When the marabunta grunts ( The Naked Jungle ) is an American film directed by Byron Haskin , released in 1954 .
Synopsis
The film’s story takes place in 1901 . Joanna ( Eleanor Parker ), a woman from New Orleans , arrives on a huge plantation located on the banks of Rio Negro in Brazil . She must meet her new husband, Christopher Leiningen ( Charlton Heston ), owner of the plantation that she married by proxy.
Leiningen receives it sumptuously in a luxurious dwelling where everything is new, a violent contrast with the wild nature and the primitive natives. He finds her beautiful, intelligent, good musician, but too sure of herself. He is embarrassed and distant. When she tells him that she has already been married and that she is a widow, he rejects her brutally. We understand that having never known women can not support the idea that Joanna is not a girl without experience. The following week, while waiting for the boat to return to the United States , Leiningen learns that millions of ants – the Marabunta – are heading for her plantation. His friend, Commissioner Clayton ( William Conrad), tells him that you can not fight a Marabunta and that the only thing to do is to let him pass but he is determined to save his plantation. For her part, Joanna decides to stay close to him and support him. Leiningen has only the choice to accept his presence. If she leaves, the Indians he employs will soon be leaving too. During the following days, Leiningen discovers in Joanna a very brave woman and falls in love with her. When the Marabunta invades the plantation and besieges the hacienda, Leiningen blows up the dam to drown the ants. The couple can start from scratch.
Technical sheet
- Title: When the marabunta rumbles
- Original title: The Naked Jungle
- Director: Byron Haskin , assisted by Arthur Rosson
- Scenario: Ranald MacDougall , Ben Maddow and Philip Yordan based on a story by Carl Stephenson
- Production: George Pal and Frank Freeman Jr. (Associate Producer)
- Production Company: Paramount Pictures
- Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof
- Photography: Ernest Laszlo and Loyal Griggs (second team)
- Editing: Everett Douglas
- Artistic direction: Franz Bachelin and Hal Pereira
- Set decorator: Sam Comer and Grace Gregory
- Costumes: Edith Head
- Special Effects: Farciot Edouart and John P. Fulton
- Country of origin: United States
- Format: Color ( Technicolor ) – Sound: Mono (Western Electric Recording) – Ratio : 1,66: 1
- Genre: Adventure Movie , Action
- Duration: 95 minutes
- Release dates: United States : ; France : ( Paris )
Distribution
- Eleanor Parker (VF: Nicole Vervil ) : Joanna Leiningen
- Charlton Heston (VF: Raymond Loyer ) : Christophe Leiningen
- Abraham Sofaer (VF: Serge Nadaud ) : Incacha
- William Conrad (VF: Jean-Henri Chambois ) : Governor Clayton
- Romo Vincent (VF: Émile Duard ) : Boat Captain
- Douglas Fowley : Doctor
- John Dierkes : Gruber
- Leonard Strong : Kutina
- Norma Calderón : Zala
Around the film
The plot of this film, and an excerpt built into the episode, were included in an episode of MacGyver : The World of Trumbo – “Trumbo’s World” (episode 5, season 1). MacGyver and Lucien Trumbo have to save a cocoa plantation from the Marabunta.