El rey de los gorilas (1977) - full transcript

A small boy abandoned in the jungle and raised by a benevolent group of apes slowly begins to realize that he isn't quite like the rest of his primate family in this touching meditation on the bond shared between man and beast.

This is Africa...

...it's 1838...

Courageous and brave men,
adventured into the mysterious...

...Black Continent to discover
their secrets and treasures.

They didn't care about
dangers of the forest...

...they faced to the fierce
and the unknown...

...and kept
the civilization away...

...in order to find legendaries
King Solomon's Mines...

...or Elephant's Cemetery
that guarded a fortune in ivory.

Some of them went back ills,
weaken and defeated...

...others continued
their adventure...



...and without notice, they
arrived to the Black Forest...

...this is territory
of a dangerous...

...fierce and bloodstone tribe
known as "The Plant Men".

Faith was fulfilled.

Those brave expeditionary
who looked for glory...

...found death.

KING OF THE GORILLAS

The only survivor...

...was at mercy
of the jungle.

Only a miracle could save him.

To what terrible and strange
world had he arrived?

Where were the dearest
and familiar face...

...of his mother?

Who were that hairy and
fierce creature...



...that had rescued
from the canoe?

He only could feel
fear and mistrust.

He ignored that he owned
his life to those...

...savage animals.

Thanks to these apes he was
still alive.

From now he will belong
to the big ape's species.

He will grow up
among them...

...and his story
will be a legend.

Kyra became his protector.

Kyra, was a wild gorilla,
but inside of her...

...she had a sweet heart.
She will be his mother.

The little kid will be
protected by her...

...and the other apes.

His name.

That name who civilized people
give him...

...will be lost forever
in this savage world.

From now he'll be Ape.
The little White Ape.

And Ape grown up.

It passed twelve years...

...that helpless creature
who arrived to this jungle...

...is now a member
of the big apes clan.

However, human thoughts
tortured him.

He had a lot of doubts
every time...

...he looked his face
reflected in the water.

Why was he different?

Why was he skinny and ugly
without any hair in his body?

Why wasn't he beautiful
and hairy like his brothers?

Gosh!
What an ugly nose he had!

It wasn't wide and big
like the other apes was.

And his teeth,
it was so little...

...beside the others.
His eyes were so clear...

...horribly blues! Why?
Why he was so different?

Dead warrior's son
was very sad.

Poor Notoku!
He had lost his father!

The eldest of the tribe
told him he must been proud...

...because his father had quit
this world like a brave warrior.

Holding his lance and faced
to the powerful...

...king of the jungle.

But nothing comforted
the young cannibal.

He had to revenge.
He had to kill the lion.

He was so young...
But he didn't care!

He'll show them that
he could be a great warrior!

Notoku decided to go
that night.

He told nothing to anyone.
If they known about his plans...

...he won't let him go.

But they will see!

He wasn't a little kid anymore!

He wasn't weak like a girl!

He was a hunter!
The best of all!

He will return
with lion's dead body!

Armed to the teeth, with
the Great Warriors Shield...

...he stolen a canoe
and went by the river.

He rowed and rowed, forgetting
the most important lesson:

A warrior must be aware
all the time.

Asleep...

...he was deeply asleep
dreaming about glory.

He dreamt about
the great exploit...

...that became a respected
member of his tribe.

And while he was sleeping
he rose the river up...

...and entered to the
deepest part of the forest...

...where the big apes lived.

What a surprise!
He had found a creature...

...who was exactly like him.
But he was uglier than him.

What fright they took!

Ape ran to the forest.

Notoku, trembling and excited,
took their weapons...

...ready to fight against him.

Notoku wished that the people
of his tribe looked him now!

He was in the forest,
ready to hunt...

...that strange hairless ape!

Ape observed his rival...

...and he didn't have any doubt...

That strange ape
didn't have good intentions.

The best thing to do
was run away...

Ape suspected that
he could be Notoku's supper.

Notoku didn't expect to find
that enormous and fierce gorilla.

So, forgetting his ambitions
of being a great hunter...

...he ran away scared
and full of dread.

All the jungle
was mocking of him!

Fortunately, no one of his tribe
was watching to him...

...or his prestige
as a hunter...

...was in very bad shape.

Notoku's awake was not
very pleasant.

He was surrounded
by all that apes...

...who had stolen everything,
even his clothes.

But at that moment, who cared
about those little details?

The most important
thing to do now was...

...to save his skin.
So, he ran...

...and ran like a deer.

