GWENDOLINE (1984)

Gwendoline (Kitaen) and her companion Beth (Zabou, a dead-ringer for Olive Oyl) arrive in China to learn the whereabouts of the former’s missing father, and team up with a gruff American sailor/smuggler named Willard (Huff) to track down the missing butterfly-collector, which leads them to a kinky city where women rule and where they compete in combat for the right to mate with chosen male specimens. Needless to say, Willard had better hold onto his nads!

This is the first time that “Emmanuelle” director Just Jaeckin’s more mainstream (and sadly last) film has been released uncut on DVD in Britain, and when you consider that alongside what the director is most famous for, as well as the raunchy packaging on the DVD, one probably expects a helluva great erotic masterpiece. I know I did, having never seen the film before. Unfortunately, it’s nowhere near the hyperbole, I’m afraid. The chief reason for this lies in the screenplay, which is entirely devoid of original storytelling. It’s Romancing the Stone meets Casablanca meets Flash Gordon meets Barbarella. But with boobs. Lots and lots of them. Poor acting by some of the cast doesn’t help, either; Huff has the look of Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China but neither the presence nor acting chops. Meanwhile, Kitaen (AKA Mrs David 'Whitesnake' Coverdale) coos, pants, squeals, screams, moans and groans her way through proceedings so much that one would suggest that she was under the impression that she was in an Emmanuelle film (or one of those similarly titled Laura Gemser films for that matter). Lafont (a favourite of Claude Chabrol), meanwhile, is so close to aping The Great Tyrant from Barbarella that I found her performance as the villainess distracting, and certainly nowhere near as good as Anita Pallenberg in said groovy masterpiece. Loved the Mickey Mouse ears, though.
What also bothered me was that I was expecting some kind of decadent, sexy film and what I got was an erotic filmmaker’s final and least erotic film, it’s almost mainstream, and not even the most graphic film of its type (Again, the Gemser films come to mind). Sure, there’s lots of boobies, and light fetishistic behaviour (not S&M like some have suggested, it doesn’t quite go that far in my view), but overall it’s not much more sexually explicit than Barbarella, and that was way back in 1968. The film’s main sex scene has Kitaen draped in a large, heavy cape that covers up just about everything we’d want to see of her (In fact, skinny Zabou actually exposes more, and more frequently).

And yet, I can almost recommend this film, for it does have positive attributes. As much as I was unimpressed by the two leads, supporting performances by Jean Rougerie (as a sort of mixture of mad scientist Duran Duran from Barbarella and Zarkov from Flash Gordon) and veteran support player Dobtcheff (in a tiny role where he is being ‘serviced’ by a lovely Asian lass and looking all sleazy and decadent) are actually very enjoyable. Also, as much as I was underwhelmed by the sexual material in the film, the violence was at times graphic and enjoyable for those inclined. A bit involving jail cell bars and a guy’s ears is probably the highlight of the entire film, aside from an hilarious (if politically incorrect) bit of buffoonery involving an inept translator. Also, kudos for the most gratuitous nude scene I’ve ever seen- Yeah, you’re wet, now strip!…Uh huh, I’m sure there’s some logic in that…right.

Most prominent of the film’s positives, however, are its visual and aural pleasures. As much as the later scenes look somewhat like Barbarella and Flash Gordon, it does not take away from how attractive the sets and costumes (mostly breast-exposing, matching uniforms, very classy stuff) truly are, particularly for a B-grade exploitation film. The music score, by Pierre Bachelet and Claude Villand is most striking (particularly over the Binder-esque title sequence), and you won’t get it out of your head for days, let me tell you.
This new DVD release comes jam-packed with extras and I personally think the extras are far more impressive than the actual film. Even the kinky menu design is bloody marvelous. The audio commentary features director Jaeckin, journalist Tony Crawley (who is perhaps a bit too much of a hyperbolic sycophant) and another chap whose name escapes me and barely piped up throughout anyway. Lots of interesting information is provided for fans, including the fact that aside from Brent Huff, other actors considered for the male lead were Sam J. Jones (yep, Flash Gordon), and David Carradine (Why they didn’t go with Carradine is beyond me).

An interview with the director titled “The Perils of Just” is included, wherein one learns why the director left the scene after this film, and he comes across as a really nice, affable guy who has nothing but kind words to say of his cast and crew. Also featured are a still gallery and a terrific Lui photoshoot that shows Tawny in all her glory, and will definitely please her fans (if you know what I mean). There is also a U.S. Title sequence that is a complete waste of time, as it is entirely the same, save for a “Raiders”-style font. The theatrical trailer and UK promo trailer are also provided, along with trailers for other Nucleus releases. The most startling extra, is the text-only accounts of the cuts forced on the film by the BBFC, which is a damning indictment of a very silly, and seen now, somewhat inexplicable decision. Some of the cuts made were truly ridiculous, and despite being text-only, I’d wager that this is the most interesting extra.