Thursday, April 16, 2015

Sons of Kong?: Law of the Jungle (1942)

How can a man that I'd never heard of 6 months ago inspire so much trepidation now?  The Film today is 1942 Law of the Jungle.  It's Star- Mantan Moreland.  Cthulhu dammit!  After King of the Zombies, I was just too burned by this experience.  I really wanted to just give this one a short Review and not endure it.  Since Bob would have shamed me otherwise, I endured.  The Film involves Naziis, a Lounge Singer, Moreland doing his best to shame future generations and an especially-clumsy Love Story.  This is a mix of bad Comedy and serious Plot, so it is better than some of the efforts here in that regard.  Unfortunately, so much terrible undermines the efforts.  I really hope I'm done with Mantan Moreland Films...but I doubt it.  I pray that he only shows up this once in the Set!  To find out if I'm making much ado about nothing, read on...
A Cafe Owner in Africa is conspiring with some Nazis.  Damn you, Peter Lorre!
A Spy tries to take their intel, but is killed.  His info is dumped in a Singer's jacket, who flees the scene when all hell breaks loose.
She runs into the Jungle and runs into...oh, shit!  My thoughts exactly, Mantan.
A Scientist who hired Moreland is, um, measuring skulls.  I shouldn't look for additional racism here, but...well, know your History.

The Singer runs into the pair and they help her hide from the Nazis and the real Authorities.
There is a budding relationship between the two, but the pair have no charisma or chemistry here.
They do their best to keep her safe, but it is not easy.
To fulfill the quota, they briefly run into an Ape in a Cave.  Nice lighting, guys!
The gang is captured, but Moreland escapes.  Their only hope is...Baron Samedi?  Wrong region?
In a bit of an anti-climax, he kind of just saves the day and our heroes get married.  The End.
This one hurt quite a bit.  The extremely casual Racism is prevalent throughout and inexcusable.  I joked after watching King of the Zombies that 'At least he didn't say ''hainted.''  He does in this Film!  Good Lord!  If the Film was anything but sub-par, you could at least go 'Well yeah, this is bad, but the movie is still good.'  It really isn't.  Nothing is really that notable about the Story, Production Values or overall Presentation.  It is just not that good, funny or exciting.  This is arguably as offensive as the first Film in the set, but for different reasons.  Aside from Moreland, there is nothing all that offensive here.  On the plus side, the guy at least got to respond to his horrific Movie Past in Watermelon Man...
Next up, I challenge the recent idea that an arty Film is good.  Bring it on, Internet!  Stay tuned...

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