Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Naked Prey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 3, 2015

Cornel Wilde's "The Naked Prey" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall. The release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay on the film and archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The hunted

Cornel Wilde -- a former professional fencer who exited the U.S. Olympic team in 1936 to pursue an acting career -- is the leader of a group of safari hunters who are somewhere deep inside West Africa. They are approached by tribesmen that request small gifts before they pass through their land, but the man that has organized the hunt (Gert Van Der Berg) recklessly humiliates them.

Later on, the hunters are ambushed and the majority of them killed. Three white survivors are taken captive and used to entertain a powerful local chief -- one is tied near an angry cobra and another is covered with clay and roasted, while Wilde is stripped of his clothes and set loose in the nearby bushes where a group of black warriors begin hunting him.

The rest of the film follows closely Wilde’s struggle to stay alive. He kills a few of the warriors but more appear and then he becomes an attractive target for different predators. The unbearable heat also lowers his chances of survival. Nevertheless, he manages to stay a few steps ahead of the warriors and eventually emerges victorious.

The Naked Prey is based on an original story by John Colter which is set in the American West. Colter was a trapper on the Lewis a Clark expedition who much like Wilde’s character was forced to run for his life after he miraculously escaped a group of angry Blackfoot Indians. Wilde liked the story and purchased the rights to it, but moved it to the much more exotic -- at least during the early 1960s when the film was completed -- and dangerous West Africa.

There are only a few lines in English in the entire film. There are some sporadic exchanges between the black warriors, but they are not translated. The majority of the time one can only hear Wilde’s heavy breathing or the sounds and noises produced by the wild animals.

There is quite a bit of interesting stork footage that focuses on the wildlife, but it does not work particularly well with the film’s overall gritty atmosphere. It is clearly meant to force one to think about the dark side of the human soul and the fact that violence is an integral part of human nature, but the uneven inserts actually create the impression that the film could and should have been edited much better.

The version of the film included on this release is fully uncut. Apparently in the past the British censors were bothered by select scenes and changes were demanded, but none of the cuts are retained here. First-time viewers who are bothered by graphic animal killings should keep this in mind as there are a few scenes that could be somewhat problematic. (This reviewer, however, continues to believe that the most disturbing footage is actually in the segment where one of the white hunters is quickly covered with clay and then roasted).

In 1967, The Naked Prey was nominated for Oscar Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Clint Johnson, Don Peters).

The Naked Prey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cornel Wilde's The Naked Prey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release has been sourced from a pre-existing master. I did some direct comparisons with my R1 DVD release from Criterion and the basic characteristic are practically identical. Obviously, detail and clarity are better, especially during the various larger panoramic shots. However, also during these larger panoramic shots depth isn't as convincing as it should be. (I am not referring to the stock inserts with the wildlife footage. See screencapptures #4 and 5). Colors are stable and natural, but color saturation should be better. The variety of greens and yellows, in particular, should be much richer. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but if the film is rescanned and restored grain distribution will be better. Also, there are no traces of recent digital corrections, but contrast levels are slightly elevated and occasionally the film could look a bit harsh. Overall image stability is very good. There are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or torn frames, but some minor stains can been spotted. To sum it all up, this is a fine presentation of The Naked Prey, but the film definitely can look better in high-definition. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Naked Prey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 (with tiny portions of African dialect). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. Obviously, dynamic intensity isn't overly impressive, but separation and clarity are excellent. There are no pops, audio dropouts, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Naked Prey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• English Trailer - original trailer for The Naked Prey. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Sheldon Hall - in this featurette, film historian Sheldon Hall discusses the rather unusual life and career of Cornel Wilde and the production history of The Naked Prey (and some of the cuts that were demanded by the British censors) as well as the original story that inspired it. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Booklet - 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay on the film and archival imagery.

The Naked Prey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't particularly like Cornel Wilde's The Naked Prey. It is an interesting project, but it heads in two completely different directions at the same time and as a result the important contrasts and similarities it highlights look and feel more than a bit suspicious. I much prefer Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, which tells a very similar story but in a far more effective manner. Eureka Entertainment's presentation of The Naked Prey is good, but the supplemental features on the release are underwhelming. RECOMMENDED.