The Naked Jungle (1954)

The Leiningen South American cocoa plantation is threatened by a 2-mile-wide, 20-mile-long column of army ants.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay), Ranald MacDougall (screenplay)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, Abraham Sofaer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eleanor Parker	...	Joanna Leiningen
Charlton Heston	...	Christopher Leiningen
Abraham Sofaer	...	Incacha
William Conrad	...	Commissioner
Romo Vincent	...	Boat Captain
Douglas Fowley	...	Medicine Man
John Dierkes	...	Gruber
Leonard Strong	...	Kutina
Norma Calderón	...	Zala (as Norma Calderon)

Storyline

It's 1901. At 19, tough, stubborn Christopher Leiningen came to South America and built levees to claim thousands of acres of Rio Negro river land for a chocolate plantation. Now 34, with no knowledge of women, he recruits a mail-order bride in New Orleans. She's beautiful, independent, and arrives ready to be his stalwart helpmate; however, no one has told him she's a widow. He rejects her. During the next week, as she awaits the boat to take her back to the US, they learn that legions of army ants will strike in a few days' time. She joins the fight to save the plantation; their courage and his probable loss of all he's worked for may crack his resolve to send her away.

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Plot Keywords:

insect attack | plantation owner | mail order bride | swarm of ants | rich husband | 

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Taglines:

Nature-in-the-Raw EXCITEMENT!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bushmaster

Filming Locations:

Florahome, Florida, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,300,000, 31 December 1954

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A remake was once in development in 2004 with Jonathan Hensleigh hired to write and direct the project but according to Hensleigh himself, once the regime change happened at Paramount, there was no longer any interest in making the film and has been since abandoned.

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Goofs

During the first meeting/"confrontation" between Joanna and Christopher there comes a point in the conversation when he asks her if she is 'laughing at him.' As she turns from the dresser to face him at the very upper left corner for approx. 35 frames the moving shadow of what may well be a boom mic can easily be seen as it follows the motion.

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Quotes

Christopher Leiningen: Madam... you've seen my house. It took me seven years to build. To make it what it is, in the heart of the jungle. They laughed at me, up and down the river - but it's what I wanted.
Christopher Leiningen: [continues] I wanted it to be filled with beautiful things. I wanted a family I could be proud of in this house that I'm proud of in the land that I took out of the river and the jungle with my bare hands. The only condition I made about anything I brought up the river was that it be new: worth the effort! Madam, ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Los Angeles: LD50 (2010)

User Reviews

Wow, There Are a Lot of Ants!

Before Charlton Heston faced the Red Sea, the Apes, and the anti-gun folks, he was in this picture, where he takes second billing to the Marabunta (sic), army ants that want to eat his plantation. His other problem is his knockout mail order bride with whom he is having trouble communicating. With Heston at his most passionate, running the emotional ladder from A to B, it's hard to tell. Nevertheless, I saw this movie with my sister when we were about 9 or 10 and movies cost 15 cents. We would hide behind the seat in front of us each time the skeletal remains of the alcoholic guy showed up (we sat through the movie four times). The rest of the theatre shrieked. The movie is really a lot of fun. Those ants are a menace which, like the shark in Jaws, don't really have anything personal against us--they are just hungry and eating everything in their path. Heston must find a way to combat them or lose everything he has. As a teenager, one of my top ten short stories was "Leinengen Versus the Ants." This does justice to the story although I don't remember anything about the "experienced" young woman he finds himself with. I chanced upon this film on AMC one day and I was totally caught up in it. Give it a chance. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're looking for a fully developed dramatic piece, forget it.