Masters of The Congo Jungle

An often brutal documentary filmed entirely in the Belgian Congo, this 1959 expose was one of the earliest to bring the jungle's life and death struggle to Western audiences. Grisly footage of lions feasting on their prey and vultures staking out their territory is interspersed with tales of how humankind has attempted to fit into this hostile country. The soaring and wheeling of a flock of birds is paralleled with the ritual raindances of a group of native women, tracing the silent connection between the animal world with the world of men. Masters of the Congo Jungle is an unflinching account of both man and beasts' fight to stay alive. Originally released in Belgium as Seigneurs de la Foret, the English version of Masters of the Congo Jungle features narration by Orson Welles, whose unmistakable energy and dramatic sense propels the unique and shocking footage captured by the filmmakers.

• exploitation