The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle (1974) is one of ten “lost” films that Vinegar Syndrome has restored and released in the commemorative boxed set The Lost Picture Show. Like the other nine films in the set, The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle was thought lost and was only restored over the course of the first ten years of Vinegar Syndrome’s operations. The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle defies classification and cannot be taxonomized. In short, The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle is the ideal release for Vinegar Syndrome.
Considering that The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle was “lost”, the restoration looks impeccable. There are various imperfections throughout but that’s typical for a 35mm print that has been neglected for over thirty years. The restoration of The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle preserves the slightly faded color saturation of cheap film stocks from the seventies that is a highlight given the technicolor apes of the title.
The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle is the final film directed by Donn Greer of Alice In Acidland (1969) fame. Greer’s career ran the gamut from grindhouse nasties to pornography before he set about making his children’s fantasy musical. The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle finds Greer channeling Sid and Marty Krofft on a micro budget. The intent and commitment behind the production seeps through into every scene of The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle, making it an easily watchable passion project.
Themes of equality, friendship and unity run throughout this oddball fantasy, though its often ableist rhetoric is dated. The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle may not be moving in the way it sets out to be, but it is entertaining and quite unique. The “do it yourself” philosophy of the production and the resulting “handmade” appearance of the sets and costumes make The Rare Blue Apes Of Cannibal Isle the kiddie film equivalent of Anger’s Lucifer Rising (1972) or Orson Welles’ F For Fake (1973).
