The Naked Prey (1965): Survival and Pursuit

The Naked Prey (1965): Survival and Pursuit

In 1809, Mountain Men John Colter and John Potts were canoeing up the Jefferson River to trap beaver. A few hundred Blackfeet Indians lined the shore and demanded that the two mountain men come ashore. John Colter did as directed and was stripped naked and disarmed.

Potts refused to come ashore, and in the ensuing melee, he was pierced with copious amounts of arrows. His dead body was dragged ashore and hacked into gibbets. The naked Colter was told to start running. After a time, a group of warriors began to chase their prey.

After running several miles, Colter saw that one of the Blackfoot warriors was almost on him. Colter quickly turned, causing the warrior to miss his spear throw and fall to the ground. Colter grabbed the spear and impaled the native.

Colter took a blanket off the dead man and continued to run for around five miles. Having knowledge of the beaver from his trapping, Colter jumped into the water and hid inside a beaver dam. The native pursuers could not locate their prey.

That night, Colter left the beaver dam. It took the naked Colter, with only the stolen blanket, eleven days to make it to the safety of a trading post on the Little Big Horn River.

This escape is known as Colter’s Run and would be a sufficient tale in the life of any man. But before Colter became a beaver trapper, he served with Lewis and Clark on the Core of Discovery from 1804-1806.

Colter spent the first winter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the Mandan Village near present-day Bismark, North Dakota. Two years later, after reaching the Pacific Ocean, the group returned to the Mandan Village. Colter asked to be discharged and chose to return to the wilderness for beaver hunting rather than returning with the group to St. Louis, Missouri.

Part of A Man Called Horse (1970) and today’s film, The Naked Prey (1965), is based on Colter’s Run, with the latter being set in Africa.

Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on The Naked Prey (1965). This movie has very little dialogue, and Wilde, who was 52, did most of his acting wearing only a filming skin suit.

iMDB.com rates this movie at 7.3[1]. Rottentomatoes.com has this film at 86 percent on the Tomatometer and 79 percent on audience approval[2]. I think those are fair ratings. This movie is good to watch, but it is an adventure tale, and it is not too deep, other than the harshness of life.

New York Times film critic Robert Alden said in a June 15, 1966 review said that the film was “poor and tasteless motion-picture entertainment.” He did like the on-location filming^[3]. Great film critic Roger Ebert said in a June 14, 1967, review that the film was pure fantasy of the great white hunter type. He also said, “Sure, it’s nice to think you could outrun half a dozen hand-picked African warriors simply because you’d been to college and read Thoreau, but the truth is they’d nail you before you got across the river and into the trees.” ^[4] I agree with Ebert, but I have to keep in mind that John Colter survived his run. Of course, Colter had been in the wilderness for six years and was probably pretty hardened. 

Clint Johnston and Don Peters were nominated for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen Oscar, but they did not win.

Actors – The Naked Prey (1965)

Returning

Cornel Wilde directed and starred in this movie and was known simply as the Man. Cornel Wilde was first introduced in Film Noir The Big Combo (1955).

Ken Gampu was cast as the Leader of the Warriors. Gampu was recently covered in The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980).

New

Gert van den Bergh played the 2nd Man. Van den Bergh was born in South Africa in 1920. Outside of South Africa, he is not very well known. However, he had 40 film and television credits between 1942 and 1968. Van den Bergh is best known internationally for his role in the superior war film Zulu (1964) and today’s film, The Naked Prey (1965). Van den Bergh, who was also a writer, died at an early age in 1968.

I have told you before what a great hosting company Libsyn is. One of my favorite features in analytics is the world map, which shows downloads by country. I find this very helpful when planning content and checking for aberrations. You can use the affiliate link and code in the description to get up to two months of free hosting. I will receive a small commission on all sales, but it will not cost you anything extra. All commissions will be used to improve the show.

Story – The Naked Prey (1965)

The narration begins by saying that 100 years ago, Africa was unknown to most outsiders except for ivory and slave hunters. The movie begins with beautiful scenes of Africa. The narrator continues that slaves were sold by their chiefs or captured by slavers. He then finishes by saying man’s treatment of other men had become like that of the wild animals.

A small fort stands on a hill, flying the British flag. A group of African bearers, translators, and brush choppers are led from the fort by a group of white men. The beauty of the area is shown as the group makes its way into the interior.

During a rest break, the expedition manager, known only as The Man (Cornel Wilde) or maybe Larry, is asked by expedition financer Man 2 (Gert van den Bergh) if he would like to go into the slavery business. The Man refuses, with disgust, saying this is his last expedition.

At one point, they pass a circular Bantu village before heading into the thick jungle. The party is met by a group of Zulu-type warriors. The Leader of the warriors (Ken Gampu) asks the party for gifts to give to their chief in exchange for being on their land. This is the tradition when passing through tribal land. The Man wants to give gifts, but Man 2 is too cheap and self-important. Man 2 knocks the warrior leader to the ground. The warrior leader is shamed by the treatment. What was a friendly exchange was changed to a deadly matter of honor.

