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Hunter Lurie
Film Classics
Doug Brode
15 December 2011
The Naked Prey
Cornel Wilde approached his 1966 film The Naked Prey with a
series of artistic decisions that would go on to help the film resonate
with future audiences, both culturally and politically. Wildes athletic
orchestration over the photography and editing in his Africa-set, catand-mouse adventure tale ensured that loyal viewers would be able to
endlessly probe its ideological conclusions. After a concentrated
examination, The Naked Prey can be interpreted as a filmic
assemblage of leftist principles. But to reach a conclusion, there must
be an equation.
H.A.R. Thomsons rich cinematography fluidly meshes with Roger
Cherrills patient editing. Assuredly different from modern cinemas
endless use of hectic camerawork and adrenalized editing, the two
technical staples of The Naked Preys artistry are the cornerstones of
its thematic significance. The blending of the two elements mediates
the beautifully crafted scenes, helping to establish an intellectual
meaning. Wildes most electrifying sequences are the windows into
what the film really brings to the tableits overall philosophy.

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What The Naked Prey does so well is establish its subtexts
standpoints briskly and clearly. After reading through Louis Giannettis
classifications of filmic ideologies, it can be argued that The Naked
Prey has much to offer. Thematic subplots that find themselves paired
at war within Wildes film include environmental motivations and
genetic inheritances, global perspectives and nationalist convictions,
and rugged individual versus a community. At the same time, an
important question to ask the films audience is an estimation of
whether or not Wildes themes are plagued with racism. The results of
The Naked Preys ideologies identify it as a progressive artwork that
aims to capsize the romanticism of a cultural uniqueness so
consistently shown in American cinema.
H.A.R. Thomson, an English camera operator, was no stranger to
films concerning frantic pursuits. For instance, he had previously
worked as a camera operator on Roy Ward Bakers The October Man
(1947), a film in which a man with a brain injury is the primary suspect
in a murder hunt, but is unsure whether or not he is innocent. Coming
from a background involving films that feature paranoia and evasion as
their primary story arcs, Thomsons potential as the cinematographer
for an adventure film was solid. His artful operation of the camera in
The Naked Prey is at its best with the vast landscape shots, exciting
chase sequences, and sparse (but noteworthy) moments of dialogue

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between two or more parties. The cinematography is complex enough
to make up half of the films ideologies.
In Understanding Movies, author Louis Giannetti explains, shots
are defined by the amount of subject matter within the frame of the
screen (Giannetti 9). Depending on which type of shot is used for a
sequence, the amount of space that is occupied by the subject will
vary. In the case of The Naked Prey, long shots, extreme long shots,
medium shots, and close-ups dominate the narrative.
According to Giannetti, usually, long-shot ranges correspond
approximately to the distance between the audience and the stage in
live theater (Giannetti 10). Additionally, the setting can dominate
characters unless theyre located near the foreground (Giannetti 9).
The many long shots in Wildes film focus on the engulfing African
territory that surrounds the protagonist as he continues his trek across
the rugged harsh landscape. At the same time, the scenery and lush
foliage in each shot makes Wildes character appear vulnerable to any
kind of feasible attack by the natives. Meanwhile, as the tribe pursues
the protagonist, the handful of African characters often controls the
frame. This identifies the use of a long shot as a choice surpassing the
classification of a simple framing device. Instead, the framing
represents their overall sense of community. While the gathering of
warriors in the long shot represents their tribal bond, it also displays

