The Naked Prey

[imjin138]

About 2 weeks ago I ordered a DVD of the movie 'The Naked Prey' started watching it tonight. I have seen it years ago it stars Crnel Wilde and he is a safari guide captured by natives. The rest of his party is slain in many horrible ways but he is left to run from the natives.

He runs across the savanah and the country is beautiful, he is being chased by a small party of warriors and one by one he kills them or evades away. he comes across a slave raid in another village and rescues a small girl.

Finally he arives in safety back at the fort.

The story is based on the John Coulter story of the American west, the movie itself was shot in Rhodesia and the country is beautiful.

 

[Road Rat]

Great movie............

 

[Texas Star]

I saw it in the theater when it was just released. I think I was in high school then, but knew the Coulter story. The resemblance was obvious.

It is well done, with Cornel Wilde in one of his better roles.

Do you recall the type of snake that bit one of the pursuing natives? Wouldn't surprise me if it was a carpet viper, given the terrain, but something else seems more movie-likely. I remember the scene, but not the snake.

If I'd been the producer, I'd have tried for a scene where a red spitting cobra got one of them in the eyes.

It bothered me that I couldn't tell whose fort that was. It didn't seem British. Did they really say?

I'm glad that it's on DVD now. Is the quality good?

T-Star

 

[HAWKEYE10]

That is a very good movie. I saw it on TV about a month or so ago. Don

 

[imjin138]

The snake looked almost cobra like, the DVD is from the Criterion collection and is very good quality it has the coulter story on it as well as the trailer and the original soundtrack.

I like the fact that there is little dialog. I believe it is a British fort they are using Martini henry rifles. But one of the hunters sounds dutch or boer.

 

[Texas Star]

There are a number of cobra species in Africa, including a recently discovered large brown spitting cobra in Kenya.

For various reasons, a cobra seems the most likely movie choice.

T-Star

 

[jimmyj]

The fort and soldiers are german??
There has been several westerns with a similar theme. "Run of the Arrow" with Rod Steiger and the second "Lonesome Dove".
Jimmy

 

[NFrameFred]

I remember seeing Johnny Carson interview Cornel Wilde when that movie came out and one of the stories he related was that the native tribesman who were hired to play his pursuers mostly spoke no English. In the scene where he first outruns them at the start, if you remember, one of the natives throws a spear right past his ear as he chases him from behind. Wilde said that was for real and he did not know it was coming. It really did pass that close to him. Apparently the native knew his part and didn't understand movie magic and camera angles, so when they had the scene explained to him before they shot it, he took it to heart, He knew he was to miss, but believed he had to make it look real. And apparently he had the skills to do it, luckily for the white actor.

 

[sipowicz]

The movie is loosely based on a short story about a geeky accountant whose car breaks down in Harlem and he gets suckered into a game of strip poker.

 

[rimfired]

I'd hoped that would never be revealed. I'm so embarassed.

 

[ladder13]

The movie is loosely based on a short story about a geeky accountant whose car breaks down in Harlem and he gets suckered into a game of strip poker.

Always wear clean shorts.

 

[AKtinman]

I paid ten cents admission at the base theater to see the movie.

In one of the scenes, as Cornell Wilde is running for his life, a truck can be seen driving past in the distance. Probably something missed by the cutting room crew

 

[oldman45]

Always wear clean shorts.

If they were clean before hand, they would not be by the time the SHTF.

 

[Jswiney9]

my father introduced me to this movie when i was younger, we would go squirrel hunting and eat our own "zavoodie" i remember most of the speaking lines from that movie.

 

[sigp220.45]

I watched it again a few weeks ago - one of the channels had it in HD and it was fantastic.

Cornel Wilde was 52 when they made that movie, which I think he also directed. He was an Olympic fencer and was in great shape, but he said that movie was very rough on him.

I love how the Africans were just gleefully savage - I doubt it could be made today the same way.

 

[revolvergeek]

I watched that movie one morning, very early, after a rather long night, and the scene where they put one of his party on a spit to cook him just completely freaked me out! I literally got the shakes from it.