Using film clips, the Europeans are shown hunting animals. Wilde worked hard to ensure that no animals were hurt during the making of this film. I will talk about this a little more in the conclusion. How big a hole do you have to have in your soul to want to kill such a large and intelligent animal?

The African crew strips the meat and ivory from the murdered animals. Back at the camp, Man 2 is bragging about shooting elephants that had no ivory just for sport. The Man is again disgusted with his partner. The Man hears animals being flushed in the jungle and gets up to investigate.

The Leader of the warriors has a large attack group hidden in the jungle. On the Leader’s command, the warriors attack with bows, spears, and clubs. Although the Europeans armed with rifles hold the attackers off for a bit, they are soon captured.

Three Europeans and a large number of Africans are brought to the warrior’s camp. The Leader of the warriors presents the captives to the rotund leopard skin chief. The leopard skin chief is called the tribal leader in the credits and is named Morrison Gampu. It is not clear if he is related to Ken Gampu.

The leopard skin chief is overjoyed by the warriors’ tale of victory. The chief takes his throne and, one by one, has the African prisoners executed. Safari Overseer (Patrick Mynhardt) is given over the women as a torture prize. Another African prisoner is given to a group of men. Man 2 is taken by another group. Finally, they make a pronouncement about The Man, and he is taken forward. The chief and many of the warriors’ drink blood from a freshly killed goat. They make The Man drink as well. Some of the warriors’ poke and prod The Man’s chest. Many people thought this was because they planned to eat him. However, they were checking his strength before the Lion’s Chance.

The Safari Overseer is dressed as a bird. His arms and legs are bound, so he can only hop. The surviving African is coated in red clay by the men who took him. Other members of the tribe begin sharing the equipment captured during the attack. The Man is already suffering in the heat.

The Safari Overseer is brought forward and given a small head start. The women chase him down and stab him to death with pointed sticks. The man encased in clay is placed on a spit above a fire and is roasted to death.

Man 2 is placed at the opening of some U-shaped logs. The logs are burning, and a cobra is thrown into the fire ring. The only way out of the fire is past Man 2. Man 2 watches the snake in horror as it rises up and strikes him near the eyes. I think not showing your eyes to the snake might give you a better chance. I will try it if it ever comes up.

At last, The Man is stripped naked and taken to the edge of the village. One of the warriors shoots an arrow, and they indicate that the naked man should run past the arrow. As soon as The Man reaches the arrow, a single warrior armed with a spear runs after the prey. The warrior is running hard, but the prey is moving at a jog. When the first warrior passes the arrow, a second warrior begins running toward the prey.

The first warrior closes on the prey but misses with his spear throw. The Man picks up the spear and kills his pursuer. A third warrior begins running as The Man takes the warrior’s spear and shoes. The second warrior shows agony at the loss of his friend and takes the dead body back. The third warrior continues after the prey.

The third warrior hasn’t done enough cardio and passes out in the heat, giving the prey a considerable head start. The Man stops to rest, and every sticking and scratching plant is shown. I thought I was back in Brownsville, Texas.

The Man dressed in the capture loin cloth and shoes. Also carrying a small skin of water, he continues to flee. The heat is as much an enemy as the pursuers. The Man rests on a rock outcropping while one of the warriors follows his trail. The Man uses captured skins to give his feet more protection. The Man makes a meal of a giant land snail and uses thorns to clean his teeth.

The warrior arrives at the rock outcrop. The Man spears a tree to coat the tip of his spear with poison. He has left his shoe by a tree, and as the warrior goes to strike, the Man stabs him from behind, killing him. A large group of warriors are still in pursuit.

A baboon fights off a cheetah in what I can only assume is a metaphor for the Man’s chase. Shortly after, the Man tries to kill a defenseless pheasant but wastes energy because the bird is too fast. The warriors stalk and kill an impala for their meal.

The Man continues as the light fades in the west. The warriors sing as they get ready to have their feast. The man is able to make a small fire with some of the supplies he stole. At the warrior’s camp, they mourn the death of their friend. Snakes, cheetahs, and other wild animals move around the Man as he sleeps. Other animals are shown killing and surviving in the harsh environment.

The Man wakes with a start and begins to move his sore body toward safety. The warriors divide into two groups as they argue about which trail to follow. The Man kills an impala with his spear but is deprived of his prey by a hungry lion. He loses his spear in the process.

The Man hears the warriors signaling on a log that they have found the trail. The other group returns, and eight warriors are in pursuit. The warriors spread out and close in on the Man. The Man is prevented from crossing a creek due to the large number of crocodiles.

The Man leaps from a tree and kills one of the warriors with his knife. The Man is now armed with a bow and arrow and a spear. It is not long before he runs into another warrior. They fight with spears and knives until the spears are destroyed. The fight continues with knives until the Man throws dirt in the warrior’s eyes and then kills him with a knife chop. In this fight, my money would be on the guy who fought with spears all the time.

