Les seigneurs de la forêt (1958)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Directors:

Henry Brandt
Heinz Sielmann

Writer:

Heinz Sielmann (writer)

Release Date:

10 March 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

You Are There Too...Exploring Nature's Lost World!!

Plot:

Documentary showing the struggles of the inhabitants--both human and animal--of what was then called the Belgian Congo. |

Plot Keywords:

Africa

Cast

Jean Desailly	...	Récitant / Narrator (French version) (voice)
Georges Aminel	...	Récitant / Narrator (French version) (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bert Brauns	...	Narrator Dutch language
Herman Niels	...	Narrator Dutch version
William Warfield	...	Narrator, English Language Version (voice)
Orson Welles	...	Narrator, English Language Version (voice)

Also Known As:

Lords of the Forest
Masters of the Congo Jungle (USA)
Vrijheren van het woud (Belgium: Flemish title)

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

Belgium

Language:

German | Dutch | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

West Germany:6 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Democratic Republic Of Congo

Company:

The Belgian International Scientific Foundation

Watchable, but in the end, not Mondo-ish enough for me

In spite of its rather lurid exploitation aspects (or probably because of them), the "Mondo" documentary is one of my favorite subgenres, mixing sex, violence and comedy together in a stew of documentary footage, some real and some concocted (though the filmmakers would die sooner than admit any of their footage was less than real, and captured live by the camera's unblinking eye).

This film splits the difference between a Mondo movie and a straight-ahead nature documentary. That is to say, its exploitation and use of ballyhoo are toned down considerably when compared to something like Mondo Cane, which this film preceded by three years.

Belgian filmmakers enter the jungles and plains of the Belgian Congo (then known as) to record some footage of the last tribes untouched by the modern world living out their days and nights, as well as wild animals in their native habitats. The tone is respectful most of the time, with minimal emphasis on the nudity, blood and gore (though some of it is here) seen in some of the most outrageous Mondo movies (Mondo Cane, Ecco, Africa Addio, Women of the World, Taboos of the World, Kwaheri, The Forbidden).

Could it be that this difference in tone results due to the fact that these filmmakers were Belgian, and most of the "Mondo" filmmakers were Italian? I will not make such a judgment.

Narration by Orson Welles (tag-teaming with another American narrator, William Warfield) adds another level of class and distinction to the presentation. There are a few scenes of jungle violence that are difficult to watch, but overall Welles does an excellent job amping up the drama and making this movie somewhat worthwhile for fans of nature documentary, of Orson Welles' always excellent voice over work, or even of Mondo films, even if this film doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of insanity found in many Mondo productions.