Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Leofwine_draca This early cannibal outing from Umberto Lenzi is one of his better films, which actually boasts characterisation (gasp!) and a plot involving real people over mindless violence! Ivan Rassimov is given star billing as an explorer who hooks up with a cruel native tribe. This is probably Rassimov's best performance, initially tough and powerful, and yet later on accepting the ways of the native tribes and even going native himself. At the film's heart is a tragic story of love and death which is surprisingly moving, considering the usual Italian exploitation film (i.e. bad dubbing + bad acting = unintentional hilarity).I'm not usually a big fan of films which use little or no understandable dialogue (like some of Hammer's prehistoric movies), but this film is a real exception. Rassimov, who later camped it up in the likes of EATEN ALIVE, is genuinely sympathetic as he goes through the horrors of tribal torture and emerges as the leader of the group. Me Me Lai, who starred in loads of films like this, is actually not bad either as Rassimov's bride. The rest of the cast is made up of bad actors and genuine natives, but the emphasis is upon Rassimov and his entrance into this tribal world.For a cannibal film, there is surprisingly little cannibalism here. The central tribe are actually not cannibals at all, merely animal-chomping natives. Within this tribe there are the typical crusty old leaders and baddies, which makes for a lot of interesting confrontation. At the end of the film there is an attack by cannibals, but there is little human violence in this film which may be disappointing for some viewers. Unfortunately, in place of this, we get a ton of real-life animal cruelty, which is truly difficult to watch. It's best just to try and ignore it.The best bits come when Rassimov tries to escape from the tribe and is captured, and then blown darts at or whipped within an inch of his life. It's exploitative and at times racist, but Umberto Lenzi's film is actually an in-depth and thoughtful look at an uncivilised culture totally opposite to the one in which we live, a primal world in which the "survival of the fittest" rule is the only way in which to live. If you're at all interested in this particular genre, I would recommend this film, even if it's just to see how the cannibal genre started out.

alistairc_2000 I have this book by a guy called Jay Slater and he rates all sorts of Cannibal and Zombie horror movies in his book. If he was actually reviewing them right I would be so pleased but I am starting to suspect his reviews. Deep River Savages is a classic, it is the original movie that started the wold lets go to Borneo and make a cannibal movie trend. So for the amount of fun I have had over the years with this genre Umberto Lenzi deserves a medal. What I like about cannibal movies is that they always have daft plots, beautiful locations and loads of good looking women. Lets not forget the large portions of violence and gore. The Plot, an Englishman goes into the bush gets captured by savages (well he thinks they are and in a nice touch they think he is as well). After many moons he is accepted by the tribe and gets to marry this babe. Believe when I say I was really jealous of him. This seems to be the same plot as Little Big Man but hey who cares. Nudity. Loads, unfortunately the blonde at the start leaves the movie before she gets naked. Happily loads of native (to Borneo) women get naked and perform all manner of bizarre rituals. Gore. A Bit restrictive in this movie. Fortunately the cannibals turn up to rape a woman then eat her, a very productive use. Then the cannibals get blasted in a similar fashion. Overall I loved this movie and rate it as a 10/10.

