Mangiati vivi! (1980)

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writer:

Umberto Lenzi (story)

Release Date:

20 March 1980 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror

Tagline:

They didn't have a chance!

Plot:

A young woman teams up with an adventurer to find her missing sister in the jungles of New Guinea and they stumble upon a religious cult led by a deranged preacher whom has located his commune in an area inhabited by cannibals.

Plot Keywords:

Cannibal | Jungle | New York | New Guinea | Dart

Cast

Robert Kerman	...	Mark Butler
Janet Agren	...	Sheila Morris
Ivan Rassimov	...	Jonas Melvyn
Paola Senatore	...	Diana Morris
Me Me Lai	...	Mowara
Fiamma Maglione	...	Alma (as Mag Fleming)
Franco Fantasia	...	Brother Reeves
Franco Coduti	...	Karan (as Gianfranco Coduti)
Alfred Joseph Berry
Michele Schmiegelm	...	Native girl
Mel Ferrer	...	Professor Carter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gerald Grant	...	Lt. Creal (uncredited)
Carlo Longhi	...	Dick (follower of Jonas) (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Inspector Logan (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Susan Spafford	...	Sheila Morris (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Jake Teague	...	Inspector Logan (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Lt. Creal (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Umberto Lenzi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Umberto Lenzi		story and screenplay

Produced by
Mino Loy	....	producer
Luciano Martino	....	producer

Original Music by
Roberto Donati		(as Budy)
Fiamma Maglione		(as Maglione)

Cinematography by
Federico Zanni

Film Editing by
Eugenio Alabiso

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Makeup Department
Raul Ranieri	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Franco Coduti	....	unit manager (as Gianfranco Coduti)
Evi Farinelli	....	unit manager
Giovanni Masini	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Franco Fantasia	....	assistant director (as Francesco Fantasia)

Art Department
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	prop man

Sound Department
Massimo Mariani	....	sound engineer
Bruno Moreal	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Paolo Ricci	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Belli	....	chief electrician
Gianni Maddaleni	....	camera operator
Francesco Narducci	....	still photographer
Mario Pastorini	....	assistant camera
Giancarlo Serravalli	....	key grip

Editorial Department
Brigida Mastrolillo	....	assistant editor
Teresa Negozio	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	conductor
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	music arranger

Other crew
Franco Galizi	....	production secretary

Distributors

• Eagle Films (1981) (UK) (theatrical)
• VideoMedia (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Continental Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (as "The Emerald Jungle")
• Elephant Video Ltd. (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (1992) (UK) (VHS)
• Professional Cine Media (1994) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• EC Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Shriek Show (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Alemannia-Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• IVC (????) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2006) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Firebox (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• LD Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• SBP (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Video Classics (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Video Invest AB (????) (Sweden) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Doomed to Die (USA)
Eaten Alive by the Cannibals! (Europe: English title)
Eaten Alive! (International: English title)
Eaten Alive: Mangiati vivi! (USA) (DVD box title)
Mangiati vivi dai cannibali (Italy) (alternative title)
The Emerald Jungle (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

92 min | UK:85 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | UK:18 (re-rating: 1987) (heavily cut) | UK:X (original rating: 1981) (heavily cut) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Argentina:16 | Ireland:18 (cut UK version) | Norway:(Banned) | South Korea:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Italy

Trivia:

Scenes originally from the movies Il paese del sesso selvaggio (1972) (crocodile being killed with a small knife, and a woman being killed and eaten by cannibals), Ultimo mondo cannibale (1977) (Me Me Lay's death sequence), and La montagna del dio cannibale (1978) (castration scene, footage of a snake eating a monkey, and a man being pulled into the water by a crocodile), were edited into this movie.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although this movie is set in New Guinea, you can see several animals like Green Iguanas and Macaws that only live in South and Central America.

Quotes:

Jonas Melvyn: Their idea of lunch is fresh, hot entrails soaked in blood.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tales of the Contaminated City (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Profoundly stupid but entertaining cannibal trash.

'Eaten Alive' is a profoundly stupid movie, but despite that, or more accurately, BECAUSE of that it's extremely entertaining trash. It rehashes plot elements (and even footage) from previous Italian cannibal movies and adds a Jim Jones-ish death cult in for good measure. Italian exploitation star Ivan Rassimov plays Jonas, the cult leader, Janet Agren (Fulci's 'City Of The Living Dead') the sister of a missing woman, and Robert Kerman (Deodato's infamous 'Cannibal Holocaust') the man hired to find her. The cast also includes Paola Senatore and Mei Mei Lai, both favourites with cult/sleaze buffs. The version of 'Eaten Alive' I watched was the British cut which has most of the more infamous scenes censored or completely removed. I really don't know if this was a good or a bad thing. I believe most of this stuff was recycled from earlier Lenzi films or "borrowed" from my fave cannibal movie 'Mountain Of The Cannibal God', so if you're familiar with this genre you've probably seen it all before already. Anyway, most people run away screaming from this kinda stuff, but if you're into movies like this you'll find much to enjoy here. Neither the best nor the worst cannibal movie, but definitely worth a look.