Sacrifice! 4K 1972

Actually, it was this film that drew my attention to Umberto Lenzi. His giallo about “seven orchids” did not make a particular impression on me, but the reference to the fact that he was actually the founder of the cannibal film genre was quite surprising. Still, Lenci cannot be called an innovator. Rather, he is a confident performer who develops genres but does not create new worlds. Meanwhile, history decided otherwise. It was Sacrifice!, an adventure story about how the courageous Ivan Rassimov finds himself in a tribe of savages and gradually becomes one of them, that was destined to become the first “cannibal” film. Of course, the theme of cannibals is only hinted at (albeit quite clearly), but the film emphasizes the most important theme, which Deodato would later take up: the clash of civilizations. And I must say that I am delighted with how accurately Lenz integrated Rassimov into the life of the tribe. We are shown the very real cultural breakdown of a modern man who initially resists, but then reveals his anthropological reserves. Everything here is accurate: the initiation, the love story, and the theme of cannibalism.

The film turned out to be very harsh and realistic. Ivan Rassimov played perhaps his best role, incomparably conveying the immersion into the “heart of darkness,” to use Joseph Conrad's terminology. And Mi Mi Lai was precisely the connecting link that smoothed out all civilizational conflicts. Nevertheless, it was a desirable and understandable woman who had to become, and did become, a “bridge” across the centuries, bringing people together. What was needed here was not just sexuality, but true femininity. Mi Mi Lai somehow simply and instinctively “captured” the most important thing, the “yin” — the deep feminine principle.

So, Sacrifice! is a wonderful film, moderately adventurous and violent, but devoid of the vulgar cannibalistic relish that some authors of films about cannibals in the future have allowed themselves (no need to go far, just remember The Lecturer). Ivan Rassimov and Mi Mi Lai look magnificent against the backdrop of pristine nature, and Lenz 'charges' the film with true beauty. An interesting film that does not exclude philosophical reflections.