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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Wild People remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly? Only if you have a very specific interest in how early sound cinema treated "exotic" locations. If you’re looking for a coherent story or any sort of actual respect for the culture being depicted, you should skip this. It's loud, it's dated, and it’s deeply uncomfortable to watch through a modern lens.
The whole premise is that a radio company just waltzes into Dutch New Guinea. They want to broadcast the "wild" life back to listeners. It’s peak 1930s arrogance, honestly.
The editing feels like someone was just cutting film strips with kitchen scissors. One minute we're watching a standard dramatic scene, and then suddenly, we are thrown into these staged performances that just don't fit. It's jarring. It reminded me a bit of the disjointed pacing in The Silent Avenger, though that film at least had a bit more focus.
There is this one moment where the M-G-M Dancing Girls show up. It’s so out of place it’s almost funny. You’re in the middle of a jungle, and suddenly there’s a full-on stage show happening. It’s like the movie forgot what it was supposed to be doing for ten minutes.
It’s not a good movie, but it is a fascinating failure. It’s the kind of thing you watch late at night when you’ve already seen everything else on your list. It feels less like a piece of art and more like a document of how clueless people were back then. 🎞️
I caught myself wondering if the writers of this ever actually left the studio lot. Some of the dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who had only ever read about a jungle in a dusty encyclopedia. It lacks that grounding you see in better adventure films. If you want something with more heart, maybe try The Golden West instead. At least that one knows what it wants to be.
Anyway. It’s a weird watch. Proceed with caution. 🤷♂️