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their collective weakness in contrast to Wilde, who is rarely stationary
while framed in a long shot.
Giannetti asserts that extreme long shots are generally taken
from a great distance and are almost always an exterior shot [that]
shows much of the locale (Giannetti 10). In The Naked Prey, these
shots are carefully utilized to set up the framing of the established
cinematic space, with both the periodic action setpieces and the
sequences that show the progression of time. Stephen Prince, a
veteran film scholar from Virginia Tech who provides the running audio
commentary for The Naked Preys 2008 Criterion Collection DVD
release, points out that at there are a few shots in Wildes film that
resemble an epic visual painting due to the striking silhouette effect
on the horizon line. In another key scene, as the African warriors are
chasing Wilde up a tormenting hillside, the cameras deep focus
highlights both the hunter and the hunted. "The warriors [are] in one
part of the frame, and Wilde in another, filmed by a camera that is very
far away. Setting up those kinds of shots requires a lot of diligence and
patience because it means you've got to explore the terrain and how
it's going to look to a camera filming from a great distance" (Prince).
Luckily, the framing pays off quite well here. An attentive audience is
able

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to conclude that both Wilde and the warriors are humane equals,
hauling their respective endurances to their limits.
Its the leisurely, contemplative shots like these that help to
establish Thomsons cinematography choices as a strikingly important
element of the films cerebral arguments. Prince, in the audio
commentary, admits that the "desire to capture realism and
authenticity is also apparent in the use of the master shots and the
avoidance of the kind of trickery that editing gives you. Wilde seemed
obsessed with making sure that the cameras framing depicted the
natural ruggedness of the African landscape. Paralleling how long shots
and extreme long shots are used to open (and sometimes close) the
scenes of a film, Thomsons use of them in The Naked Prey acts as the
first of two bookends. The audience would initially be inclined to
appreciate the film as a graphic tale of adventure and survival. But as

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the film reaches its final moments, the cramped, personal camera
shots begin to transition back to the films artistic origins. "There's a
very fluid shifting in the film from the intimate framings to the more
expansive, almost epic-style framings" (Prince). This helps The Naked
Prey approach the new level of politics that deals with the mutual
understanding of mankind between different cultures.
Medium shots, which are perhaps the most frequently used
framing device throughout the central core of The Naked Prey, are
importantly used during the chase sequences. According to Giannetti,
the medium shot contains a figure from the knees or waist up and is
useful for shooting exposition scenes, for carrying movement, and for
dialogue (Giannetti 10). While the majority of todays action films
feature hectic extreme close-up shots, the intense moments in Wildes
film are shot from a comfortable distance, allowing the action to flow
calmly and giving the actors plenty of spatial breathing room. The best
example of Wildes use of a medium shot is in the exciting scene in
which Wilde has set a death trap for one of the warriors. The framing is
a simple two-shot.

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This austere camera setup displays one of The Naked Preys complex
ideologies. As Stephen Prince notes in the commentary:
"The story in the film is a parable, one that
expresses Wildes cautionary view of human
behavior. [Wilde] said, 'I constantly get stirred
up about what mankind does, and has done, to
mankind. Throughout history. And I think how
terrible it is that in so many years of existence,
man's primal ways have not changed a great
deal. Perhaps they've become more refined, but
fundamentally the things that man does to man
are just as terrible today as they were six
thousand years ago. What goes on in business
is just as savage as on a battlefield.

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Wildes adept framing of the two characters in a medium shot during
this sequence is a leap toward one of his artistic goals. It conveys the
idea appropriately. This character, who has fooled a warrior into
approaching a decoy, murders the man in cold blood without
consideration for his morals. Both men are in the frame, which creates
a dramatic irony, as only one of the two onscreen persons knows the
vengeance at hand.
Even though this killing was done as a means of survival, the
protagonist has subconsciously forced himself down to the origins of
mans primitive ways. Humans can be similar across a cultural barrier.
Hunting men like prey is not a standard task for this white safari
leader, portrayed by Wilde. His own cultures customs do not suggest
this sort of predatory behavior. In the audio commentary, Prince
demonstrates an understanding of the bizarre paradox that affects
both sides of The Naked Preys narrative:
"The great achievement of human culture is
precisely the imposition of an ethical scheme
upon nature, one that values the worth of an
individual being. The paradox is that often the
only lives a culture values are the ones that
belong to its members, not those of an alien
people or race. This is the paradox that is

