Big game hunt for a trophy wife with Robert Mitchum and Elsa Martinelli
This adventure film by Phil Karlson (1908-1982) is also known in German-speaking countries as "IM BANNE DER ROTEN TIGERIN / Under the Spell of the Red Tigress". The beautifully photographed images come from Harold Lipstein. Elmer Bernstein contributes the music. The Warner Brothers film studio spared no effort.
The famous Wilhelma Zoo from Stuttgart in West Germany (but was filmed in the San Diego Zoo!) commissions an animal catcher (Robert Mitchum, 1917-1997) to catch two tigers and a rare big cat called "The Queen" in the jungle of Malaysia. There is supposed to be support from a notorious big game hunter (Jack Hawkins, 1910-1973), who is in a relationship with a much younger woman (Elsa Martinelli). Even before they go to Malaysia, a bitter fight breaks out between these two alpha men over the beautiful woman, who of course goes on the expedition...
Elsa Martinelli (1935-2017) looks beautiful in this film and is decked out in the most elegant costumes. Nevertheless, the way in which she is portrayed here as a woman trained by men is rather unpleasant. The viewer learns, for example, that she met her older partner as a 14-year-old orphan. Creepy! The year before, the Italian actress, who in those years regularly commuted between Hollywood and the Roman Cinecitta, was seen in a film of a similar nature, "Hatari".
In the jungle itself (all exterior shots were shot in Hawaii), the focus is on capturing the animals, but the conflict over the beautiful trophy wife continues to simmer. The great actor Sabu (1924-1963), who is unforgettable for his appearance in "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940), can be seen as a local helper. Here he can be seen in a very unworthy role as a submissive servant of the two "master men", who even offers his own wife (Cely Carillo) as a lover to the unwomanly Robert Mitchum. You can feel the colonialist look there!
In addition to the questionable gender image, the animal scenes are certainly no longer to everyone's taste. It's all excellently staged and photographed, but capturing animals for zoos (as a West German company from the idyllic Alfeld an der Leine did in particular in those years) was simply a ruthless business.
Incidentally, the enchanting Hercules star Sylva Koscina (alongside Steve Reeves in the first two Hercules films) as a stewardess and the German-born Stefan Schnabel (1912-1999) as the chief of the Sakai can also be seen in smaller roles.
At some point the ordered animals (the queen turns out to be a leopard painted red!) will be captured and will be ceremoniously handed over to the zoo in beautiful Stuttgart. But now the eponymous "killing spree" (in the original English the film is called RAMPAGE) finally occurs: one of the two alpha males completely freaks out and there is a fatal showdown with Leopard.
Fortunately, this film has now fallen out of time. The sexist, racist and animal cruel undertones are very noticeable these days. Nevertheless, the film is excellently directed in its own way. And men's stalking behavior is not glorified either. Still acceptable as an adventure film with the drawbacks mentioned.
This adventure film by Phil Karlson (1908-1982) is also known in German-speaking countries as "IM BANNE DER ROTEN TIGERIN / Under the Spell of the Red Tigress". The beautifully photographed images come from Harold Lipstein. Elmer Bernstein contributes the music. The Warner Brothers film studio spared no effort.
The famous Wilhelma Zoo from Stuttgart in West Germany (but was filmed in the San Diego Zoo!) commissions an animal catcher (Robert Mitchum, 1917-1997) to catch two tigers and a rare big cat called "The Queen" in the jungle of Malaysia. There is supposed to be support from a notorious big game hunter (Jack Hawkins, 1910-1973), who is in a relationship with a much younger woman (Elsa Martinelli). Even before they go to Malaysia, a bitter fight breaks out between these two alpha men over the beautiful woman, who of course goes on the expedition...
Elsa Martinelli (1935-2017) looks beautiful in this film and is decked out in the most elegant costumes. Nevertheless, the way in which she is portrayed here as a woman trained by men is rather unpleasant. The viewer learns, for example, that she met her older partner as a 14-year-old orphan. Creepy! The year before, the Italian actress, who in those years regularly commuted between Hollywood and the Roman Cinecitta, was seen in a film of a similar nature, "Hatari".
In the jungle itself (all exterior shots were shot in Hawaii), the focus is on capturing the animals, but the conflict over the beautiful trophy wife continues to simmer. The great actor Sabu (1924-1963), who is unforgettable for his appearance in "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940), can be seen as a local helper. Here he can be seen in a very unworthy role as a submissive servant of the two "master men", who even offers his own wife (Cely Carillo) as a lover to the unwomanly Robert Mitchum. You can feel the colonialist look there!
In addition to the questionable gender image, the animal scenes are certainly no longer to everyone's taste. It's all excellently staged and photographed, but capturing animals for zoos (as a West German company from the idyllic Alfeld an der Leine did in particular in those years) was simply a ruthless business.
Incidentally, the enchanting Hercules star Sylva Koscina (alongside Steve Reeves in the first two Hercules films) as a stewardess and the German-born Stefan Schnabel (1912-1999) as the chief of the Sakai can also be seen in smaller roles.
At some point the ordered animals (the queen turns out to be a leopard painted red!) will be captured and will be ceremoniously handed over to the zoo in beautiful Stuttgart. But now the eponymous "killing spree" (in the original English the film is called RAMPAGE) finally occurs: one of the two alpha males completely freaks out and there is a fatal showdown with Leopard.
Fortunately, this film has now fallen out of time. The sexist, racist and animal cruel undertones are very noticeable these days. Nevertheless, the film is excellently directed in its own way. And men's stalking behavior is not glorified either. Still acceptable as an adventure film with the drawbacks mentioned.