starfoxfan86 Though not particularly well versed, I'd consider myself to currently be a big fan of Italian horror, and "Sacrifice!" is officially the first cannibal title I've seen, and let me say this wasn't 100% what I was expecting.The plot is simple enough, a British photographer while exploring the Thai/Burmese jungle gets captured by a native tribe and slowly starts to become absorbed into it. Now I say native tribe because it is not a cannibal tribe, and the actual cannibals in the movie only account for less than five minutes of screen time, so this technically isn't a movie about cannibals, but kind of an examination of an "undeveloped," (shall I say) tribe. First the positives. The sudo documentary opening is quite excellent. The rugged, dirty, and even rough Asian city contrasts nicely with the small village, and our lead's stories of London. Also, the story is quite effective. You get to know the characters, and grow to feel for them. This film was obviously concerned with telling a story with characters. And from what I've seen, the later cannibal films forgot about his aspect. And once again, Italian horror movies have to have an excellent score, and this is no exception. Everything fits the mood, and is another fine example of Italian horror scores. Now, the moderates. Though there is story and characters, this is still also an exploitation film. We're treated to many fine shots of naked Me Me Lai, and a few other girls, while basically minimizing the amount of male nudity. And as for the violence, while I would say the human element is fine. There aren't too many gory scenes, too which one is actually an effective cannibal scene, and all are quite effective, and even shocking even by toady's standards. And while there's also a bit of minor stuff, such as people getting shot with darts, both poisonous and non poisonous,I now have to address the main issue with this movie, which perpetuates the whole genre. The absolute negative aspect of this movie is the real animal killings. Though I fully acknowledge that these are all ways of tribal life, but watching animals die simply for shock value is unacceptable. It doesn't help that the animal abuse is a recurring thing through the movie. It just comes of as tasteless and sickening, especially when the footage could be cut and nothing would be lost."Sacrifice!" is only really notorious for starting the Italian cannibal boom. And despite the animal abuse, it is still a well executed film. This is only something for the strongest of the strong. No exceptions.

Dagon Deep River Savages, aka Sacrifice! aka The Man from the Deep River aka Il paese del sesso selvaggio gave birth to the cannibal genre, sometimes referred to as Mondo films (the Italian word for "world" derived from a pre-existing Italian title that was released in the early '60's). Some speculate that it was this film, Mondo Cane, translated into English as "A Dog's World" that served as a point of intrigue and inspiration for exploitation directors because it displayed an early glimpse of the "mockumentary" style - intended to showcase different cultural practices around the world with cleverly stages scenes or manipulated sequences that shocked civilized audiences. If one realizes this reference, it's understandable why Umberto Lenzi, the director of Deep River Savages, would head in this direction.Deep River Savages is about a man named John Bradley who embarks on an expedition into the Thai rain forest to capture photographs of the wild life. Upon his request, his river guide takes him deep into the heart of the jungle, even though it is ill-advised. On the last day of his expedition he discovers that his guide has been killed and a local tribe takes him captive. After a short period of confinement, Bradley attempts to escape but realizes the futility of his endeavor and is re-captured. He decides to embrace his fate and live alongside the people, even becoming a respected warrior in the process, catching the eye of the village Chief's daughter, Marayå.Viewers will be surprised to learn that this film's central theme is not a violent or cannibalistic one, but about romance and hope. There is one scene towards the end where a goat's throat is slit by a villager during a ritual, which to this day, still remains controversial among censorship boards. I have experience with cannibal films and was expecting this one to fall in line with the rest, but quite honestly, it's tame in comparison. There is less than five minutes worth of cannibalism present but various scenes involving nudity; most of which don't seem too heavily contrived. As I mentioned earlier, the Mondo films of the era inspired Lenzi's work on Deep River Savages as the theme matches it closely. Western audiences are meant to see the rudimentary and primitive lifestyle of the tribesmen who exist freely on the land, with a few elements added in that may seem shocking. Individuals who seek out films within the cannibal genre will undoubtedly come across this one, and will most likely be disappointed by the outcome; while this could be categorized as an exploitation film, the sleaze is kept to a minimum and even by mythological proportions, a lesson drawn from the story. Fancy that. Sadly, the film isn't sure if it wants to be marketed as horror or sexploitation - my primary focus in viewing cannibal films is to understand the bulk of all the controversy, and despite the censorship, it certainly does not have anything on the likes of Salò. Lenzi himself has admitted that cannibalism was not the focus of Deep River Savages but after the film was dragged through the ringer and came out on the opposite end of a shameless marketing ploy, that's mostly what participants in the genre think of when they hear the title. I don't care for cannibal films during this era in cinema and I never will - the acting is suspect, the music is repetitive, the cinematography is drab, and the shock tactics are rendered useless, leaving only the themes represented, which are all but gone in later installments. Since I am perfectly immune by this point, there's nothing left for me to be interested in. If I could make one positive remark about Deep River Savages, it would be this: it's more subtle than Ferox and Holocaust combined and it does not begin to touch upon the level of absurdity that Mangiati vivi! does. The biggest draw to this sub-genre is the controversy that surrounds it, and if you're curious, you'll eventually discover your own personal stance on it; when you do, it'll be your prerogative.