Unfortunately,
in his desperate career...

...Notoku found face to face
to his terrible enemy...

...the powerful lion.

How he could to face him?

It wasn't a good time, because
he was naked and unarmed.

He'll tell to the tribe
his great adventure...

...if he would come
through with flying wings.

Will he do it?

Ape was so proud and happy.

Notoku was uglier
and clumsy than him.

Notoku smiled with relief.

At that moment,
a friendship was born...

...between ape's son
and the cannibal.

Ape realized that
he had been wrong...

...respecting Notoku.

He known a lot of things.

He used those strange
things to get food.

No, he was not fool at all.

But he won't be willing
to share it.

If Ape wanted to eat
he'll have to use those weapons.

Ape was very puzzled
about the fire.

How Notoku could control
those flames...

...which he had seen to consume
the entire jungle?

Those flames were so hot!

How Notoku used that fire?

Without noticed,
Ape was reaching...

...to civilization.

Inside of him,
in his conscience...

...he heard the shout
of his inheritance...

...something was saying
to him that to be close...

...to the fire was part
of his human nature.

Lion's bellow shook the jungle,
and Notoku remembered...

...which was his mission
in that jungle.

Before to kill the lion,
Notoku and his new friends...

...decided to confront
the ostriches.

If he hunted four or five,
they would be ready to fight.

They was so concentrated,
that they didn't notice...

...that the greatest danger
was at their back.

Make warriors colors.

When the courage was back,
Ape, Notoku and Mongo...

...was ready to start
the great hunting.

Like great warriors had done,
they painted their faces...

...in order to scare the lion.

Then, everything will be simple.

Notoku will run through
with his arrow...

...and glory
will be able to afford.

But they were the surprised!

The lion didn't be afraid
with warrior's aspect.

And he decided to attack
those humans.

That was a big fiasco!

All his tribe will be
ashamed of him!

He was not a brave warrior!

Poor Notoku!
He was so demoralized...

...and defeated.

He will be the laughingstock
of the village.

And his mother will give him
a striking...

...because he went out
without permission.

But, suddenly
he had a great idea!

The one that would turn him
into a hero.

He'll take Ape to his village.

To convince Ape to go
was very easy.

Then, for second time
in his life...

...the little child
went in a canoe...

...towards the unknown.

Very sad, Mongo saw them
to go away forever.

Ape will know
a primeval civilization.

Ape looked how Notoku
joined to his people.

Those humans was so different
to his beloved apes.

The village was so happy
to see Notoku alive!

They thought he had died
in the jungle!

And he had brought a prey
of his adventure!

That white boy who stand
in the canoe...

...so quiet and serious.

Everybody ran towards Ape.

He thought about his freedom.
He remembered Mongo, Kyra...

...and all the apes, and
he wanted to back with them.

Notoku was in his world.
Ape will return to his own!

He got lost in the jungle
forever.

There was no trace
of his friend.

He will never see him again.

Hereafter among warriors,
and in the Elder Council...

...that strange being
will become a legend...

...the legend of the White Ape.

Years passed.
The legend expanded...

...in the whole Back Continent
until the civilized world.

Scientist and expeditionary
returned to look for...

...to hunt that strange being
who lived in the deepest...

...part of the jungle,
among the big apes.

That being that nobody
had seen...

...who could be
the missing link...

...whom Charles Darwin
referred in his theory.

Overwrought...

...their supplies
was almost out of stock...

...after weeks and weeks
traveling through...

...the Black Continent,
a scientific expedition...

...finally arrived
to that lost village...

...that was the last contact
with civilized world...

...after that point
started the virgin jungle...

...it was unexplored
and mysterious.

Expeditionary felt
defeated...

...Eva, scientist's daughter
waiting next to him.

He used to be the guide
and now he was very sick.

Impotent, Eva saw his father die.

African jungle had a new victim.

Alone in her bedroom...

...Eva took his father journal
and started to read.

"The trip had been so long.
We had avoided...

"...so many dangers.
I'm worried about Eva.

"I'm frightened that something
could happen to her.

"I know she has an
indomitable spirit.

I've been victim
of tsetse fly...

"...his poison is now
in my organism.

"I'll die soon.
May God helps my dear daughter...

"...and take her back
to England safe and sound."

Scientist's last words...

...encouraged the girl.

Today we buried my father.

I feel a great sadness...

...a deep vacuum...

...and also fear,
because I'm still in this...

...uncivilized and
inhospitable continent.

At the beginning,
I wanted to back...

