Zindy, the Swamp Boy (1973)

Directed by Rene Cardona, Jr.
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, VCI Entertainment)

Zindy, an orphan boy, lives in a forest with his grandfather. Through flashbacks, we learn the grandfather was once a doctor, but went on the run when he killed someone in self defense. The boy's past is a little more murky, but the flashback suggests his parents were murdered by the same man. Anyway, the two of them spend their time trapping animals, hunting a puma on the prowl, wrestling alligators in the river or hanging out with their pet chimp Toribio (credited as Chucho-Chucho). One day the old man doesn't follow his own advice and falls into quicksand and dies. He occasionally reappears to Zindy and gives him helpful advice, sort of like Obi Wan did for Luke in Star Wars. Later, a girl gets lost in the forest and lives with Zindy for awhile. His final showdown with the puma ends the film. Some scenes were shot on location in Mayan ruins in Guatemala. The English dubbing is atrocious and rarely matches the actor's lip movement.