The Naked Ape

A playful, patchy mix of live action and cartoons that muses on human mating and manners with a wry, dated charm.

Directed by

Donald Driver

Genres

Animation, Comedy, War

Starring

Johnny Crawford, Victoria Principal, Dennis Olivieri

Tagline

The naked ape is only human.

Overview

Somewhat based on Desmond Morris's fascinating book of pop anthropology, this partially animated satirical docudrama produced by Playboy Magazine publisher Hugh Hefner, traces the evolution of human kind and offers insight into the reasons why we behave the way we do. Though often dealing with sexuality, nothing in the film is terribly offensive or graphic. A prime example of mainstream experimental film-making from the early 70's featuring a young and breathtakingly lovely Victoria Principal.

How it feels

Satirical, whimsical, light and cynical. Measured and easy to follow.

About

Sexuality, identity, war, work

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)