dangerous!! But also let us not forget that this movie is a great love story!! Here we have Charlton Heston, a real hunk!! A strapping six foot four very handsome, very physical male!! Then we have his love interest, Eleanor Parker a ravishing, redheaded beauty, with a fantastic body and figure!! A man and a woman in their prime eventually attracted to each other and falling in love at the end!! What more can you ask for in a movie! RED ANTS and A RAVISHING RED HEAD. That's why this was a great movie in it's time and still is today in my opinion!!

This movie was pretty ordinary. I am not sure if it was supposed to be a horror or some romantic adventure. It fails dismally at both. Can never quite figure out how Chuckie made it big time with movies like this/

Combining a love story about a mail order bride and a chauvinist pig with a horror tale about the attack of a few million ants just doesn't work. Bad plot, bad acting, wooden direction - otherwise, not bad.

"The Naked Jungle" is the story of a wealthy owner of a big coffee plantation in Brazil's jungle, menaced by an army of warrior ants on the move covering several square miles of ground and eating everything on their way (the Marabunta). The man's unknown mail-ordered wife has just arrived too but something in her past annoys him and a conflict between them is taking place when the ants arrive. The picture was really original back in 1954 and is very entertaining too. This was probably Byron Haskin's best work as a director with an uneven carrier that included also "I Walk Alone", 1948, and "The War of the Worlds", 1953. The Special effects of Naked Jungle are really good for its time and the fine performances of Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker as the main couple surely helped to raise the final product. Heston went on to full stardom and Parker continued to keep up her interesting carrier (she had been in some good movies before as "Scaramouche", 1952, and "Detective Story", 1951, and went to good ones too like "The Man with the Golden Arm", 1955). You will also find a good color photography and well designed settings. A very amusing and enjoyable film with sort of a "B" structure but a real "A" outcome.