In the Borneo jungle, hunter Bob Ward tracks a fierce, giant orangutan but succeeds only in netting a two-year-old infant orangutan, whom he adopts and names Borneo Joe. At the same time in London, Russian scientist Dr. Boris Borodoff and his admiring assistant, Alma Thorne, conduct experiments on brains extracted from live animals. When Borodoff, who hopes to prove the evolutionary link between man and animal through his vivisections, fails to achieve the desired results with lower animals, he decides to travel to Borneo with Alma and trap a live orangutan. In Borneo, Borodoff is advised by Dutch overseer Derrik Van De Mark to seek Bob’s help in locating an orangutan, but Bob declines to aid the Russian in his plans. After Derrik refuses to intervene on Borodoff’s behalf, the devoted Alma dons her most alluring dress and goes to see Bob. As hoped, Bob is charmed by Alma and agrees to guide Borodoff to the orangutans. While making the rigorous journey down the river and into the jungle depths, Alma’s affection for Bob grows. Jealous, Borodoff ridicules Bob’s attachment to Borneo Joe and to his native helpers, Darmo and Nahnda, and accuses him of ruining the expedition with his incompentency. Eventually, however, the group locates a giant orangutan, whom Borodoff then “trees” and drugs with gin-soaked food. Charged by the dazed, netted ape, Borodoff pushes Darmo into the animal and watches as the servant is crushed to death. By the next morning, the angry natives have deserted camp, leaving Borodoff, Bob and Alma to fend for themselves. Borodoff, insane with scientific ambition, prepares to experiment on the captured ape but is stopped by Bob. After Borodoff knocks out Bob with a bamboo stalk, the ape breaks free from his cage and carries an unconscious Bob into the jungle. Although Borodoff tells her that Bob is dead, Alma postpones their departure to search for the hunter. A still crazed Borodoff then ties up Borneo Joe and is about to cut into him when Alma rushes in and saves him. Borneo Joe escapes into the jungle, where he finds a live but motionless Bob. Exhausted from her search for Bob, Alma collapses in the brush but is found by Borneo Joe, who then leads her to Bob. As the couple declares their love for each other, an armed Borodoff appears. Just before Borodoff fires his gun, however, the giant ape attacks and kills him. Against all odds, Bob and Alma struggle through the jungle and eventually are rescued by Derrik and the natives. More on Wikipedia
Watch Beast of Borneo (1934)