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central to the ethical discourse of the film"
(Prince).
Wildes character kills the warrior in self-defense. The warriors attacked
Wilde in the first place because of the embarrassment perpetuated by
his safari team. Each mans lifestyle is unfamiliar to the other, which
helps to demonstrate Wildes liberal thinking process. Human
behavior is learned and can be changed by proper environmental
incentives. Antisocial behavior is largely the result of poverty,
prejudice, lack of education, and low social status rather than human
nature or lack of character" (411). Raised in completely different
territories, the protagonist and his warrior adversaries have different
perspectives on interactions with others.
The final prominent style of framing in The Naked Prey is the
close-up shot. Giannetti writes, The close-up shows very little if any
locale and concentrates on a relatively small objectthe human face,
for example It tends to elevate the importance of things (Giannetti
10). In one of the films early sequences, an important collection of
close-up shots gracefully sets up a subtext. The financier of the ivoryhunting safari, played by Gert Van den Bergh, drunkenly boasts to
Wilde about the number of elephants hes killed, while Wilde criticizes
his greed and drunkenness. The conversation is a back-and-forth series
of individual close-ups of Van den Bergh and Wilde. The fact that they
dont share the screen while arguing

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visually explains that the two men will never share the similar interests
or mannerisms. Despite an outwardly similar appearance within the
same class and culture, mankind has found ways of starting conflict at
a bare-bones level of ethics, as has Thomson through his choice of
shots.
Wildes approach to The Naked Preys cinematography was
subversive when compared to the predictable manner used on other
film sets in the same time period. "In an interview in 1970, [Wilde]
grinned self-effacingly when asked about his film styleHe worked
very quickly, and he sought to avoid the standardized camerawork he
found in studio films, Prince says. He goes on to quote the judgmental
Wilde from the interview with Gordon Gow from Films and Filming.
'Many directors used a stereotyped system of: master shot, medium
shot, over-the-shoulder shots, and then close-ups, with long pauses in
between for the camera and the lights to be adjusted. When Wilde
transitioned from acting to directing, he kept three camera crews
going simultaneously, so that actors could move from one setup to
another without delay. And we've seen how, in The Naked Prey, the

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camera setups are anything but formulaic" (Prince). There is a feeling
of ahead-of-its-time cinematography resonant throughout the film. The
quick establishing shots blending nicely with the close-ups used for
dialogue and the medium framing of the action sequences. All comes
full circle with an establishing extreme long shot at the end, when
Wildes character briefly collapses from exhaustion after seeing the
compound at the top of a hill. The Naked Preys cinematography forms
the puzzle pieces that are assembled through the editing. H.A.R.
Thomsons work on the film is

an astounding example of visual creativity. Luckily, Wilde worked well

with a worthy companion in the cutting room.
Roger Cherrill, a film editor whose work involved a good handful
of British comedies, was the man behind some of The Naked Preys
most thrilling and pensive sequences. Cherrills most noteworthy film

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could be John Schlesingers Billy Liar. That 1963 comedy is recognized
for its documentary/cinma verit style and use of real locations, both
of which are somewhat similar to the conditions with which Cherrill
would eventually be working during post-production of The Naked Prey.
There are two main focal points of the films editing spectrum. On one
end is the decisions made toward the cutting of the action setpieces.
Alternatively, the editing that is used to contrast different characters,
cultures, and lifestyles is just as important to generating the films
ideologies.
The Naked Preys editing does not show a timely eagerness to
leap out of a comfort zone with innovations of editing styles. It
restrains any kind of indication that American cinema would become
an onslaught of fast-paced cuts or montage sequences. Commentator
Stephen Prince even acknowledges this: "Montage is not the basic unit
of construction in this film. Instead, it's the flow of action within a
continuous framing of an extended shot" (Prince). Cherrills editing
follows an almost primitive construction with its restful realism and a
lifelike tempo.
A key fight sequence in the film begins with a startling assault on
the protagonist. What begins as a long one-shot evolves into a
methodical, well-crafted action sequence that carries some intellectual
weight with its editing. One of the African warriors, attacks Wilde from
a space outside of the screen, thrusting a spear. This burst of action,

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through the use of a matching cut, jumps to a close-up shot of Wildes
abdomen, as he leaps back to dodge the weapon.