Witchfinder General 666 Umberto Lenzi's "Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" (aka "Deep River Savages"/"The Man From Deep River") of 1972 is THE pioneering Italian Cannibal flick, and yet it is not necessarily a typical example for the sub-genre. While this may still be extremely violent for the average cinema fan, it is nowhere near as disturbing and outrageously gory as the Cannibal flicks from the early 80s, such as Ruggero Deodato's masterpiece "Cannibal Holocaust" (1980) or Lenzi's very own "Mangiati Vivi" (1980) and "Cannibal Ferox" (1981). The film is often compared to "Dances With The Wolves", and it is obvious why. "Deep River Savages" is built up more like a traditional adventure movie - with the difference that this one features Cannibals. Cannibalism is not the film's main focus however and the Cannibals actually play a very small role. This film mainly explores a Westerner's assimilation to a savage jungle tribe.On a trip through the unexplored jungle between Thailand and Burma, English photographer John Bradley (Ivan Rassimov) gets captured by a primitive tribe, who hold him prisoner for a while. After some time, however, Bradley falls in love with the tribe's beauty Maraya (the ravishing Me Me Lai), who is the daughter of the tribe's chief, and becomes assimilated to the tribe... The film features a lot of sleaze, but it is not nearly as shocking or nauseating as the Cannibal films to come. This is therefore probably the most recommendable Cannibal film for the sensitive when it comes to violence (allthough these people are probably best advised to stay away from the genre in general). Like most entries to the genre the film does feature real animal-killings, so Peta-activists and pals won't be fond of it either. I happen to love meat, however, and the scenes add a lot of authenticity to the atmosphere. The great late Ivan Rassimov (he died in 2003) was one of the greats in Italian exploitation cinema, especially in Cannibal Flicks. As always, Rassimov delivers an excellent performance. Me Me Lai is stunningly beautiful, and she fits extremely well in the female lead of Maraya, arguably the most lovable character ever in a Cannibal flick. THE beauty of the sub-genre, Me Me Lai appeared in this film, as well as "Cannibal Ferox" and Deodato's "Ultimo Mondo Cannibale". Apart from the Cannibal flicks, she sadly did not have many memorable roles before she left the film business in the 80s. "Il Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" is THE pioneering Cannibal flick, and yet it is an adventure film and even a romance more than it is a Horror film about cannibals. While "Cannibal Holocaust" is the only true masterpiece of the sub-genre, this one is also a highly interesting film that no lover of Italian Exploitation-cinema should consider missing. Most of the Cannibal flicks have their own particular qualities, but this one is quite unique. In case you just want to watch two films of the sub-genre, I would personally recommend to make it "Cannibal Holocaust" and this one.

fertilecelluloid Lenzi's earliest "cannibal" romp is more interested in a man's personal voyage into self discovery than human chomping. Still, it's a mildly diverting curio that features stretches of animal torture, native nudity (Me Me Lai mostly), some gory deaths, and some human endurance tests ("Fear Factor" 70's-style). Ivan Rassimov, who dials his performance down in this oater, plays a Brit photographer who travels to Thailand to film the local wildlife. He gets into a deadly but dull altercation with a local and takes off up the river. His guide is slaughtered and he is captured by a tribe of savages who put him through his paces and convert him to their way of life. Of course, it's the constantly naked Me Me Lai who assures his conversion to the ways of the wild man. Lai is cute but not as superhot as, for example, Vanity in "Tanya's Island", or Laura Gemser. The photography is professional and the direction is more focused than is usual for the inconsistent Lenzi. Of particular note is the great, often repeated signature score by Daniele Patucchi.