Dagon Deep River Savages, aka Sacrifice! aka The Man from the Deep River aka Il paese del sesso selvaggio gave birth to the cannibal genre, sometimes referred to as Mondo films (the Italian word for "world" derived from a pre-existing Italian title that was released in the early '60's). Some speculate that it was this film, Mondo Cane, translated into English as "A Dog's World" that served as a point of intrigue and inspiration for exploitation directors because it displayed an early glimpse of the "mockumentary" style - intended to showcase different cultural practices around the world with cleverly stages scenes or manipulated sequences that shocked civilized audiences. If one realizes this reference, it's understandable why Umberto Lenzi, the director of Deep River Savages, would head in this direction.Deep River Savages is about a man named John Bradley who embarks on an expedition into the Thai rain forest to capture photographs of the wild life. Upon his request, his river guide takes him deep into the heart of the jungle, even though it is ill-advised. On the last day of his expedition he discovers that his guide has been killed and a local tribe takes him captive. After a short period of confinement, Bradley attempts to escape but realizes the futility of his endeavor and is re-captured. He decides to embrace his fate and live alongside the people, even becoming a respected warrior in the process, catching the eye of the village Chief's daughter, Marayå.Viewers will be surprised to learn that this film's central theme is not a violent or cannibalistic one, but about romance and hope. There is one scene towards the end where a goat's throat is slit by a villager during a ritual, which to this day, still remains controversial among censorship boards. I have experience with cannibal films and was expecting this one to fall in line with the rest, but quite honestly, it's tame in comparison. There is less than five minutes worth of cannibalism present but various scenes involving nudity; most of which don't seem too heavily contrived. As I mentioned earlier, the Mondo films of the era inspired Lenzi's work on Deep River Savages as the theme matches it closely. Western audiences are meant to see the rudimentary and primitive lifestyle of the tribesmen who exist freely on the land, with a few elements added in that may seem shocking. Individuals who seek out films within the cannibal genre will undoubtedly come across this one, and will most likely be disappointed by the outcome; while this could be categorized as an exploitation film, the sleaze is kept to a minimum and even by mythological proportions, a lesson drawn from the story. Fancy that. Sadly, the film isn't sure if it wants to be marketed as horror or sexploitation - my primary focus in viewing cannibal films is to understand the bulk of all the controversy, and despite the censorship, it certainly does not have anything on the likes of Salò. Lenzi himself has admitted that cannibalism was not the focus of Deep River Savages but after the film was dragged through the ringer and came out on the opposite end of a shameless marketing ploy, that's mostly what participants in the genre think of when they hear the title. I don't care for cannibal films during this era in cinema and I never will - the acting is suspect, the music is repetitive, the cinematography is drab, and the shock tactics are rendered useless, leaving only the themes represented, which are all but gone in later installments. Since I am perfectly immune by this point, there's nothing left for me to be interested in. If I could make one positive remark about Deep River Savages, it would be this: it's more subtle than Ferox and Holocaust combined and it does not begin to touch upon the level of absurdity that Mangiati vivi! does. The biggest draw to this sub-genre is the controversy that surrounds it, and if you're curious, you'll eventually discover your own personal stance on it; when you do, it'll be your prerogative.

Witchfinder General 666 Umberto Lenzi's "Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" (aka "Deep River Savages"/"The Man From Deep River") of 1972 is THE pioneering Italian Cannibal flick, and yet it is not necessarily a typical example for the sub-genre. While this may still be extremely violent for the average cinema fan, it is nowhere near as disturbing and outrageously gory as the Cannibal flicks from the early 80s, such as Ruggero Deodato's masterpiece "Cannibal Holocaust" (1980) or Lenzi's very own "Mangiati Vivi" (1980) and "Cannibal Ferox" (1981). The film is often compared to "Dances With The Wolves", and it is obvious why. "Deep River Savages" is built up more like a traditional adventure movie - with the difference that this one features Cannibals. Cannibalism is not the film's main focus however and the Cannibals actually play a very small role. This film mainly explores a Westerner's assimilation to a savage jungle tribe.On a trip through the unexplored jungle between Thailand and Burma, English photographer John Bradley (Ivan Rassimov) gets captured by a primitive tribe, who hold him prisoner for a while. After some time, however, Bradley falls in love with the tribe's beauty Maraya (the ravishing Me Me Lai), who is the daughter of the tribe's chief, and becomes assimilated to the tribe... The film features a lot of sleaze, but it is not nearly as shocking or nauseating as the Cannibal films to come. This is therefore probably the most recommendable Cannibal film for the sensitive when it comes to violence (allthough these people are probably best advised to stay away from the genre in general). Like most entries to the genre the film does feature real animal-killings, so Peta-activists and pals won't be fond of it either. I happen to love meat, however, and the scenes add a lot of authenticity to the atmosphere. The great late Ivan Rassimov (he died in 2003) was one of the greats in Italian exploitation cinema, especially in Cannibal Flicks. As always, Rassimov delivers an excellent performance. Me Me Lai is stunningly beautiful, and she fits extremely well in the female lead of Maraya, arguably the most lovable character ever in a Cannibal flick. THE beauty of the sub-genre, Me Me Lai appeared in this film, as well as "Cannibal Ferox" and Deodato's "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale". Apart from the Cannibal flicks, she sadly did not have many memorable roles before she left the film business in the 80s. "Il Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" is THE pioneering Cannibal flick, and yet it is an adventure film and even a romance more than it is a Horror film about cannibals. While "Cannibal Holocaust" is the only true masterpiece of the sub-genre, this one is also a highly interesting film that no lover of Italian Exploitation-cinema should consider missing. Most of the Cannibal flicks have their own particular qualities, but this one is quite unique. In case you just want to watch two films of the sub-genre, I would personally recommend to make it "Cannibal Holocaust" and this one.