Aventuras en Malaya

British big game hunter Otto Abbot (Jack Hawkins) and American trapper Harry Stanton (Robert Mitchum) have been hired to hunt for big cats including a legendary one known as the Enchantress. Anna is Otto's 'general staff'. The trio travels to the jungle of post-British Malaya.

The most compelling is hunting the animals. The jungle is not the deepest and darkest jungle. It's the wilds of Hawaii. It's beautiful but it doesn't look dangerous. The movie is generally flat for it. Harry is a static character. He has one mode. There is no romantic triangle possible and yet the movie forces one. Otto has a semi-interesting relationship with Anna. A better script would have them deal with their relationship. That's the drama in this story. This should really be a movie about their companionship with Harry as the outside observer. The movie does have some good looking cats.

"Rampage", made in 1963, starred Robert Mitchum, Elsa Martinelli, and Jack Hawkins. This film, set in the jungles of Malasia, had the two professionals, Hawkins an animal hunter, and Mitchum, a trapper, hired by a zoo in Germany to capture a rare species of jungle cat and bring the animal back alive for a major exhibition. Mitchum sees the chance to do as the zoo wishes, while Hawkins only desires the killing of the animal for the newest addition to his collection of kills and trophies. Adding to the mixture is Hawkins' mistress, played by Elsa Martinelli. She goes on the hunt as well, and finally decides to leave Hawkins, tiring of his desire to only kill.

The hunt in Malasia goes well, the animal is captured, but Hawkins' jealousy gives vent to revenge on the two, Mitchum and Martinelli. The film features a stirring music score by Elmer Bernstein, and the scenery in Malasia is breathtaking. Mitchum portrays cool as only he could, and Martinelli and Hawkins add a style to the film. Sadly, not on VHS or DVD yet.

This movie is underrated. Robert Mitchum is at his laid-back best as the trapper and Elsa Martinelli is sexy and strong in the female lead. Jack Hawkins is fine, and it's nice to see Sabu in a strong role after The Jungle Book. The musical score (by Elmer Bernstein) is melodic, almost as good as his Magnificent Seven soundtrack. Set this all in verdant Africa with a tiger hunt thrown in, and it makes for good viewing.

A rare Malay safari flick that Robert Mitchum did because it enabled his family to take a nice vacation in Hawaii. Mitch floats serenely through the film (co-star Jack Hawkins claimed he downed 49 glasses of rum before a dinner) as an expert tracker who agrees to provide a Stuttgart zoo with some wild tigers and a rare Malay leopard. Jack Hawkins also said this film is best forgotten, which is surely true for him because the great German big game hunter he plays is ridiculously arrogant, misogynistic, and only worships his history of safari kills. Not only that, but he seems to have promoted adopted daughter Elsa Martinelli to being his wife and most prized possession. A silly love triangle ensues as they pursue the big cats in Hawaii and at the San Diego Zoo (filming in Malaysia is expensive!). None of the tribal Malaysians depicted looks like they've ever been to the Malay Peninsula, especially the tribal chief who looks more like Alan Hale from Gilligan's Island! Nonetheless, despite the dumb plot this film looks good, has an amusing exotica calypso soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein, a frisky nude bathing scene, and is one of the last films of Sabu, the beloved Indian actor who made a long and successful career out of jungle films. An reasonable substitute if you don't have time to make it to the San Diego Zoo!

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.