...but now I think
that I must continue...

...with this work in order
to reach my father's goals.

Ape was not that being
helpless and eerie anymore.

Those years passed
in the jungle...

...had taught him
to defend himself...

...and to survive.

Expedition continued
his quest...

...and without notice it
they infringing...

...the laws of the jungle.

That strange presence
what agitated...

...animal world
was the civilization.

It arrived razed
nature's balance...

...and it didn't stop
before anything...

...or anybody.

Our spirit was keeping up...

...we felt that we would
discover very soon...

...the enigma that intrigued...

...scientist all over the world.

We will prove that men
descend from ape.

After several days searching
without find anything...

...tired of waiting any news,
for the first time...

...I started to doubt...

...and I had the thought
that all our efforts...

...had been in vain.

Carriers didn't want
to go on.

Fritz, the guide,
offered them more money.

Since then,
we had a strange feeling.

We felt that someone
was watching us...

...from the distance.

Few days later,
we found a trace...

...that filled me
with enthusiasm.

What we thought was
the trace of the missing link...

...became a nightmare
of death and horror.

My awake was terrible.

That horrible beast
was staring at me.

I realized
he was the White Ape...

...and I discovered he was not
the missing link...

...but just a human being.

I noticed he was jealous.
He had a defiant attitude...

...and confronted every creature
who tried to reach me.

He felt as my owner.

At that moment, I just wanted
to save my life...

...so I ran, tried to run away.

Days passed, and the panic
that I felt at the beginning...

...transformed into
a great curiosity.

What terrible destiny
had carried...

...that poor soul
to the forest?

How could he have survived
all those years?

I learned more about
human being while I was living...

...with that savage,
than all my years...

...at the University.

White Ape was good
and curious...

A savage with a boy's soul.

Every time that I thought
in the misery...

...and lonely life
that Ape had lived...

...I felt pity for him.

I don't know when I started
to feel sweetness...

...and then...

...love.

Some months later,
we had a son.

I never imagined
I could live with...

...such peace and freedom
in that jungle.

I felt the happiest woman
on earth...

...living with my husband and son.

Yes.

My world was complete.

Once again,
an expedition had arrived...

...at this part of the jungle...

...in order to capture
all the animals.

Attired by the legend,
Captain Livingston...

...who traveled
with his daughter Betty...

...wanted to capture
that white being...

...who lived in the land
of big apes.

Once again, civilized man
returned...

...to White Ape's domains.

Anxious, I asked my son
where he had found...

...that harmonica.

His answer filled me
with happiness.

Civilized men were close to us.

Finally we'll have the chance
to go out of that...

...savage world
where we had been living.

But Ape didn't think the same.
He mistrusted...

I also doubt about it
and I thought...

...that we should hide in the
deepest part of the jungle.

Where no one could ever
find us.

But I decided to receive them.

I convinced my family
to go with me.

I believed that encounter
will be marvelous.

I thought it will be
good to our lives.

I'll convince them
Ape was a human being.

It was a mistake!
A terrible mistake!

All these years living
in peace...

...made me to forget
the meanness of man.

Suddenly, my fear became
in rage and defiance.

I am a civilized woman
and I won't allow this hunting!

I decided to talk to them.

Inside his primitive
intelligence...

Ape known to level things...

...and making feel
to civilized man...

...the fear of the possibility
of losing his daughter.

Finally, we established
a dialogue.

When I saw Ape
with the girl...

...I understood what
he wanted to do. A barter.

If Livingston let us go,
Ape will release the girl.

The civilized man accepted.

Ape had won the battle.

Those events
that could finish...

...in a tragedy
finally joined us.

Those expeditionary
stopped to be strangers...

...and possibly enemies,
the love to our children...

...joined us
and we became friends.

When they established
a dialogue...

...differences
between them appeared.

On one side, was Ape,
at the other Livingston...

...and I was in the middle.

The civilized man made
the question.

I was a woman who grown up
in the civilization...

...will I let my son
to live like a savage?

Would it be better
for him to go to England?

He maybe was right.

I told that to Ape.

He won't let our son go.
He mistrusted them.

Finally, after some discussion,
we decided to vote about it.

We did that.
My son and I won.

He was very excited
with the perspective...

...to know
the civilized world.

The discussion was over.

Our son will go
with expedition group.

WE DEDICATE THIS MOVIE
TO FOUNDER OF AFRICAM

A MAN WHO CONSECRATED
HIS LIVE

TO PROTECT THE ANIMALS
OF ALL THE WORLD