It is 1901 , a young Christopher Leiningen (stoned-face Charlon Heston) came to South America and built levees to claim thousands of acres of Rio Negro river land for a cocoa plantation . Now 34, with no knowledge of women , stubborn as well as athletic Christopher recruits a mail-order bride (Eleanor Parker) in New Orleans . She's cult , intelligent as well as gorgeous and arrives ready to be his stalwart helpmate ; however, no one has told him she's a widow . Then , the Leiningen South American chocolate plantation is threatened by a 2-mile-wide, 20-mile-long column of army ants . He feared only two things on earth...the Marabunta...Nature's deadliest force, and his fiery New Orleans bride .
This is an exciting adventure movie filled with thrills , emotion , action , lush outdoors and a marvelous love story . This thrilling picture belongs to catastrophe genre that some years later would achieve splendor . Interesting screenplay by Philip Yordan , Ranald MacDougall and Ben Maddow who had anonymously written , though uncredited , as he had been blacklisted in McCarthy time . Intelligent plot plenty of enjoyable dialogue in double sense language in which raises a battle of sexes with metaphoric phrases just like Eleanor Parker says : ¨It isn't nearly as hot here as I thought it would be¨band Heston answers : ¨This is winter¨. Based on a tale by Carl Stephensen titled ¨Leinengen vs the ants¨ original story upon which this movie was based ; in fact , William Conrad, who plays the commissioner in this movie, played the lead role of Leiningen in the 1948 radio play . Splendid acting by protagonist duo , as Charlton Heston as a tough , stubborn man , he improvised during the argument scene among them , it was not scripted that he splash perfume all over her , this move intensified the action and , of course , the wonderful Eleanor Parker as a cerebral , independent as well as beautiful woman . Agreeable support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as : Abraham Sofaer as Incacha , William Conrad , Douglas Fowley as Medicine Man and John Dierkes as Gruber . Very good production design from Hal Pereira and Franz Bachelin , stock footage of this movie was used in MacGyver: Trumbo's World, in which MacGyver and a plantation owner fight an army of ants . Excellent FX including impressive scenes about ants invasion , they have been made by George Pal , John P Fulton , and process photography by Farciot Edouart and the same director Byron Haskin.
Colorful and glowing cinematography by Ernest Laszlo , the scenes where the bridges were dynamited was filmed in Florahome, Florida , a local resident died when he was thrown from his horse, which had been spooked during the explosion. Original as well evocative music score by Daniele Amfitheatrof . The motion picture was well directed by Byron Haskin , supported by second unit realized by Arthur Rosson . The film will appeal to Charlton Heston fans . Rating : Better than average .
This is an exciting adventure movie filled with thrills , emotion , action , lush outdoors and a marvelous love story . This thrilling picture belongs to catastrophe genre that some years later would achieve splendor . Interesting screenplay by Philip Yordan , Ranald MacDougall and Ben Maddow who had anonymously written , though uncredited , as he had been blacklisted in McCarthy time . Intelligent plot plenty of enjoyable dialogue in double sense language in which raises a battle of sexes with metaphoric phrases just like Eleanor Parker says : ¨It isn't nearly as hot here as I thought it would be¨band Heston answers : ¨This is winter¨. Based on a tale by Carl Stephensen titled ¨Leinengen vs the ants¨ original story upon which this movie was based ; in fact , William Conrad, who plays the commissioner in this movie, played the lead role of Leiningen in the 1948 radio play . Splendid acting by protagonist duo , as Charlton Heston as a tough , stubborn man , he improvised during the argument scene among them , it was not scripted that he splash perfume all over her , this move intensified the action and , of course , the wonderful Eleanor Parker as a cerebral , independent as well as beautiful woman . Agreeable support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as : Abraham Sofaer as Incacha , William Conrad , Douglas Fowley as Medicine Man and John Dierkes as Gruber . Very good production design from Hal Pereira and Franz Bachelin , stock footage of this movie was used in MacGyver: Trumbo's World, in which MacGyver and a plantation owner fight an army of ants . Excellent FX including impressive scenes about ants invasion , they have been made by George Pal , John P Fulton , and process photography by Farciot Edouart and the same director Byron Haskin.
Colorful and glowing cinematography by Ernest Laszlo , the scenes where the bridges were dynamited was filmed in Florahome, Florida , a local resident died when he was thrown from his horse, which had been spooked during the explosion. Original as well evocative music score by Daniele Amfitheatrof . The motion picture was well directed by Byron Haskin , supported by second unit realized by Arthur Rosson . The film will appeal to Charlton Heston fans . Rating : Better than average .