The Naked Prey (1966)

Director:

Cornel Wilde

Writers:

Clint Johnston (writer)
Don Peters (writer)

Release Date:

14 June 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

Stripped, turned loose like a wild beast ... a manhunt of indescribable terror and screaming suspense!

Plot:

A group of men are on safari. One of the party refuses to give a gift to a tribe they encounter. The tribe is offended...

Plot Keywords:

Antelope | Nudity | Actual Animal Killed | Hunted Man | All Male Cast

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Cornel Wilde	...	The Man
Gert Van den Bergh	...	Man #2
Ken Gampu	...	Leader of the warriors
Patrick Mynhardt	...	Safari overseer
Bella Randles	...	Little girl
Morrison Gampu	...	Tribe leader
Sandy Nkomo	...	Warrior
Eric Mcanyana	...	Warrior
John Marcus	...	Warrior
Richard Mashiya	...	Warrior
Franklyn Mdhluli	...	Warrior
Fusi Zazayokwe	...	Warrior
Joe Dlamini	...	Warrior
Jose Sithole	...	Warrior
Horace Gilman	...	Warrior

Directed by
Cornel Wilde

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Clint Johnston		writer
Don Peters		writer

Produced by
Sven Persson	....	co-producer
Cornel Wilde	....	producer

Original Music by
Edwin Astley		(uncredited)
Andrew Tracey		(uncredited)
Cornel Wilde		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
H.A.R. Thomson

Film Editing by
Roger Cherrill

Makeup Department
Trevor Crole-Rees	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Basil Keys	....	production supervisor
John D. Merriman	....	production manager (as John Merriman)
Dawie Van Heerden	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director

Art Department
Edu Masuch	....	construction manager
Andrew T. Motjuoadi	....	painter: title backgrounds

Sound Department
Luke Broadley	....	assistant sound recordist
James Chapman	....	sound recordist
Len Shilton	....	dubbing mixer
Les Wiggins	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Ray Sturgess	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Freda Thompson	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Archie Ludski	....	music editor
Andrew Tracey	....	musical advisor
Edwin Astley	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Muirne Van Wyk	....	continuity (as Muirne Mathieson)

Production Companies

• Sven Persson Films
• Theodora Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Paramount Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

South Africa | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Norway:16 (1966) | Finland:(Banned) (1965-1975) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Africa

Company:

Sven Persson Films

Trivia:

The script was originally a true historical incident about a trapper named John Colter being pursued by Blackfoot Indians in Wyoming, but lower shooting costs, tax breaks and material and logistical assistance offered by South Africa convinced Cornel Wilde and the other producers to shoot the film there.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Visible rubber treads are seen on the soles of the handmade sandals that Man steals from one of his pursuers.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Damned River (1989)

A Nice Change

Naked Prey is a member of the small number of films that reduce dialogue and fully utilize the visual medium to tell a tale. These movies frequently use natural settings and indigenous animals to express the apathy of the world to the struggles of an individual who is in crisis mode. The cinematography is engaging and the story is compelling.

Other films that aim for and achieve this rarified level of accomplishment are Quest for Fire (1981) and The Night of the Hunter (1955, the only movie directed by Charles Laughton, an academy award winning actor).

Naked Prey successfully achieves the often contradictory goals of simultaneously entertaining and providing an intelligent forum for discussion. It's a nice change, for a change.