The Mountain of the Cannibal God is one of those movies that will completely surprise you. Behind this scary-sounding title is another sleazy but very likable exploitation movie from the seventies. It’s basically an adventure movie with some horror elements that are not that really fucked up. I mean if you mention the words cannibal and exploitation in the same sentence you immediately think of Cannibal Ferox or Cannibal Holocaust. These two movies are extremely fucked up and nasty and this one does have some worrying scenes towards the end. However, I think they’re nothing you can’t handle. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s dig into The Mountain or Slave or Prisoner of the Cannibal God. Or finally La Montagna del Dio Cannibale, the Italian and third title of this strange movie.
After being greeted by the director Sergio Martino telling me that this is a new, perfectly edited version and that they’re sorry for the unpleasant animal footage, I was surprised just how good this movie looks. The cinematography is top-notch and the lush jungles of Sri Lanka look so inviting. Something I noticed in one of the other Sergio’s movies Il fiume del grande caimano, while doing the list on the crocodile movies. Actually, that movie made me check out this one that does feature a crocodile attack. Our heroes will be fighting a lot of animals on their way to the Cannibal Mountain.
There are scenes where they killed real animals and they can be a bit difficult to watch. Luckily there are only a couple of them and they are quite short. This was the staple of Italian exploitation movies of that time. So, I kinda knew that this movie would not be perfect. If you add to that the imperialist attitude towards the natives, these are basically the only two flaws that this movie has. Of course, The Mountain of the Cannibal God could not be made today and perhaps this is the reason why you should check it out. Just to broaden your movie range.
Susan Stevenson’s husband, a famous anthropologist Henry, went missing deep in the jungles of New Guinea. She and her brother determined to find him, fly to the this mystical and remote country. There they hire Edward Foster, a local man to help them. Edward thinks that he might be close to the mountain Ra Ra Me. A mountain that the locals believe holds a curse within its green vegetation…
Starring none other than the Bond girl Ursula Andress and Stacy Keach, this is an atmospheric movie that slowly and carefully unfolds. The mystery to just what Ursula might find on the island of Roka and their arduous journey to it are reminiscent of those old school jungle adventure movies. I am still surprised that they managed to persuade her to be in this movie. By that time she was already a very famous actress and a global sex symbol. And to answer your question, yes, there is nudity in this movie.
Not as sexual as Emanuelle’s Amazon Adventure or straight-up sleazy like Big Bird Cage, this is above-all a well-balanced movie a little rough on the edges. The finale might not be the one you were looking for. However, you know what they say it’s all about the journey and not the destination. It’s full of strange twists and surreal scenes that feel like something you would experience while high on some strange drug. If you’re looking to continue in the same direction I recommend you check out King Solomon’s Mines, Romancing the Stone, Congo and finally Boorman’s The Emerald Forest, based on true events. Enjoy.
Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Cesare Frugoni, Sergio Martino
Cast: Ursula Andress, Stacy Keach, Claudio Cassinelli, Antonio Marsina, Franco Fantasia, Lanfranco Spinola
Fun Facts: You could not watch this movie in the UK until 2001. Mostly because of its very real animal violence. It’s one of the infamous 72 “Video Nasties”.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077945/
