Best SURVIVAL Films!

Papillon is great. One of my favorite scenes in it is when the nuns turn him in. The Church is definitely supposed to be an arm of the state, if you want, in this movie ... but I could see it happening, anywhere. On both sides of this predicament in Papillon, it's very effective in reminding the audience that, yeah ... appearances can be deceiving.

Anyone ever see The Naked Prey (1965)?
It's got a bit of natural survival, but is more about a man on the run from angry natives who are hunting him down. Interestingly, it has little spoken word throughout most of the film. And it contains a couple of the most disturbing scenes of 1960's cinema.

I felt The Naked Prey may have been a direct influence for Apocalypto (2006) - a film that absolutely blew me away when I first saw it. It's also about a man being chased through the jungle by a tribe out to kill him (different continent, time-frame & ethnicities involved, but same basic plot).

I've seen it several times - really exciting flick and it was based on a true story that happened in tha American West.

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Oh yeah! I remember reading that in the trivia. I just saw the film for the first time last year and just found it by accident while flipping around the dial and couldn't stop watching it until the end.

Now, should we discuss the "Pottery Man" from the film or is it too disturbing?
One thing I always wondered - did they want to eat Pottery Man afterward or was it just a form of torture?

I don't know. There wasn't any cannibalism, I believe. Cornel Wilde, the director, made some violent films in the '60s. Both Sword of Lancelot and his WWII Beach Red had lots of lopped-and-blown-off body parts strewn about.

Looking at IMDB it seems the guy on the spit is still the top (most frequently bumped) discussion on the Naked Prey board.
Reading some of those comments, that one scene has remained in the memories (and caused a lot of nightmares) for a lot of the people who've seen the film. I think it's power lies in the fact that it wasn't "graphic" and left more to the imagination - and that can make things more horrifying.

When I first saw that scene I had to say, "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" It was so quick, yet so disturbing.
I've watched the film again - and yes I did see what I thought I saw (and if you listen closely you can hear the screams!)

I'll have to look up some more Cornel Wilde films! (I usually see him advertised in that circus one they keep showing on TCM or the Retro channel.)

The thing I remember most about him is his nose straws. But yeah, they had a nice homemade rotisserie there.

Flight of the Phoenix
Island in the Sky

Into The Wild .....if you want some harsh reality. I found the movie a little disturbing yet very moving.

Watched "Everest" the other Night, Thats a good one and based on a true story

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Wherever the line is drawn, Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) is on the right side of it.

Yep, it's a man in an inhospitable environment where his first priorities are to make sure his most basic physical needs are met. Same goes for all the other motion picture incarnations of the story.

That just made me think of Lord of the Flies as well (and preferably the original over the remake). Sure, it turns into being about a lot of things, but it's initially a survival film.

P.S. Just watched the first episode of season 5 of Survivorman tonight...
A bit on the boring side. Les' shows aren't known for being exciting, but rather for being real and educational. But there wasn't much educational (for the audience) in the latest one - and they didn't even end up eating anything gross.
I still like the seasons where Les was stranded and surviving alone. And I don't know if I even want to mention his Bigfoot series - while I love the subject of Bigfoot, the Survivorman season where he searched for the creature had neither survival nor any Bigfoot (of course).

The Revenant

Another for the list!

Just cause this was mentioned elsewhere recently, I'd like to add Five Came Back (1939)!

One of the earlier films with survival as a theme. I called the movie the template for Gilligan's Island and Lost because it's about a plane that crash lands in a jungle with a group of very unique & disparate passengers. If I remember, part of the plot revolves around the idea that leads to the title - some crew members are able to partially repair the plane, BUT it can only carry five people (while a bunch more must stay behind as their time & resources are quickly running out). Thus the dilemma - who gets to go back and who must stay - and who gets to choose!

Interestingly, this film starred Lucille Ball as one of the passengers and it's always neat to see her so young and doing drama before she became known as the world's most famous comedienne!

Five Came Back sounds interesting! and it reminds of another earlier film...

Four Frightened People (1934)
"Four passengers escape their bubonic plague-infested ship and land on the coast of a wild jungle. In order to reach safety they have to trek through the jungle, facing wild animals and attacks by primitive tribesmen."

Has anybody else seen Back from Eternity, the remake of Five Came Back, also directed by John Farrow, Mia's dad?

I didn't know it was remade! I'll have to look for that!

Will also have to look for the one Rules mentioned - Four Frightened People.

P.S. Also, another genre probably inspired by Five Came Back was the whole "Airport" series and those Irwin Allen disaster films because they always featured a colorful group of survivors who had to try to get along (but usually couldn't) and there was always at least one major jerk in the group.

First Blood (1982)

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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED

Back from Eternity will be shown on TCM on Wed. morning, Dec. 30, at 12:45 PST, 3:45 EST in memory of Anita Ekberg.

Cool! (That's also my birthday!)