I'm surprised there's only a couple other reviews for this picture here as I write this. The film is actually a compilation of scenes from three previous Frank Buck films; funny, but you never hear his name or that of Clyde Beatty any more, the two most famous animal trappers of all time. This documentary style film is narrated by Buck with the benefit of hindsight during most of the segments, since the movies they were culled from were made in the early and mid-Thirties.
A lot of the scenes presented here are really rather intriguing, particularly the ones in which wild animals square off against each other. There's a tiger vs. black leopard draw, followed quickly by a scenario in which the same (?) black leopard tussles a huge python and is crushed in the effort. It's really rather gruesome when you think about it, maybe not the best thing for young kids to watch.
The trapping methods Buck utilizes range from the mundane to quite ingenious, and it surprised me that the man didn't use any protective gear of any kind, not even gloves. So when another python grabs his arm unexpectedly he winds up the next couple of hours pulling it's teeth out. One particularly humorous capture involved his running after and tackling a baby elephant, a mere two hundred pound infant that four Malay natives had to carry back to their camp in a sling.
Probably the most innovative capture involved setting a large net trap on the ground for a black leopard, attached to the top of a tree that was bowed nearly halfway down it's length and secured by a rope. When the animal went after a chicken used for bait, the camouflaged net was triggered by cutting the rope and the leopard was left upended. Following most of the captures, the animal was hustled inside a cage, ready for transport to one of the many zoos in America that commissioned Buck for his prize animals.
All in all this is really a fascinating look at a man who made his living for a solid decade risking his life to secure wild animals for zoos and circuses around the world. He sums up his mission with a thoughtful slogan emphasizing his respect for all of nature - 'Be Prepared, Be Resourceful, and Be Gone'.
A lot of the scenes presented here are really rather intriguing, particularly the ones in which wild animals square off against each other. There's a tiger vs. black leopard draw, followed quickly by a scenario in which the same (?) black leopard tussles a huge python and is crushed in the effort. It's really rather gruesome when you think about it, maybe not the best thing for young kids to watch.
The trapping methods Buck utilizes range from the mundane to quite ingenious, and it surprised me that the man didn't use any protective gear of any kind, not even gloves. So when another python grabs his arm unexpectedly he winds up the next couple of hours pulling it's teeth out. One particularly humorous capture involved his running after and tackling a baby elephant, a mere two hundred pound infant that four Malay natives had to carry back to their camp in a sling.
Probably the most innovative capture involved setting a large net trap on the ground for a black leopard, attached to the top of a tree that was bowed nearly halfway down it's length and secured by a rope. When the animal went after a chicken used for bait, the camouflaged net was triggered by cutting the rope and the leopard was left upended. Following most of the captures, the animal was hustled inside a cage, ready for transport to one of the many zoos in America that commissioned Buck for his prize animals.
All in all this is really a fascinating look at a man who made his living for a solid decade risking his life to secure wild animals for zoos and circuses around the world. He sums up his mission with a thoughtful slogan emphasizing his respect for all of nature - 'Be Prepared, Be Resourceful, and Be Gone'.
