Leofwine_draca Another example of cheap exploitation, this should be of interest to cult movies fans due to the fact that a) it's Italian and b) it's a jungle-set adventure featuring cannibals. However, those expecting another CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST will be in for a bit of a disappointment with this sometimes-amateurish effort which adopts the style of what I like to call a "schlockumentary" - ie. the events that occur in the film all claim to be true, and the movie even goes so far as to incorporate supposedly real crime scene footage of a mortician holding up a severed head - it's so blatantly fake that I find it hard to believe that anyone could have been taken in by this. In any case, although a tribe of cannibals are mentioned, there's no gut-chewing in this movie. Instead, throughout the typical jungle antics, we get repeated cuts to courtroom footage where the lead character Katherine Miles is on trial for the slaughter of her uncle and aunt. This adds an original, if unconvincing, framework to what is basically another exploitational blood-and-skin jungle shocker.The lead is played by the otherwise unknown Elvire Audray, a young and nubile blonde who spends the entirety of the film topless - an authentic facet of the movie, of course, and not an excuse to show some naked female flesh. The setting, the native tribe, the music and the style of filming all make for an authentic feel to the movie, ironically only ruined by the intrusion of the badly-acted courtroom sequences which pop up periodically. At least the framework of the movie gives it a structured plot, so that you actually feel that it's going somewhere instead of middling along aimlessly like some of these jungle shockers do. Although pretty, Audray can't act very well, and the cast are generally wooden or ham actors. The only exception is Alvaro Gonzales, whose tribesman Umakai is a genuinely noble and heroic figure thanks to his strong, almost mute performance.The movie is pretty gory as a whole so it comes as no surprise that it has been cut in its UK release. Nonetheless, bits of gruesomeness remaining that the film has to offer include bloody deaths by blowpipe darts; heads being chopped from corpses (ironically, this is cut when it happens, but left in during a later flashback to the event); real-life animal violence; forced rape; a man having his face eaten off by ants, flies and worms; a man being eaten by a crocodile and the culminating double axe murder with Katherine as the culprit. Rotting severed heads also play a bit part in the film's narrative. There's also one of those lovely grub-eating interludes which Lenzi saw fit to include in his influential CANNIBAL FEROX film. Exploitation fans might get a kick out of this sometimes sleepy expose of jungle life thanks to the atmosphere and scenic setting it offers, but there's no real horror here - only some shoddy gore effects.

Paul Day From the opening and obvious lie that this is a true story to the closing bathos there's really no good reason to watch this outside of the stunning body of the lead actress.The framework of the film is a court trial and it's about as interesting as it sounds. The meat of the story is told in flashback with occasional intercutting of sweaty Hispanic lawyers spouting the most trite legal blather such as "OBJECTION! This is irrelevant!" and then going back into the jungle. Even the anthropology sounds made up.If you haven't guessed the ending by two minutes after Cathy's parents are killed then you really need to get out more.I lost track of the number of times I said incredulously shouted "WHAT??" after one scene or another. The prime example: Cathy watches some white guys in a helicopter gun down some natives and turns to her noble savage lover (who she believes chopped off the heads of her parents)and cries out, "HOW CAN MEN BE CAPABLE OF SUCH THINGS?!" Um, chica? Your boyfriend allegedly committed the same act of violence.Sadly, the film making and acting are at a level that's just slightly above competency so rather than being amusing, it's just dull.This movie is best summed up by a line from one of the lawyers: "This just more cheap sentimentality."

BA_Harrison Although not technically a cannibal movie (the main tribe are 'head-hunters'; cannibals feature very briefly but no cannibalism is shown), Amazonia shares enough similarities with the infamous gut-munching gore classics of the 70s and 80s to be considered part of the genre.Catherine Miles (Elvire Audray) is a beautiful 18-year old taken captive by a group of savages after her parents are killed on a river trip. Sold to a member of the tribe for the sum of 'a goose, a water-dog and a turtle', Catherine endures terrible suffering until she is helped by Umukai, a warrior who treats her with a bit of respect. After many months spurning Umukai, believing that he was the one who killed her mum and dad, she discovers that others were in fact responsible. Falling in love with her friendly native hunk, she convinces him to help her take revenge on those really responsible.Amazonia is pretty close in theme to The Man From Deep River, Umberto Lenzi's classic from 1972, but doesn't quite match that one in terms of quality. However, with a fair amount of cheesy gore (several be-headings, blow-darts in the face, some bloody bullet wounds) and loads of female nudity (courtesy of Audray and the native women, some of whom are pretty foxy), fans of this kind of thing should find just about enough to enjoy in this flick to make it worth a watch.

dreg not a bad example of the italian cannibal genre. has many of the standard exploitation requirements, naked girls and violence, though lacks in the actual human consumption department as this tribe consists of head hunters not cannibals. still plenty of gore and a nice musical score . The voice over narration can get annoyingly obvious( as in it states what is happening on screen, or the characters reaction to what they are seeing)but this is a minor flawoverall, quite entertaining.