The Naked Prey (1965)

The Naked Prey
Directed by Cornel Wilde
Written by Clint Johnston and Don Peters
1965/USA
Sven Persson Films/Theorora Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter. Ernest Hemingway

Almost dialogue-free movie is completely absorbing with gorgeous views of Africa and its wildlife.

Director Wilde plays a character credited only as “Man” and I will refer to as “Wilde”.  He is guiding a hunting party going after ivory-bearing elephants in Southern Africa.  The guests who are paying for the trek refuse to give a tribe of natives the traditional payment for hunting on their lands over the objections of Wilde.  The natives who far outnumber the party execute all in a variety of inventive and gruesome ways.  As a sign of respect, they give Wilde “the lions chance”.  He is stripped naked and given a head start before he is hunted down like wild game.

A combination of desperation and luck helps Wilde escape his pursuers.  Along the way he must not only outrun the locals but survive off the land.  Toward the the end of the movie he also confronts a group of Arab slave traders that are decimating a village.

English is spoken only at the very beginning of the film.  Almost all the additional dialogue is in a local language which is not sub-titled.  I thought the film gave a very balanced view of African culture showing both its brutality and the very human emotions of the people.  The nature photography is outstanding, showing many scenes of animal predation and the beautiful local scenery.  I sat rapt throughout.  Highly recommended.

The Naked Prey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen.

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