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19 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
National Geographic Channel meets Italian Sleaze, 17 June 2004
6/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

Sergio Martino's 'Mountain etc' is somewhat an outcast in the notorious Italian field of cannibalism… This film has a bit more style, depth and – compared to such films as 'Cannibal Holocaust' or 'Cannibal Ferox' – you don't necessarily feel the need to take a shower after seeing it. It's actually better to compare this film with old-fashioned adventure-movies, actually…but with cannibals and a healthy dose of authentic Italian sleaze. Ursula Andress (still the finest, most ravishing Bond girl to date) stars as a strong woman who goes on an expedition, deep down the Guinean jungle, to search her missing husband. Her brother and another respected anthropologist (Stacy Keach) accompany her to 'Ra Ra Mu' … Roughly translated: the mountain of the Cannibal God, where a savage tribe still feasts on human flesh.

The first hour of the film is slow, atmospheric and surprisingly educational! Several sequences, portraying animal's hunting rituals, seem to come right out of a National Geographic broadcast and you're actually waiting for the voice-over to inform you more. The original, uncut release of Mountain of the Cannibal God contains a good share of violence and nudity, but it never becomes repulsive or nauseating. To be entirely honest: the 'horrible' cannibal tribe actually is rather lame. So, the fact they're only appear in the movie after the first hour is a good thing! Until then, you've got compelling adventure and Andress's ravishing body to keep you entertained. Highly recommended viewing!

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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A fine example of it's genre..., 18 August 2004
10/10
Author: adam_m_curtis from Epsom, Surrey, England

I decided to buy the uncut and digitally remastered version of 'Mountain of the Cannibal God' after having read some online reviews, (which were pretty mixed), and after having watched the trailer for the film on some of the other Vipco Screamtime Collection DVDs.

The Horror film genre is one that particularly interests me, as does the sub-genre of Cannibalism and films that have been previously banned, and I feel that this film delivers all that can be expected of it.

There are interesting plot twists and developments, (although the story is very straight-forward), the dialogue is simple but effective and well executed for a film of this genre, it has the former Bond girl Ursula Andress 'in all her beautiful glory', it has an intriguing musical score, lashings of violence and gore that are shot in a fairly realistic fashion, and even an annoying cannibal dwarf! What more could you possibly ask for?

Although perhaps at not quite the same level of entertainment and cinematic quality of a film like 'Cannibal Holocaust', which is far more tense and shocking, this is nevertheless an extremely highly under-rated and enjoyable film that is more than well worth a look if you are interested in this type of genre. However, if you do not like this type of film, then it certainly isn't a film for you - just leave us enthusiasts to enjoy and appreciate it in our own company.

The DVD sleeve hails it as 'one of the best cannibal films you'll ever see' - and I must say that I wholeheartedly (excuse the pun) agree. Go watch it now!

10 out of 10.

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13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
King Solomon's Mines meets the Cannibals, 30 December 2004
8/10
Author: Macholic from Copenhagen, Denmark, EU

This is your classic Saturday matinée movie, just done with more gore. It offers the best production values of any Italian cannibal movie, it has an all star cast, excellent production values, it really looks great. Or, to be more specific: It looked great: The DVD prints in circulation today are made from color faded Kodak Eastman prints. They are not made to last, so when I saw it in the cinema in 1979 it looked great and colorful. Still...if faded colors doesn't ruin your day, there is plenty to enjoy. Ursula Andress offers some of the best celeb-nudity caught on film. Being in her mid-forties, she still looks absolutely fantastic. My suggestion to you is to suspend your disbelief, find your best chair, lower the lights and press play to enjoy 8/10.

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13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Keach & Ursula meet the cannibals, 24 November 2003
6/10
Author: macabro357 from U.S.

(aka: MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD)

Another of the cannibal rage that was popular in the late 70s, early 80s, this one involves a wealthy woman Susan Stevenson (Ursula Andress) who's husband is reported missing on a large jungle island off the coast of New Guinea. She enlists the help of explorer Stacy Keach to find him and they set out on their expedition.

They bring along her sleazy brother (played by Antonio Marsina) who does everything he can to sabotage the truth of the expedition. See, Andress and her brother aren't really interested in finding her husband, they're only interested in the uranium deposits they believe he stumbled across. Along the way, they run into a guy named Manolo (the late Claudio Cassinelli) who saves Andress from being hacked up by a menacing native. Why he suddenly appears in the film when he did is never explained.

