The Naked Prey
By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 1/2/2008
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Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse was honored with Hollywood Life Magazine’s Breakthrough Performance of the Year award on Dec. 9 in Hollywood.
Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing Their Crimes filmmaker Christian Delange appeared at the United Nations Dec. 4. Lionsgate’s DVD is now available.
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CRITERION
Street: Jan. 15
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> Gorgeous presentation of Cornel Wilde’s primal adventure pitting man against African tribe.
Leading man-turned-filmmaker Cornel Wilde’s 19th century adventure about a white marksman (Wilde) hunted for sport by primitive African tribesman has lost none of its primal, violent power. The vivid colors of the savannas and jungles of Africa burst to life in Criterion’s new high-def transfer, just as the tribal music score and native sounds add a powerful, haunting allure. Most interesting among the supplements is the audio piece “John Colter’s Escape,” a 1913 record of the famed trapper’s escape and flight from a tribe of hostile Blackfoot Indians. Read by actor Paul Giamatti (could you picture him in a similar situation!?), the account was the inspiration for Wilde’s inspired film.
Shelf Talk: The Naked Prey isn’t primed to be a strong mover, though it’s a favorite for men who caught it on Saturday afternoon TV and “The 4:30 Movie” during its broadcasts in the ’70s and ’80s. Point it out to them! As for new audiences, it’s best recommended to those who enjoy their natural world adventures gritty and uncompromising. Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is the most recent Hollywood effort to capture the raw essence of Wilde’s film.
Adventure, color, NR (mature themes, violence), 96 min., DVD $39.95
Extras: film scholar’s commentary, original soundtrack cues, 1913 historical account read by actor Paul Giamatti
Director: Cornel Wilde
First Run: L, June 1966, NA