After a few moments of fierce swordplay, this fight sequence reaches

its climax. Wilde kneels on the ground to collect a handful of dirt, which
he then throws into the eyes of his opponent to gain an upper hand.
The edits, which split narrative time between the two separate medium
shots and a close-up, show Cherrills naturalistic, simplified approach
to the construction of a fight sequence. The brisk cuts during

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this fight are comparable not only to the choreography of the fight
itself, but also to the scenes use as a progression toward the films
leftist ideologies. As Giannetti states, leftists tend to emphasize the
similarities among people (410). Cherrills modest editing is parallel to
Wildes use of the natural world to defeat an enemy (something the
African warriors in the film would certainly have been used to). As a
consequence, Wildes plight is lowered to the standards of the Africans,
showing the radical similarities of the two wildly different cultures. At
the same time, this scene is a prime example of another ideology
Wilde wished to portray with his work.
"He said 'I'd puzzle sometimes for weeks in the
preparation about how to go from this to that.
About what will carry me both logically and
dramatically from one scene to the next, so that
the editing is not merely a gluing together.' In

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his films, Wilde most wanted to show the
cruelty and injustice with which people treat
one another, the things that humankind does to
itself" (Prince).
The other major use of editing in The Naked Prey is that which
compares the likenesses of the different characters and species. There
are plenty of instances of this editing tactic throughout the film that
demonstrate the approach toward a philosophy. The most vital of the
collection, however, is one that stands in as an allegory for the many
comparisons between Wilde and the African warriors. At a major
turning point, between the first and second act, the protagonist kills
one of his hunters in self-defense. Afterward, as Wilde attempts to start
a fire, the scene cuts to a dramatic funeral ceremony for the fallen
warrior. This scene subverts the clichs

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of African adventure movies because the warriors mourn another of
their fallen number, Prince says. The grief that they show, and the
way this grief is a social bond, complicates what otherwise would be a
simple chase melodrama involving a hero and villains. (Prince).
The following morning, after the protagonist has been forced to
lower himself to the most uncomfortable shelter imaginable, the film
gives the audience a montage of natural animal behavior. The choice
to edit between from African

warriors funeral to the predatory animals produces a thematic

conclusion. "We see the animals preying on one another, and the most
immediate response one might have is that this symbolizesthe
human realm of the storya Darwinian parable, Prince says. But the
grief shown by the warriorsand the other nuances of their behavior,
and of Wilde's character, creates an irony that undercuts the Darwinian
view, namely that human behavior isricher, and not biologically
conditioned. Culture mediates biology, as the funeral rites we've
witnessed demonstrate (Prince). The editing in this comparative
montage nicely complements the scene in which Wilde tricks the

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warrior with the decoy. As Giannetti claims in his book, one of the
major ideologies a film can approach is the clash between
environmental motivations and genetic inheritances. As The Naked
Prey is indeed a rather liberal film, it skillfully uses its editing to side
with the idea of learned cultures rather than inbred codes of ethics.
Roger Cherrills editing is proficiently used in one particular
sequence that denotes the concept of an other, which is an
important element of ideology that Giannetti proposes. "But there is
always The Othera countertradition that's dialectically opposed to
what might be considered the dominant strain in a culture" (419). After
Wildes character finds a small oasis, he revels loudly while splashing
himself with water. Cherrill cuts to a shot of a nearby giraffe, whose
attention has focused to Wilde. Prince points out that Wilde's human
cries are quite alien in the world of the animal kingdom, as the shots of
the giraffe looking on tell us. So, it's not

just the realistic and authentic approach that Wilde took to filming in
this environment. What makes the movie compelling is also his ability
to find symbols and metaphors in the way that he counterpoints the

