Duel in the Jungle

1954 ""The story it took 3 separate safaris to film!""
5.8| 1h42m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 21 August 1954 Released
Producted By: Associated British Picture Corporation
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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An American insurance investigator is sent to Rhodesia to investigate the mysterious death of a diamond broker who drowned whilst diving off the coast. The broker was insured for $1 million so the insurers are suspicious.

Genre

Adventure

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Director

George Marshall

Production Companies

Associated British Picture Corporation

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Duel in the Jungle Audience Reviews

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious
XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.
Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
pp312 Wow, people on this board are really generous. I couldn't stop laughing at the unending silliness of this movie, from the bad stock /studio footage matching to Jeanne Crain's silent movie reactions to lions and rubber snakes to the under-cranking (fast motion) of the fight scenes. And when Dana Andrews flicks the branch of a bush into David Farrar's face a la The 3 Stooges that was just the comedic icing on the cake. I could have done better than that with my family out in the backyard.Obviously the producers were taken with the (then recent) success of Mogambo, King Solomon's Mines and other exotic fare and thought they could cash in, but those movies had a decent script and flair--plus much more on-location shooting (essential for this kind of movie). Here absolutely nothing seems right, even the music, which breaks out in a Bach-like chaconne for the final chase through the jungle that effectively stifles whatever drama the scene might have had (not much really). No, there are some really decent B-Grade jungle/exotic location action movies, but none to my knowledge has ever been produced by a British studio. It just wasn't their thing.
Ethelred Busybody When I saw the synopsis of this movie showing on our "oldies" channel, I was intrigued because it spoke of Rhodesia, jungle and coast in the same sentence. I was brought up in Rhodesia and there is certainly no jungle to speak of (just rain forests) and it's a land-locked country. So it seemed like a good idea to watch it and see what it was all about.I guess I was hyper-critical of all the inaccuracies because of my background. Things that other viewers may not notice. Such as lions and leopards roaming the rain forest. Neither inhabit the forests in my experience. And neither would be on the prowl during the heat of the day. And a cobra just hanging around in the grass waiting for someone to stand on it by accident! Not likely. And other "dangerous" snakes like the pythons in the pit. If Vincent were to fall into the pit, he would have caused them more harm than they him. And the "monkey" that threw out the luggage looked more like a chimp to me. Not a native of southern Africa.But the thing that amused me the most was the strange mix of languages used. Especially the use of the word "bwana". This is a Swahili (Arabic) word. Swahili is spoken in some parts of eastern Africa NOT southern Africa. So it was funny to hear Vincent say "bwana" followed by him speaking Zulu to his colleagues. In reality he would have said "baba". It was also funny to hear the one guy talking Afrikaans, because this is really only spoken in South Africa (not Rhodesia) although a lot of Rhodesians would have learned it as a foreign language. The license plate of the vehicle (TJ XXXX) they were driving was a Transvaal / Johannesburg plate so I guess they were in South Africa for that scene. I don't speak Swahili, so I can't say for certain if that is what Henderson was speaking. But it wasn't any language I was familiar with. But besides these sorts of things, it wasn't a bad movie. A bit predictable. The plot line contained the helpless, clueless woman of course. Pretty much standard for movies up until very recently, so not unexpected.The views of Victoria falls made it worth watching in my opinion. I have very happy memories of visiting the falls when they were still accessible like shown in the movie. Now there are safety rails everywhere.
Chase_Witherspoon Dana Andrews stars in this B-grade jungle adventure as an insurance investigator who teams up with the widow (Crain) of a diamond merchant (Farrar) who has apparently drowned after falling from a boat. Cautioned by native guide Vincent (Mataka) that his presence won't be welcome when they reach the village, Andrews persists in his doggedness to uncover the truth about Farrar's disappearance, and in his attempts to seduce the now nubile widow.Assistant director Tony Kelly died making this picture, so it's of some comfort to know that it isn't a bad little pot-boiler, building some reasonable tension and punctuated with occasional light humour (the scene in which the chimp empties their luggage from the jeep is worth a chuckle). George Montgomery's look-a-like brother Dana Andrews is sturdy without being marvellous, and Farrar plays the obnoxious British git with aplomb.Superimposing the actors over the white-water rapids backdrop, or in a confrontation with a menacing lion often looks clumsy, but this B-picture isn't staking any grand claims, just mild entertainment for afternoon channel-surfing.
Marco Trevisiol This British-produced (albeit with American leads) film doesn't reach any great heights, but is a solid piece of entertainment.The plot is about insurance investigator Scott Walters (played by Dana Andrews) investigating the death of diamond dealer Henderson (played by David Farrar who went overboard on one of his own ships during a storm. Due to the large payout his company will make, Andrews is immediately suspicious and the more he investigates (travelling to Africa in the process), the more his suspicions grow.The mystery is a fairly intriguing one, although it's pretty obvious that Henderson will be found (especially as he's prominently listed in the credits), and the eventual explanation as to why he did it is rather hard to believe.The final section of the film is a confrontation between the two leads; seemingly Henderson has all the advantages being on his 'home turf' and having lots of locals working for him, but Scott Walters is a tougher and smarter foe than he anticipates.Jeanne Crain is effective as the woman who initially is in love with Henderson but eventually falls in love with Walters (despite disliking him for most of the film). The romance between Walters and Crain's character is effectively portrayed, although her naivety at not knowing Henderson's true plans is a bit of a stretch.Add in some nice African scenery, and you have a pleasant, satisfying film.