WILD BY NATURE

What the Eva loving hell is happening in that jungle?

We don’t give much credence to crowdsourced film ratings. These days there are coordinated efforts to drag down the ratings of certain films based on casting rather than execution. However, with vintage films it’s a different deal. Nobody really bothers dragging down those ratings. The Italian exploitation flick Eva la Venere selvaggia, which would translate as “Eva the wild Venus” but is known in English as Kong Island, has a 2.9 rating on IMDB. And that website’s ratings are, if anything, too forgiving of vintage cinema. Therefore we know going in that this is a terrible film. But we like its posters, so we took the plunge.

A scientist in Kenya is implanting radio transmitters into the brains of gorillas in order to control their behavior. When Ursula Davis heads into the area on a hunting trip she’s kidnapped by these enslaved primates. Ursula’s compatriots follow her trail through bush and forest, along the way running across a feral woman played by Esmeralda Barros, who lives in the jungle and knows where to find the mad scientist’s underground lair. Within that lair the scientist is busy explaining to Ursula—in classic cheapo movie style—his entire world dominating plot. Shorter version: his mind control device works on humans too.

Obviously, the final reel deals with the rescue of Ursula and comeuppance for the mad scientist, but it’s as perfunctory as we just made it sound. The folks on IMDB were right this time. In fact, the movie is so bad there isn’t even much satisfaction in making fun of it. It’s too easy. The movie is laden with failure ranging from the script all the way down to the gorilla suits. It’s like a pressed muffuletta sandwich of incompetence—you can’t even discern all the layers, they’re packed so tight. Director Roberto Mauri called himself Robert Morris for this and it’s easy to see why. Kong Island is like something made by apes. It premiered today in 1968.

Italy, Kenya, Eva la Venere selvaggia, Kong Island, Esmeralda Barros, Brad Harris, Ursula Davis, Mark Lawrence, Roberto Mauri, poster art, cinema, sexploitation, movie review

Vintage Pulp

September 22 2024

APELIKE BEHAVIOR

Scream at her like a terrifying beast first. Have a quiet discussion with her later.

Hey, you hook up with a giant ape you have to expect these types of outbursts. He’s a big softy inside, though. Vegetarian, actually. Bit of a tree-hugger. He’s starring on an Egyptian promo poster made by the National Film Company for a movie titled in Arabic المتوحشه, which translates as “the savage.” It was originally made in 1968 in Italy as Eva, la Venere selvaggia, and was known in English as Kong Island.

The movie starred Brazilian actress Esmeralda Barros, who appeared in a number of fantastically terrible international flicks, such as O Castelo das Taras, aka Castle of De Sade, the cheapie spaghetti westerns W Django! and La colt era il suo Dio, aka God Is My Colt .45, and the women-in-prison flick Presidio de Mulheres Violentadas, known in English as Prison for Violated Women.

As enticing as all those sound we’ll probably skip them. However, because we like lost world flicks we’ll probably watch Kong Island, at which time we’ll share the original Italian poster. We’re reasonably sure it’s going to be bad. But at least it’ll probably be harmless. The above is undated, but is probably from 1968 or 1969. You can see more Egyptian posters here.

Egypt, Italy, Brazil, Eva la Venere selvaggia, O Castelo das Taras, Castle of De Sade, W Django!, La colt era il suo Dio, God Is My Colt .45, Presidio de Mulheres Violentadas, Prison for Violated Women, Kong Island, Esmeralda Barros, poster art, cinema

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

November 15

1920—League of Nations Holds First Session

The first assembly of the League of Nations, the multi-governmental organization formed as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, is held in Geneva, Switzerland. The League begins to fall apart less than fifteen years later when Germany withdraws. By the onset of World War II it is clear that the League has failed completely.

November 15

1959—Clutter Murders Take Place

Four members of the Herbert Clutter Family are murdered at their farm outside Holcomb, Kansas by Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith. The events would be used by author Truman Capote for his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, which is considered a pioneering work of true crime writing. The book is later adapted into a film starring Robert Blake.

November 13

1940—Fantasia Premieres

Walt Disney’s animated film Fantasia, which features eight animated segments set to classical music, is first seen by the public in New York City at the Broadway Theatre. Though appreciated by critics, the movie fails to make a profit due to World War II cutting off European revenues. However it remains popular and is re-released several times, including in 1963 when, with the approval of Walt Disney himself, certain racially insulting scenes were removed. Today Fantasia is considered one of Disney’s greatest achievements and an essential experience for movie lovers.

November 12

1912—Missing Explorer Robert Scott Found

British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his men are found frozen to death on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, where they had been pinned down and immobilized by bad weather, hunger and fatigue. Scott’s expedition, known as the Terra Nova expedition, had attempted to be the first to reach the South Pole only to be devastated upon finding that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them there by five weeks. Scott wrote in his diary: “The worst has happened. All the day dreams must go. Great God! This is an awful place.”

November 12

1933—Nessie Spotted for First Time

Hugh Gray takes the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster while walking back from church along the shore of the Loch near the town of Foyers. Only one photo came out, but of all the images of the monster, this one is considered by believers to be the most authentic.

November 12

1969—My Lai Massacre Revealed

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai massacre, which had occurred in Vietnam more than a year-and-a-half earlier but been covered up by military officials. That day, U.S. soldiers killed between 350 and 500 unarmed civilians, including women, the elderly, and infants. The event devastated America’s image internationally and galvanized the U.S. anti-war movement. For Hersh’s efforts he received a Pulitzer Prize.