Mara of the Wilderness (1965)

Overrated

Good concept, poorly executed.

A lot of fun.

Blistering performances.

A well-acted, quietly haunting little film boasting excellent location photography with Deschutes National Forest in Oregon standing in for Alaska, and attractive lead performances by the late Adam West and by Linda Saunders, as she then was.Wild girl Mara Wade, orphaned at 7 by a bear and raised by wolves, is assumed dead until 12 years later handsome hero West and ruthless hunter Theo Marcuse simultaneously stumble over her and things get ugly (despite the overall gentleness of the film, there are some quite rugged scenes of violence, as when West gets simultaneously caught in two of Marcuse's animal traps).A German adventure film in colour shot in Africa about a blonde wild girl, 'Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald' (1956), in which Marion Marshall had spent the first half of the film topless, had been released in America as 'Liane, Jungle Goddess' in 1959, and was successful enough for her to reprise the role the following year in 'Liane, die weiße Sklavin' (1957). Also in 1959 Audrey Hepburn had played a similar, more modestly dressed, role as Reena the Bird Girl in a film version of William Henry Hudson's 1904 best seller 'Green Mansions'.As the mature Mara, Linda Saunders wears considerably more than Liane and sports an impressive mane of stylish, immaculately combed sixties big hair down to her waist that wouldn't look out of place in an episode of 'Star Trek'. By day she run about barefoot with a knife in her belt and spends her nights curled up with a family of wolves. While Liane naturally spoke fluent German, Mara never says a word; and the film rather boldly has long stretches completely without dialogue.Both West and Saunders soon afterwards found regular employment on TV in 'Batman' and 'Petticoat Junction' respectively, as did Roberto Contreras (who brings a fascinating stillness to his role as Marcuse's long-suffering Indian guide) in 'The High Chaparral' and Denver Pyle in 'The Dukes of Hazzard'. Shortly before his untimely death in a car crash in 1967, Marcuse appeared with West again in an episode of 'Batman'.

A favorite for many years it was actually filmed in 1964 (read the copyright at the beginning of the film just under the title sequence and also on the back of the VHS tape box. I am always amazed that Sean McClory was not billed as he had a substantial part at the beginning. Adam West and Linda (Lori) Saunders do well in the lead roles. A nice turn by Denver Pyle and a scenery-chewing role for Theodore Marcuse as the resident bad guy. It would be nice to see a remastered release in HD. Adam West was certainly busy in 1964 This, Robinson Crusoe On Mars, The Outlaws is Coming (another 1964 production, released in 1965) as well as Bewitched, The Outer Limits, I could go on... Anyway if you get a chance to see it, you will not be disappointed.

Note: Possible Spoilers BelowThis movie isn't on video, but it still pops up from time to time on TV. The title character, Mara Wade, is orphaned when she accompanies her parents into the wilderness (Alaska or Canada, I think). She winds up being cared for by a wolf pack.Years later, the grown Mara, now played by the lovely Lori Saunders, is still living with the wolves (and running around in a fetching costume). She is found by a naturalist (Adam West) who is researching wolves, and they fall in love. They also face the threat of a nasty trapper (Theo Marcuse) who is after the wolves.This film had some definite potential, but it left me disappointed. The romantic moments are hamstrung by West's lack of charisma and by the fact that Saunders' character does not speak in the film. Meanwhile, the few action scenes are not very exciting. For example, the film's potential climax, action-wise, comes when Saunders, needing a first aid kit for the injured West, is attacked by Marcuse. The ensuing fight scene is almost ruined by poor editing--it consists mostly of reaction shots from Marcuse's partner. It's also too short--in such a situation, you'd expect Saunders to put up more of a struggle.Lori Saunders is beautiful to watch, and I think she deserved a better film to showcase her talents. They should have given her some dialogue and let her character do a bit more in the way of action.

Having waited many years to see this film, I was not disappointed. Adam West is well cast in the lead role of the anthropologist and Theo Marcuse excels as the heavy. The scenery is eye-catching and the music score is haunting. Linda Saunders is a classic beauty and is memorable as Mara. A film that should be released on home video.