The Mighty Peking Man (4 Stars)

This Chinese film from 1977 is a curiosity. It's an obvious attempt to cash in on the popularity of "King Kong", which had been released a year earlier, but it has enough original ideas to make it interesting. In addition to copying "King Kong" it also has elements of the Tarzan films.

After a volcano there are reports of a giant monster in the Himalayas that people call the Peking Man. Johnny Chen, an explorer suffering from depression after splitting up with his girlfriend, is asked to lead an expedition to find this monster. On the journey through the Himalayas he acts recklessly and half of his team die. The rest of the team don't trust him any more, so they desert him and travel back home while he's asleep.

Johnny finds the Peking Man, a giant gorilla, but he also finds a beautiful blonde woman called Samantha. She was abandoned in the jungle as a child when her parents' plane crashed. The Peking Man, whom she has named Utam, rescued her. He now looks after her and does whatever she says. She also commands the animals of the jungle, including leopards and elephants. She's the Queen of the Jungle.

Did Johnny Weismuller ever carry a leopard on his shoulders? Not that I remember. In another scene she's holding the leopard around his chest and is swinging him around. That's quite a stunt. It even seems dangerous for the Swiss actress Evelyn who plays the role. The claws are so close to her chest. But then again, just look at her. She's gorgeous. Even if I were a big fierce animal I'd still be purring like a little kitten in her arms.

The first half of the film is the Tarzan half. It's all about the relationship between Johnny and Samantha. We almost forget that the big monkey is walking around. Samantha is more than enough to help Johnny get over his girlfriend.

The second half of the film is the King Kong half. Johnny persuades Samantha to let him take the Peking Man back with him to Hong Kong. He means well. He thinks that Utam will be treated with respect, but he's overestimated the decency of the people of Hong Kong. They expect Utam to put on a show, and when he refuses they torture him. The big monkey escapes and goes on a rampage, destroying the city. Eventually he does what big monkeys like to do most: he climbs on top of the highest building in Hong Kong, which was the Jardine House in 1977.

I have to ask a couple of questions. If Utam is living in the Himalayas, why do they call him the Peking Man? Shouldn't it be the Himalayan Man? They could have taken the easy way out and called him a Yeti.

Also, what does the volcano have to do with anything? When the film started I thought it meant that the giant monkey had been released from below the surface. Then Samantha appeared, and I realised he'd been running around in the Himalayan jungle for at least 15 years.

And then, are there tropical jungles in the Himalayas? Or at least at the foot of the Himalayas? Maybe there are. I hope one of my readers can give me an answer.

I've been told that "The Mighty Peking Man" is considered a cult film. That's possible. I've never fully understood what that expression means. I can see that it's a film that fans of obscure cinema might like. I'll probably watch it again one day.

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