Sacrifice! (1972)

 

(Original Title: Il paese del sesso selvaggio; AKA Man from Deep River) This film is seen as either the inspiration or the beginning of the cannibal genre,

John Bradley (Ivan Rassimov) is a photographer assigned to takes pictures of wildlife in the Thai rain forest

At a boxing match in Bangkok, his date grows bored.  When he doesn't respond to her request to leave, another man takes this as an affront to a woman. They fight, and Bradley stabs him to death.

Bradley gets the hell out of dodge and gets a guide to through the rainforest.

His guide is killed and he's taken to the village of a native tribe.

He witnesses the brutal punishment implemented by the tribal leaders.

 Marayå (Me Me Lai).  Me Me Lai was amazing in  Eaten Alive! (1980)

Marayå's father is the village chieftain, Luhanà (Ong Ard) 

Marayå is intrigued by Bradley, but he shoos her away.

Karen (Sulallewan Suxantat) is betrothed to Marayå, and he doesn't much like Bradley. I love that his name is Karen.

Bradley catches sight of Marayå swimming naked with her handmaidens.

She's embarrassed and covers herself.

The villagers gather for a ritual.

This woman's husband has died.  The ritual has male tribesmen fuck her so that she will no longer be tied to her dead husband.  This exact ritual was performed on Me Me Lai in Eaten Alive! (1980).

The woman is stripped and sequentially humped.

Bradley and Karen get into it.  Karen dies.

Bradley is put through various tortures, including being bound by this device while being shot with darts.

One of the kids is nearly killed.  The Witch Doctor (Song Suanhud) is ineffective in helping to save his life; however, Bradley is able to step in.  Luhanà is impressed and lets Bradley become part of the tribe.  The Witch Doctor, on the other hand, is resentful.

Marayå is prepared for a ritual where she selects a husband.

She's blindfolded and positioned near a hole in the hut wall.

Various men grope her.  She ends up choosing the hand that belongs to Bradley.

They are married, frolic through the jungle and she is impregnated.

The Witch Doctor provides a ritual which will give her baby great strength... or will it?  The Witch Doc is pretty bitter about being upstaged by Bradley.

Bradley and Marayå are a happy couple, always having sex.

Little do they know, the Witch Doctor has fucked them over.

A native girl is killed and eaten by the local cannibal tribe, the Kuru.

This scene was used in Eaten Alive! (1980); I didn't realize it was clipped from this film.

Marayå goes blind.

The Kuru attack and burn down the village.

Marayå straight up dies after giving birth.

A helicopter passes overhead.  But Bradley is a part of this tribe now, and doesn't try to flag it down. THE END

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I respect that this film inspired the cannibal genre; so many tropes are taken from this film.  I can also respect that it was competently made - I don't think anyone could argue Umberto Lenzi didn't do a damn good.  The problem is - I was bored out of my mind. It's very tame, takes its sweet-ass time, and plods along from one predictable scene to another.  

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆5/10