by Robert Firsching
synopsis
This legendary, phony documentary was actually a remarkable con-job staged by H.W. Warner and Roy Purdon. Purportedly an examination of authentic footage filmed during a 1914 expedition to the ancient Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat, it was actually filmed entirely in the United States, with rear-projection slides doubling for location footage. The usual topless "natives" and men in gorilla suits comprise the local color, and even the explorers are fake, wearing obviously phony beards. As preposterous as it was, this film played for years on the exploitation circuit, using the nudity as its prime "educational" selling-point.
