Sumpf unter den Füßen

It's the turn of the century. Ornithologist Walt Murdock (Christopher Plummer) arrives in the Florida Everglades to photograph local birds and to enforce the newly declared bird/animal sanctuary. Walt finds himself confronted by a family of poachers led by Cottonmouth (Burl Ives) and the local trade in feather plumage.

This apparently had a troubled production. The swamp people has shades of Deliverance with shocks of bright colors. There are some great natural views but the production can get stuck in the mud. The ecological and native themes are a bit ahead of its time. On the other hand, the melodrama and old costumes feel old. Most of this is a bit of a mess until the last section. It's as if the film figured out that it has two great actors in the cast. It becomes a mano-a-mano film and it's so good. The first two thirds is an interesting fail but it becomes almost electric in the last act.