RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Adeel Hail
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Leofwine_draca
THE SAVAGE GIRL is an early jungle adventure outing put out in 1932 just after the advent of the talkies. It doesn't really feel as old as it is, looking and feeling more like a 1940s programmer than a film made this early. The simplistic story is little more than a gender twist variant on the old Tarzan story, with plot elements that creak from overuse.A bunch of characters decide to head into the African wilds in order to get some game for a millionaire's zoo. One of them tries to show his progressive attitudes by saying he's never killed an animal that didn't attack him first (big deal). The comic relief drunk character is a good addition to the mix.On arrival in Africa, they're confronted by endless stock wildlife scenes of leopards, chimpanzees, and elephants, and also the titular character, who randomly has a full face of make up despite never having encountered man before. Not much happens other than characters wandering around to waste time, although the titular character's appearance is quite racy for the era.
mark.waltz
When a drunk, a white mouse, and an elephant get more amusement than a scantily clad jungle girl (on whom the film is named after), you know what kind of film you are in for. Rochelle Hudson gets to scream more than any heroine in a Bela Lugosi film here, dealing with the nefarious intentions of sleazy looking Adolph Milar while being rescued by rather portly hero Walter Byron. Milar comes from the Tod Slaughter/Snidely Whiplash school of acting, and fortunately only has minimal screen time. In the meantime, there is stock jungle footage of natives and various wild animals (used over and over), as well as drunken Harry Myers' experiment of finding out if white mice will scare elephants is true. This brings out a few amusing moments. Of interest, I did find out from one source that elephants may be afraid of mice because they are afraid of them running up their trunks and causing them to smother to death. (Talk about the phrase "Junk in your trunk!") Hudson isn't really all that interesting as eye candy here. Maureen O'Sullivan had nothing to worry about, nor did the thousands of others used in "Tarzan" rip-offs such as "Hollywood Party" (Lupe Velez) and "So This is Africa!" (Raquel Torres). While she would go on to better things, this was not a distinguished way to start a career. Other than screaming, her entire dialog consists of repeating words that Walter Byron says in an effort to communicate with her. While you can't really expect all that much out of these "Z" grade films of the 30's and 40's, sometimes you find a gem or something good enough to make them memorable. It's sad to say that a drunk, a white mouse, and an elephant do not have enough screen time to make that the case in this film.
kidboots
Rochelle Hudson was a sweet ingenue of the Madge Evans variety, whose career never really got off the ground. She started out as the good girl in "Are These Our Children" (1932) and as a sweet heroine saved from white slavery in Mae West's "She Done Him Wrong" (1933). Her most prestigious roles were as Jessie in "Imitation of Life" (1934) and as Cosette in "Les Miserables" (1935) but her steadiest employment was as the voice of Honey in the very entertaining "Bosko" series.Jim Franklin (Walter Byron), a young scientist agrees to join eccentric millionaire Amos Stitch (Harry Myers, in a role he could play in his sleep) on an African safari. They are joined at the docks by a cabbie and his taxi - the cabbie has expressed a desire to Amos that he has always wanted to go to Africa and he is about to get his wish. Trouble starts soon - Jim finds a partner in Alec Bernouth, who claims there is a legendary white Goddess where they are going. Rochelle Hudson is simply stunning as "The Goddess" - there are countless scenes of her playing with cute leopard cubs and climbing trees in her scanty leopard skin jungle attire. Unbeknownst to them, she continually thwarts their efforts to hunt by releasing their captured animals by night. She is finally caught and thrown in a hut - Franklin intends to let her go but Bernouth has other ideas. After surprising him in her hut, Bernouth is banished from the expedition but starts a native uprising. Franklin is caught and faces certain death in a savage ritual. Amos saves the day by riding shotgun on his cab and now all that is left to do is to rescue the Goddess from the brutish clutches of Bernouth."The Savage Girl" was probably made to cash in on the then enormously popular film "Tarzan of the Apes"(1932). It was also an early entry in the jungle girl films later made popular by Dorothy Lamour. It did give Rochelle her first lead even though it was strictly small time.
wes-connors
"An eccentric millionaire with a fondness for the drink hires a famous African explorer to organize an expedition to the jungles of the Dark Continent. This strange expedition in search of animals to stock the millionaire's private zoo includes a German big game hunter and a London cabbie with his cab to transport the millionaire in the jungle. Once the expedition arrives and they begin their hunt, they find their efforts to capture any animals are being thwarted by a mysterious white jungle girl," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Cheap "jungle girl" fantasy, with beautiful and exotic Rochelle Hudson (as "The White Goddess") far too over-dressed (in a one-piece leopard suit) for today's tastes. The camera finds her legs lovingly, though these shots must have been sexier before the film hit the cutting room. Veteran "Biograph" player Harry Myers (as Amos P. Stitch) has a terrific role as the perpetually intoxicated sidekick for hero Walter Byron (as Jim Franklin). Out to see if elephants are afraid of mice, Mr. Myers' decently played drunk steals the show.**** The Savage Girl (12/5/32) Harry Fraser ~ Walter Byron, Rochelle Hudson, Harry Myers
