Bride of the Gorilla (1951) 4.7 of 10 stars ⭐Good acting…
Good acting…
Bride of the Gorilla (1951) 4.7 of 10 stars ⭐
…weird story
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| Raymond Burr as Barney Chavez |
Whoa! Where to begin! What a strange little movie, with some stellar performances from familiar faces. Raymond Burr is the standout here as Barney Chavez, ruffian, and manly man. His acting prowess is on point, as he seems to have real sexual chemistry with Barbara Payton (we know he didn't, he was gay IRL). She plays Dina Van Gelder, the lonely and neglected wife of an older, sickly plantation owner, Klaas Van Gelder (Paul Cavanagh). This is a rubber plantation in the heart of the jungle, and the indigenous people have their their own ways of handling things, which are regarded as native superstitions by the owners.
Barney is the plantation's ram rod, and does a fine job running things, but Klaas is always
riding him without cause. Klaas can feel, and see the sexual tension between Dina, the wife he ignores, and Barney, a man who eclipses him in every way. Klaas hears about a fling Barney had with one of the house servants, Larina (Carol Varga), and uses it as an excuse to fire him. To add insult to injury, as Barney is walking outside to leave, Klaas punches him in the chin. Barney of course retaliates, and his punch knocks the older, puny man down. Klaas lands face to face with a venomous snake. In his weakened condition, Klaas has no chance of surviving the snake bite, and dies immediately.
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| Raymond Burr & Barbara Payton |
riding him without cause. Klaas can feel, and see the sexual tension between Dina, the wife he ignores, and Barney, a man who eclipses him in every way. Klaas hears about a fling Barney had with one of the house servants, Larina (Carol Varga), and uses it as an excuse to fire him. To add insult to injury, as Barney is walking outside to leave, Klaas punches him in the chin. Barney of course retaliates, and his punch knocks the older, puny man down. Klaas lands face to face with a venomous snake. In his weakened condition, Klaas has no chance of surviving the snake bite, and dies immediately.
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| Lon Chaney Jr. as Police Commissioner Taro |
Police Commissioner Taro (Lon Chaney Jr.) puts Barney under suspicion (WHY?) as soon as Klaas is found. He has a feeling Barney is guilty, and asks Dr. Viet (Tom Conway) Klaas' personal physician to back him up, with some kind of scientific evidence. Dr. Viet wishes he could oblige, he doesn't want Barney around either, as he also has designs on Dina, Klaas' widow. But there is no evidence, because Barney didn't do anything wrong, and Dina has no interest in Dr. Viet, he's too much like her late husband.
Dina & Barney immediately get married, much to the chagrin of Larina, who is still in
love with Barney. Larina's (mother, grandmother, relative-we're never told how they are related) elderly protector, Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek), takes Barney's rejection of Larina personally, and vows revenge! She has a sacred, forbidden plant, which she uses on special occasions. Al-Long is a bruja, and she means to punish Barney for destroying her employer, a man she was fiercely loyal to, and for crushing Larina. On Barney & Dina's wedding day, Al-Long switches Barney's drink, for one laced with poison. From that moment on, nothing will ever be the same on the remote rubber plantation.
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| Raymond Burr & Carol Varga |
love with Barney. Larina's (mother, grandmother, relative-we're never told how they are related) elderly protector, Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek), takes Barney's rejection of Larina personally, and vows revenge! She has a sacred, forbidden plant, which she uses on special occasions. Al-Long is a bruja, and she means to punish Barney for destroying her employer, a man she was fiercely loyal to, and for crushing Larina. On Barney & Dina's wedding day, Al-Long switches Barney's drink, for one laced with poison. From that moment on, nothing will ever be the same on the remote rubber plantation.
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| Barbara Payton & Tom Conway |
WHAT WORKS:
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| Gisela Werbisek as Al-Long |
*ALL OF THE ACTING IS ABOVE AVERAGE Especially for a movie that's just a little over an hour long. Raymond Burr is the standout, but Gisela Werbisek is very creepy as the bruja, Al-Long.
*FOR SUCH A SMALL BUDGET, THE SETTING WAS GOOD We couldn't figure out where it was filmed (sound stage etc) but it was believable. The cutaways of wild animals were also a nice touch, and weren't done in a cheesy way.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*THESE HOUR LONG DOUBLE FEATURES DON'T LEAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR STORY DEVELOPMENT You're always left with what could have been, but it's still enjoyable for what it is.
*WHY IS BARNEY TARGETED BY POLICE? This is never really explained. In my estimation, Barney did nothing wrong. He had a fling with Larina, a stupid girl, who
didn't want to hear his true feelings, even though they're written all over his face. He retaliated when punched by another man, who was wrongly persecuting him. None of these transgressions warrant death, or even harassment by the police. It's a pretty big plot hole, and they should have stuck closer to Al-Long, and her motives.
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| Gisela Werbisek as Al-Long |
didn't want to hear his true feelings, even though they're written all over his face. He retaliated when punched by another man, who was wrongly persecuting him. None of these transgressions warrant death, or even harassment by the police. It's a pretty big plot hole, and they should have stuck closer to Al-Long, and her motives.
TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT'S IS THE QUESTION:
I would recommend this movie, certainly to fans of Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney Jr., and Gisela Werbisek. It's a fun little monster movie, and a diverting waste of an hour. It would have been better if they'd focused more on the bruja, but it's still worth a quick watch.
Quick Note:
A young Woody Strode shows up as Node, the policeman who knows what Al-Long is up to, but says nothing. He shows up in another of my reviews, Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
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