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IMDbPro

The Great Alligator

Original title: Il fiume del grande caimano
  • 19791979
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
The Great Alligator (1979)
  • Horror
Tourists on a tropical island anger an island god, who turns himself into a giant alligator and stalks them.Tourists on a tropical island anger an island god, who turns himself into a giant alligator and stalks them.Tourists on a tropical island anger an island god, who turns himself into a giant alligator and stalks them.
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Sergio Martino
  • Writers
    • George Eastman(story)
    • Cesare Frugoni
    • Ernesto Gastaldi
  • Stars
    • Barbara Bach
    • Claudio Cassinelli
    • Mel Ferrer
Top credits
  • Director
    • Sergio Martino
  • Writers
    • George Eastman(story)
    • Cesare Frugoni
    • Ernesto Gastaldi
  • Stars
    • Barbara Bach
    • Claudio Cassinelli
    • Mel Ferrer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 34User reviews
    • 55Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos42

    The Great Alligator (1979)
    Geneve Hutton in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli, and Geneve Hutton in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Barbara Bach in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Claudio Cassinelli in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli, and Geneve Hutton in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Barbara Bach in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Romano Puppo in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Claudio Cassinelli in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Mel Ferrer, Claudio Cassinelli, Geneve Hutton, and Bobby Rhodes in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Barbara Bach and Claudio Cassinelli in The Great Alligator (1979)
    Richard Johnson in The Great Alligator (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Barbara Bach
    Barbara Bach
    • Alice Brandt
    Claudio Cassinelli
    Claudio Cassinelli
    • Daniel Nessel
    Mel Ferrer
    Mel Ferrer
    • Joshua
    Romano Puppo
    Romano Puppo
    • Peter
    Fabrizia Castagnoli
    • Minou's Mother
    Enzo Fisichella
    • Maurice, lover of Minou's Mother
    Lory Del Santo
    • Jane
    Anny Papa
    • Laura
    Bobby Rhodes
    Bobby Rhodes
    • Joshua's forman
    Clara Colosimo
    Clara Colosimo
    • Tourist
    Peter Boom
    • Tourist With Rifle
    Giulia D'Angelo
    • British Tourist
    Marco Mastantuono
    • British Tourist
    Piero Jossa
    Marco Giannoni
    Geneve Hutton
    • Sheena
    Silvia Collatina
    Silvia Collatina
    • Minou
    Richard Johnson
    Richard Johnson
    • Prophet Jameson
    • Director
      • Sergio Martino
    • Writers
      • George Eastman(story)
      • Cesare Frugoni
      • Ernesto Gastaldi
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Richard Johnson 's scenes were all shot in a cave interior in Italy. The shot of him standing atop a waterfall was done with director Sergio Martino wearing a wig.
    • Goofs
      While on the boat ride to see Father Jonathan, several animals are shown including two orangutans. Orangutans live in Indonesia and Malaysia, not Africa.
    • Connections
      Featured in Elvira's Movie Macabre: The Great Alligator (1985)

    User reviews34

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Not great - It's the 'all right' Alligator
    Although this is billed as a Jaws rip-off, the whole theme park threatened by a huge lizard sounds a lot like Jurassic Park too me, more than ten years before Michael Crichton published that book.

    In some country, somewhere, photographer Claudio Cassinelli has been employed to take publicity shots for new resort owner Mel Ferrer. This new resort is seems to be smack bang in the middle of a jungle surrounded by hostile country and natives who help the newcomers, but also seem pretty superstitious and twitchy. Claudio, like in Island of The Fishmen, loves to do a bit of snooping, and finds that Mel isn't beneath some dodgy antics to get the tourists in, like having sidekick Romano Puppo feed musk rats to the local crocodile population.

    Also like in Island of the Fishmen, Claudio sets his eyes on Barbara Bach, Ferrer's assistant who can talk with the natives (basically the same role she had in Island of the Fishmen then!). Whereas everything seems to be going okay for everyone, there are rumblings from the natives that all these newcomers have angered the God of the river, and that he's come back as an Alligator (not a crocodile - they do have a discussion about this). So, is monster Alligator real, and more importantly, how many people is it going to eat?

    This is a film of two halves, really. There constant bickering of the characters and the lack of gore is a complete letdown, and yet the elevated cheese factor completely saves the film in the end. While it takes ages to get to any action, it's worth waiting until the film gets to Richard Johnson's appearance as a crazy priest. His demented performance as a man driven insane by the alligator is hilarious. Director Martino also saves most of the action until the end, and although we never do get a gore-fest, the alligator does get to go radgy and attack every person in the resort, at exactly the same time every person in the resort is trying to escape from the angry natives!

    Although made in 1979, just check out that eighties vibe with the dancing tourists. I was already to hate this one but then Martino pulls it out of the bag in the last thirty minutes. Well done m'man! Martino's next four films are comedies, so I'm giving them a miss.
    helpful•3
    2
    • Bezenby
    • Dec 5, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 3, 1979 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alligator
    • Filming locations
      • Sri Lanka
    • Production companies
      • Dania Film
      • Medusa Distribuzione
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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