Il paese del sesso selvaggio (1972)

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Francesco Barilli (writer)
Massimo D'Avak (writer)

Release Date:

23 May 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

See! The Torture That Makes a Modern Man Defenseless!

Plot:

A photographer in the rain forest is captured by wild natives, and after months of living with them, he marries the chief's daughter and helps protect the village from a vicious cannibal tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Cannibal Tribe | Cannibal | Torture | Video Nasty

Cast

Ivan Rassimov	...	John Bradley
Me Me Lai	...	Marayå (as Me Me Lay)
Pratitsak Singhara	...	Taima
Sullalewan Suxantat	...	Karen
Ong Ard	...	Lahuna
Prapas Chindang	...	Chuan
Pipop Pupinyo	...	Mihuan
Tuan Tevan	...	Tuan
Chit	...	Cannibal
Choi	...	Cannibal
Song Suanhad	...	Witch Doctor
Pairach Thaipradt	...	Thai
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luciano Martino	...	Extra in bar (uncredited)

Directed by
Umberto Lenzi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Francesco Barilli		writer
Massimo D'Avak		writer

Produced by
Ovidio G. Assonitis	....	producer
Giorgio Carlo Rossi	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Daniele Patucchi

Cinematography by
Riccardo Pallottini

Film Editing by
Eugenio Alabiso

Costume Design by
Ettora Marotti

Production Management
Gino Capponi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Franco Fantasia	....	assistant director
Victor Tourjansky	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Nick Alexander	....	dubbing editor
Sergio Angeloni	....	sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Tarcisio Diamanti	....	key grip
Dante Di Palma	....	assistant camera
Giuseppe Gabrielli	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Osanna Guardini	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Giuseppe Romano	....	assistant editor
Ivana Tumolo	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Giuseppe Bruno Bossio	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Medusa Produzione
• Roas Produzioni

Distributors

• Joseph Brenner Associates (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• CMV Laservision (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1973) (Canada) (as "Man from Deep River") (dubbed)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• International Trading (2003) (UK) (video)
• Shriek Show (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Classics (Australia) (video)

Also Known As:

Deep River Savages (Europe: English title)
Man from Deep River (International: English title)
Sacrifice! (USA)
Au pays de l'exorcisme (France) [fr]
Cannibalis: Au pays de l'exorcisme (France) [fr]
Mies syvästä joesta (Finland) [fi]
Mondo cannibale (West Germany) [de]
Sfaxte tous kannivalous (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Voreia tou Bangkok (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

93 min | UK:89 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Burmese | Thai

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (2003) (heavily cut) | USA:Not Rated | UK:R (original rating: 1975) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 (VHS rating) | UK:(Banned) (1984-2003) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Trivia:

Umberto Lenzi was heavily influenced by the American western A Man Called Horse (1970) when making this film. The plots of the two films are nearly identical, and the English title for this film, "Man from Deep River", is even supposed to echo the title "A Man Called Horse".

Quotes:

John Bradley: I'm a human being, like you! I'm a man, not a fish!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Mangiati vivi! (1980)

I'm a human being, like you! I'm a man, not a fish!

This video nasty was initially banned in Britain, but released in 2003 with almost four minutes cut. It is considered the first of the cannibal genre, although it is not strictly a cannibal film.

The film features Ivan Rassimov and Me Me Lai, who both went on to do Jungle Holocaust and Eaten Alive! I like those tribal customs where the widow is freed from her dead husband by having public sex with other men in the tribe. Interesting diversion from a life of fishing.

Bradley (Rassimov) gets accepted into the tribe after beating Karen (Sullalewan Suxantat), who was the intended of Marayå (Me Me Lai). he gets respect and the girl. He even gets to eat monkey brains with the Chief. This is probably one of the cuts made in Britain.

He angers the Witchdoctor (Song Suanhad) by doing a tracheotomy to save a boy. I am sure the Witchdoctor had something to do with his wife dying.

The cannibal tribe attacks and destroys the village, but he decides to give up his city life and stay and rebuild.