Ingagi
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''Ingagi'' is a 1930 pre-Code mockumentary exploitation film directed by William S. Campbell. It purports to be a documentary about "Sir Hubert Winstead" of London on an expedition to the Belgian Congo, and depicts a tribe of gorilla-worshipping women encountered by the explorer. The film claims to show a ritual in which African women are given over to gorillas as
sex slaves Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This include ...
, but in actuality was mostly filmed in Los Angeles, using American actresses in place of natives. It was produced and distributed by Nat Spitzer's Congo Pictures, which had been formed expressly for this production. Although marketed under the pretense of being ethnographic, the premise was a fabrication, leading the
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...
to retract any involvement. The film trades heavily on its
nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...
and on the suggestion of sex between a woman and a gorilla. Its success motivated RKO Radio Pictures to invest in the 1933 film, '' King Kong''. RKO owned several of the theatres where ''Ingagi'' was shown, including one of the first, the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, where it opened April 5, 1930.


Production

Much of the footage featured in the film was taken without permission from Grace Mackenzie's 1915 film ''Heart of Africa'', which later resulted in legal action being brought against Congo Pictures by Mackenzie's son. The film purports to feature footage of a newly discovered animal, the "Tortadillo", however this animal was in fact a turtle with false wings and scales attached to it. The majority of the original footage was filmed at the Griffith Park Zoo. The gorilla in the film is portrayed with a mixture of stock footage, much of which is actually footage of orangutans and
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...
s, and actors in gorilla costumes. In October 1930, actor
Charlie Gemora Carlos Cruz Gemora (June 15, 1903 – August 19, 1961), commonly known as Charles Gemora, was a Hollywood makeup artist renowned as "the King of the Gorilla Men" for his prolific appearances in many Hollywood films while wearing a gorilla suit. ...
signed an affidavit swearing that he portrayed the gorilla. Actor Hilton Phillips, originally hired to play one of the African natives in the film, alleged that he also played the gorilla. Phillips later sued Congo Pictures, claiming they failed to pay him. It was reported that Congo Pictures prepared versions of ''Ingagi'' dubbed in French, German, and Spanish. Sources have claimed that the word "ingagi" cannot be found "in any African language dictionary". "Ingagi" is in fact a Kinyarwanda word meaning "gorilla".


Release

Following the film's release, multiple articles and reviews were published that were skeptical of the film's authenticity. In response, Congo Pictures filed a lawsuit against the
MPPDA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios#Present, five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Pic ...
seeking $3,365,000 in damages, claiming that the MPPDA had "circulated reports doubting the authenticity of the film". An investigation by the Federal Trade Commission concluded that the majority of the film was "false, fraudulent, deceptive and misleading", and ordered Congo Pictures to withdraw any advertising and material from the film proclaiming it to be genuine. As a result, the film was pulled from circulation. The Federal Trade Commission removed its sanction on the film in 1947.


Preservation

The film was never
lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
, contrary to popular belief due to it long being unavailable on home video or television. Three nitrate prints are held at The Library of Congress. Seven of the eight Vitaphone discs have been found by fans and are now available on YouTube. 96 seconds of the film are included in the documentary ''Charlie Gemora: Uncredited''. In partnership with
Something Weird Video Something Weird Video is an American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis. Ins ...
,
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released a 4K restoration of the film on Blu-ray Disc on January 5, 2021.


Reception

From retrospective reviews, Michael Atkinson reviewed the home video release in '' Sight & Sound''. Atkinson found the film "distinctive for portending to be something it absolutely is not", noting the film contained a litany of large animals killed and butchered while it had "wall to wall" supremacist stereotypes while finding the footage taken from other films as uproarious.


Follow-ups

Congo Pictures followed ''Ingagi'' with an unsuccessful film titled ''Nu-Ma-Pu - Cannibalism'' in 1931, featuring much of the same crew. Like ''Ingagi'', it purported to be a documentary, but was mostly fictitious. The 1937 film ''Love Life of a Gorilla'' likely borrows footage from ''Ingagi'', as contemporary plot descriptions mention a character named "Colonel Hubert Winstead". Retrieved July 3, 2022. The 1940 film ''
Son of Ingagi ''Son of Ingagi'' is a 1940 American monster movie directed by Richard C. Kahn. It was the first science fiction horror film to feature an all-black cast.Moon 1997, p. 370 It was written by Spencer Williams (actor), Spencer Williams based on his ...
'', while not a sequel, is the first all-African-American
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
and features a house haunted by a female mad scientist and her missing link monster. In 1947, Charlie Gemora announced his plans to direct and star in a jungle adventure movie that contemporary newspapers described as a sequel of ''Ingagi''. However, the project never came to fruition.


See also

*'' Congorilla'', 1932 film


Notes


Sources

* *Berenstein, Rhona J. "White Heroines and Hearts of Darkness: Race, Gender and Disguise in 1930s Jungle Films", in ''
Film History The history of film chronicles the development of a visual art form created using film technologies that began in the late 19th century. The advent of film as an artistic medium is not clearly defined. However, the commercial, public scr ...
'' Vol. 6 No. 3 (Autumn 1994), Exploitation Films, pp. 314–339 (Published by
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
); Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3814926 *


External links

* *
Connection of the film to King Kong
*

* {{Internet Archive film, ingagi-1930, Ingagi 1930 adventure films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s exploitation films Zoophilia in culture Films set in Belgian Congo History of racism in the cinema of the United States Hoaxes in the United States American adventure films Films about gorillas 1930s American films