When the group finds the two dead men, the lead warrior rallies them to a blood lust. A tree snake kills a bird as the cycle of life and death continues. The six remaining warriors continue after the man. As they approach, they shoot arrows at the man but miss. The warriors are only a few hundred yards behind their prey.

The Man stops on a hilltop and makes a quick fire. He begins using the captured bow and arrows to shoot flaming arrows into the dry grass. Before long, the Man has a wall of fire that gives him temporary protection. The warriors are forced to go around as the Man laughs like a crazy person and yells burn you devils.

Thinking he is safe, the Man continues to move toward safety. The Man rests by a tree for the night. In the morning, he is sore and hungry but gets up to continue his journey. He digs and eats some tubers but it doesn’t work out well. Some lions bring down a wildebeest near a waterhole.

The warriors are losing interest in the hunt, but the Leader drives them onward. When one man tries to leave, the Leader kills him. The rest of the group now knows they are working for Captain Ahab as he follows his white whale. The warrior leader is now restricting the water consumption of his group.

The Man is almost bitten by deadly snakes because he is too tired to notice. Buzzards feed on a dead animal until lions take the food away. A buzzard watches as the man is near death. Finally, the Man kills a snake for food. He eats the snake raw.

A cobra bites one of the remaining warriors on the leg. They cut the wound and suck the poison out. Remember the punchline? The doctor said you are going to die. One of the warriors wants to take the man back to safety, but the Leader refuses. They leave the wounded man behind.

The Man tries in vain to spear an impala. He does find fresh water. The warriors find where the Man ate the snake. One of the warriors wants to rest, but the Leader drives him onward.

The Man arrives outside of the circular Bantu village his group passed on the way into the wilds. He sees meat on the fire and stays hidden while it is still light. During the night, the Man crawls into the village and steals some meat. He is spotted by a girl of 6 to 8 (Bella Randles). She can’t get any adults to investigate.

In the morning, the Man is still near the village. He hears a rifle being cocked. Immediately, the village is swarmed by Arab slaver and their African allies. The head Arab is played by Patrick Mynhardt, who was killed earlier as the Sarfari Overseer. Everything and everyone in the village is burned, killed, or captured. The village people that are left alive are yoked in a line.

The Man is in danger as the slavers hunt for escapees. He finds the small girl from the night before hiding in a thicket. The warriors arrive but stay far away from the slavers, who are armed with rifles.

The Man leads the searchers away from the girl and even kills a few slavers as he fights his way through the village. The head Arab dies a brutal death, the second for the actor in this film, as the Man clubs him into long, sharp thorns. The Man escapes by climbing down and then jumping into a waterfall as the slavers shoot at him.

The Man is near death in the water, but the small girl pulls him out. She uses the arm lift method to get the water out of his lungs. The girl is a happy companion, singing and cooking for the man who saved her before she returned the favor. They don’t share a dialect, but she begins teaching him Bantu.

The Man continues toward safety, and the young girl joins him. Many predators are shown lurking nearby, including a lizard and a giant snake that I will talk more about later. The small girl stays with him most of the day, but when they reach the end of her valley, she signals that she wants to return home. The Man gives her his firing-making kit, and they go in different directions. The Man sees more herding Africans as he gets closer to the fort.

At last, he sees the fort in the distance. The four remaining warriors come out of the jungle and start chasing the Man. The Man is spent and can barely run. He staggers across the open ground in front of the fort before collapsing.

One warrior runs ahead and is about to spear him. Suddenly, gunfire erupts from the fort, killing the warrior. The Man raises his hand toward the Leader of the warriors. The warrior returns the salute as he and the Man acknowledge each other’s skill. Unlike Captain Ahab, this leader only got his guys killed, not himself.

I want to thank you for watching the show. If you are enjoying this content, I would greatly appreciate it if you could support the channel. The number one thing you can do is subscribe and leave a comment. Thank you.

Conclusion – The Naked Prey (1965)

Cornel Wilde was a classic leading man before he was able to undertake the film as a pet project. He not only played half the chase, he also directed the film. Shot on-location, this film used locals to play most of the roles. This film takes on the complex relationship between Europeans, Arabs, and Africans. Wilde took great care to show the diversity of the Africans, and many of the emotional scenes were shown from the local point of view.

Director Wilde tried not to harm any animals while filming this movie. His character shows contempt for elephant hunting early in the movie. The scenes where elephants were killed were made with stock footage.

The killing of the impala by the warriors is not shown. In the scene where one of the warriors is shown in silhouette carrying the dead animal, a cardboard cutout is used. If you look at the scene where the giant lizard and the snake are fighting, the lizard bites the snake, but the reptile is gaining an advantage. Wilde tried to intervene, and the lizard bit him on the leg, refusing to let go. The animal had to be killed by the crew to get it to release. Wilde went to the hospital for his wound. No good deed goes unpunished.

World-Famous Short Summary – – How many of us could be in a body suit for most of the movie at 52

Beware the moors.

---

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060736/

[2] The Naked Prey | Rotten Tomatoes

[3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060736/

[4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060736/