We get the usual gutting of a large lizard by the natives, the eating of a tree monkey by a large python and the devouring of a native baggage handler by a crocodile. Nice gore scene of his arm being bitten off in the water there, with the meat and the bone just hanging off.

Right after Keach is deliberately let go by Susan's brother and falls into a ravine, it's up to Manolo to lead the rest of them to the spot where Susan's husband was last seen. They reach a cave where Susan's brother is speared to death by a native and the two of them are taken off to be held prisoner. At the other end of the large cave (the same one where Deodato had earlier filmed JUNGLE HOLOCAUST) the natives then proceed to rip out and disembowel Susan's brother's body and later cook his remains over an open fire. Cool gore scene and he deserved his fate the same way John Morghen did in my favorite cannibal flick, CANNIBAL FEROX. There's also a later bizarre scene of a cannibal having simulated sex with a water buffalo!! Good gawd!!

But fortunately Manolo manages to trick his captors and kills one of them by smashing his head against a rock (cool exposed brains scene) and saves Susan (who the natives think is a goddess) by managing to make their escape.

This is one of the better cannibal films not so much for the gore as it was the acting by Keach & Co. While it's true that Andress' acting didn't pass any great thespian skills, nevertheless the film was made in English without the horrible overdubbing you get from others in the genre. Plus we get excellent views of her naked body (she was 40 at the time) that was something to behold. No wonder the natives thought she was a goddess.

Excellent, pristine widescreen uncut DVD by Anchor Bay with production stills, posters and trailers for both the U.S. and European market. We also get an embarrassing 12 minute interview with director Martino where he claims he didn't harm any animals at all and that the film was not exploitative. The clips the Anchor Bay editors inserted into the interview, prove otherwise.

6 out of 10

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Madman's review!, 31 March 2004
Author: MrMad from Scotland



Italian horror supremo Sergio Martino managed to persuade Ursula Andress into this now notorious jungle adventure and moreover got her to display her boobies! Back in the days when animal rights activists were just a glimmer in their fathers eye, film makers were able to shock audiences by showing gratuitious scenes of animals being killed. In this case, a giant snake eating a monkey, tribesmen slicing open a large lizard, and a number of others - intense imagery but it does go to show how brutal nature can be.

Andress plays Susan Stevenson, the wife of a scientist who has become lost in the New Guinea jungle, and mounts an expedition with the help of her brother and another scientist. They soon meet up with the mysterious Manolo who helps in the search and discover that Susan's hubby has gone in search of a secret tribe living on a remote mountain called Ra Ra Me which translates as Mountain Of The Cannibal God.

Much of the group are killed on the way by members of the cannibal tribe and when they do arrive at the mountain, it is the Uranium in the rocks that Susan seeks for financial gain rather than locating her husband. However, her plans are quickly scuppered when the tribe capture her and the last remaining scientist and take them to their mountain lair. They believe that Susan is a goddess and create a living monument by smearing her naked body with fluid and putting ceremonial items on her. How sweet.

The jungle locations are rich and vibrant, and the cannibals are genuinly scarey looking characters - especially the midget one. The flick does over use shock tactics in parts such as the frenzied sex scene which includes a large boar as far as I can make out. That said, I personally enjoyed the whole 70's exploitation experience but that may be due to having something wrong with my head.

7.75 out of 10.

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16 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Beastiality - among the crew!, 23 November 2002
3/10
Author: Clift from Perstorp, Sweden

Of all the infamous Italian cannibal movies of the seventies and early eighties, this is the most tedious. They all include pointless depicting of animals killing animals - and people killing animals.

Of course, they also include people killing people, but whereas this, of course, is fake, the animal killings are for real. Not that nature's not cruel, but what's the point in including suffering monkeys, iguanas, snakes and turtles in the movies?

Most of the time, these scenes seem staged, and in this movie, it's very clear a monkey was thrown before a hungry boa, and there was probably even a rope tied to it, while throwing! At 23:31 into the uncut DVD, you can see that a very clear and sharp, green branch is added onto the film in the left of the frame afterwards, in order to cover something up.

If it isn't a rope, it's probably the arm of the one throwing the poor monkey to its certain death. The following scene, where the producers show close-ups of the monkey's face, in all its anguish, is almost unbearable, and adds, of course, nothing to the story, except a bitter aftertaste.

