The Leopard Men of Africa
Cast & Crew
Dr. Paul Hoefler
Howard Anderson
Allyn Butterfield
Allyn Butterfield
Peter Decker
James Dietrich
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Dr. Paul Hoefler, a prominent explorer, organizes an exhibition to track down a secret cannibalistic society in Africa known as the "Leopard Men." The members of this society wrap themselves in leopard skins and conceal their hands in gloves fitted with steel knives shaped like the claws of a leopard, which they use to tear out the throats of their victims. As an initiation rite, the mark of the beast is burned into the body of the initiate, and if he cries out, he is put to death. When this group of assassins comes to the attention of the British government, Hoefler organizes an expedition to photograph the rites of the Leopard Men in hopes of bringing them to trial. After boarding the Kenya and Uganda Railroad, Hoefler enters the interior of Africa. In Nairobi, he meets his faithful servant Ali, who accompanies Hoefler as he treks into Central Africa, the source of the Nile. At the Nile, they board a river steamer headed for the Congo, where a native chief tells Hoefler that the Leopard Men reside in Abyssinia in North Africa. As the expedition nears Abyssinia, a swarm of locusts descends upon the fields and jungle, destroying all vegetation. At a point above the Nile, the expedition finds the skins and claws of the Leopard Men. Hoefler then splits his forces, sending Ali to scout the area while he follows the tracks. In the depths of the jungle, Ali finds a village inhabited by King Kanuba and his tribe of Leopard Men. There Ali witnesses the tribe whips themselves into a frenzy in preparation for the slaughter of a human victim, the heart and liver of which they will present to the king. Returning to camp, Ali warns Hoefler of the impending murder. Hoefler and his men then infiltrate Kanuba's village, but they are chased away by the savage Leopard Men. Later that night, the Leopard Men proceed with their human sacrifice, leading Hoefler to describe the Africans as "savage."
Crew
Howard Anderson
Allyn Butterfield
Allyn Butterfield
Peter Decker
James Dietrich
Walter Futter
Dr. Paul Hoefler
Dr. Paul Hoefler
Herman Schopp
E. H. Schroeder
Edward H. Schroeder
B. F. Zeidman
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film is subtitled "An expose of unrecorded savage rituals in the Congo." A disclaimer in the forward notes that the cannibalistic rituals in the film were staged. It also acknowledges the cooperation of the British, French and Belgian officials "stationed in the black continent." Although onscreen credits list Howard Anderson as color photgrapher, the print viewed was in black and white. According to material contained in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, Joseph I. Breen, director of the PCA, instructed B. F. Ziedman to delete the more explicit scenes of cannibalism and scenes that showed the native women's naked breasts. The Variety review adds that the documentary footage was "supposedly" shot in the Northeast Congo and in Northern Africa. In 1930, Dr. Hoefler produced another filmed expedition of his African adventures titled Africa Speaks (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.0049).