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human and the animal world." (Prince). By contrasting a manwho has
at this point been downgraded to the most primitive level of human life
with a animal native to the territory, Cherrill has established that the
concept of an other can be prevalent in any context.
The Naked Prey contains a collection of ideologies that are just
as relevant today as they were in 1966. On one level, it accomplishes
the goal of subverting the overindulgence of American cinemas
romantic obsession with adventure stories by showing the brutality of
mankinds beginningsphysical action. On the other hand, The Naked
Prey is able to establish its liberal philosophy through what Stephen
Prince refers to as Wildes plea for human understanding across
cultural and racial divides. What Wilde intended to say with his film is
that all humans are born as equals, but the seemingly endless
permutations of ethics and cultures over time have made life difficult
since the beginning.
Giannetti has three broad classifications of a films ideology.
There is the neutral stance, which is embodied in Escapist films and
light entertainment movies [that] often bland out the social
environment in favor of a vaguely benevolent setting that allows the
story to take place smoothly. There is the implicit film, in which The
protagonists and antagonists represent conflicting value systems, but
these are not dwelled on, and nobody spells out the moral of the
story. And finally, there is the explicit ideological film, which is a

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thematically oriented movie [that] aim[s] to teach or persuade as
much as to entertain (Giannetti 405-6). Wildes film finds itself snugly
among the camp of implicit ideology films.
While at face value the film may appear to be embracing the
almost prehistoric aspects of the African adventure, Wilde aimed to
disarm Hollywoods infatuation with the themes of this subgenre.
There isn't a romanticism of a back-to-nature romantic philosophy
operating in the movie at all. It's just not there, even though it's a film
that is fascinated with the physical process of having to survive in a
harsh landscape" (Prince). The Naked Preys protagonist is never in an
easy scenario. A modern American action film would place a seemingly
invincible male lead in the title role, making the overall concept
cartoonish. But Wilde had the incentive to make the scenario for the
warriors and his character to be equally difficult.
Giannetti acknowledges that many American films typically
sympathize with the individual versus society (418). The Naked Prey
certainly sets its focus on a rugged individual versus a community,
although the audience never completely sympathizes with him. Wilde
delivers a film with a protagonist devoid of any background or
character development. What he brings to the table is a character
whose performance is purely based on physicality. As a result, the
audience lives through pure vicariousness as they watch the safari
expert escape death. Prince explains in the commentary, "the idea that

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unifies all of the physical action in the film and all of the story events is
one that Wilde expressed quite openly in an interview. He said, 'Man
must learn to understand his fellow man, no matter how different he is.
Or all men will live like animals in the jungle'" (Prince). By giving
Hollywood a character who rarely talks and never really seems to be
concerned with his own free will through existentialism, Wilde has
displayed that all men are capable of using their raw instincts to
survive.
The Naked Preys final scene embellishes Wildes philosophy of
human equality. As his character approaches the fortress at the top of
a hill, he salutes the leader of the African warriors (Ken Gampu). This
action shows that there is no hatred hereWith this salute, each man
leaps beyond the contingencies and privations of his own individual
situation, in a recognition that life might be different (Prince). Despite
the loss of life and pain inflicted upon both parties throughout the film,
Wilde concludes his adventure tale on a light note. Wilde aimed for
the parable to have a liberal, humanist messageOn the whole, the
film is more subtle, and certainly far more political, than a cursory
glance would indicate" (Prince).

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Works Cited
Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies12th Edition. United States:
Allyn & Bacon, 2011. Book.
The Naked Prey. Dir. Cornel Wilde. Perf. Cornel Wilde, Ken Gampu.
Commentary by Stephen Prince. Paramount, 1966. DVD.