The music (by de Angelis & de Angelis) is beautiful, and watching the then 41-year-old Ursula Andress in the nude, all tied up, are this movie's highlights.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Very well-made jungle adventure, 24 April 2006
7/10
Author: gridoon

"Mountain of the Cannibal God" may disappoint those looking for a hardcore cannibal flick, but if you're willing to accept it as a jungle adventure with occasional doses of gore it works better. The production is colorful and polished; this movie really looks great on DVD. Sergio Martino does a solid job with the direction; apart from "Predator", I don't think I've seen a film with a better sense of place during its jungle scenes. The plot has a good build-up, and even attempts a couple of twists. Ursula Andress handles her physically demanding role well (no wonder the cannibals mistake her for a goddess; that's what Ursula is. And did anyone else find one of the cannibal girls that were painting her up quite hot?). Stacy Keach is a solid lead and has the best (and best-delivered) line in the film: "You never forget the taste of human flesh!". By the way, I watched a 97-minute version which was quite gory, but had some "extreme" scenes that others have mentioned (bestiality) missing. (**1/2)

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
More ghastly cannibal stuff........, 20 January 2003
Author: Damon Foster (damonfoster@earthlink.net) from Bay Area, CA

I can't figure out why these late 1970s, Italian cannibal adventures intrigue me so much. I always get disgusted when they kill animals for the sake of a stupid movie, and yet time and time again, I'm drawn to movies like SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD, which, in this case, I saw under its uncut European version, MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD. I had thought that with big names like Ursulla Andres and Stacey Keach involved, this one would be at least a little cleaner than CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, the most notorious of the genre.

As another of those "movies we love to hate", I recommend this one if it's easily accessible. Fans of Andres will enjoy seeing her naked, of course. As a jungle adventure, it succeeds and the occasional gore makes it that much more intense. Scenes of humans bleeding are faked, but as is often the case, the scenes of animals (i.e. a monitor lizard) bleeding are way too authentic. I don't advise eating spagheti while watching this story of some lady seeking her missing husband in a dense jungle, and stumbling upon "The Puka", a group of cannibals (one of which is a dwarf; added for comic relief).

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Ursula stakes it out, 1 March 2002
9/10
Author: Kakueke

Sergio Martino's "Slave of the Cannibal God" has many of the same elements of Ruggero Deodata's jungle "Cannibal" flicks: An expedition into the jungle, very graphic human and animal violence and dissections, encounters with the sought "cannibal" natives. This time it is Ursula Andress, of all people, who leads the expedition to find her lost husband, accompanied by her brother, husband's friend, natives, etc. They encounter a lot on the way before finding the natives, and Ursula is soon naked on a stake being rubbed with blood...only the Italians could think of that one. Intense, with good action and jungle scenery, but if you think this type of violence will be too much stay away.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
I liked it., 19 September 2004
8/10
Author: Paul Andrews (poolandrews@hotmail.com) from UK

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Bond girl Ursula Andress plays Susan Stevenson who travels to New Guinea with her brother Arthur Weisser (Antonio Marsina) to look for her husband, Professor Henry Stevenson (Tom Felleghy, uncredited) who has disappeared in the jungle and hasn't been heard from for weeks. They persuade a Professor named Edward Foster (Stacy Keach) to guide them into the jungle and help them look for the lost man. On their adventures they come across a guy named Manolo (Claudio Cassinelli) who decides to travel with them as they are all banished from Father Moses (Franco Fantasia) peaceful village he has set up with some of the local natives, lots of animal cruelty and the odd cannibal, however the cannibals don't really make an appearance until the final third of the film. But it turns out they could each be there for very different rather selfish reasons than first hinted at. Co-written and directed by Sergino Martino I rather liked this, nice authentic jungle locations that create good atmosphere, shot quite well too, with really nice colourful widescreen photography by Giancarlo Ferrando). The script by Martino and Cesare Frugoni moves along at a pretty good pace, it certainly keeps the story moving along nicely and tries to add the odd twist here and there, whether it succeeds will probably depend on how many of these types of films you've seen before. The effects are pretty good too, there's some fairly impressive gore, rotten bodies, intestine eating, spearing, decapitations, someone is attacked and eaten by an Alligator and at the end Andress is stripped and has her dead husbands rotting flesh smeared all over her body, nice. Like most of the other Italian made cannibal films Mountain of the Cannibal God contains a fair amount of real animal cruelty, including various animals fighting and eating each other in unnecessary detail, a lizard is skinned and gutted, some snakes are torn to pieces and a tarantula is chopped in half by a machete so be warned! There are also pleasing amounts of nudity as well. Overall the film is very well made and seems to have good production values courtesy of Massimo Antonello Geleng. The down side would be the rather slow pace at a couple of points here and there, and if your an animal lover forget it!

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