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Samoa, Regina della Giungla
Samoa, Queen of the Jungle
Samoa, Fille Sauvage
Italy 1968
produced by Fortunato Misiano for Romana Film
directed by Guido Malatesta (as James Reed)
starring Roger Browne, Edwige Fenech, Ivy Holzer, Ivano Staccioli, Andrea Aureli, Umberto Ceriani, Tullio Altamura (as Tor Altmayer), Claudio Ruffini, Wilbert Bradley, Ivan Vasta, Gianni Pulone, Antonietta Fiorito, Femi Benussi, Giustino Durano, Karin Schubert
written by Gianfranco Clerici, Guido Malatesta, music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
review by Mike Haberfelner
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He-man Clint (Roger Browne) leads an expedition looking for a rich
diamond mine to the jungles of Borneo. His group is the typical mix of
actual researchers - like the professor (Tullio Altamura) and his blond
assistant Nancy (Ivy Holzer) -, idealists like Alain (Umberto Ceriani),
and cutthroats like Moreau (Ivano Staccioli). Clint and Moreau soon go
head to head when Moreau tries to rape Nancy but Clint saves her - which
of course wins her over to his side. Soon, our motley crew run into
trouble with the local headhunters, but are saved by jungle girl Samoa
(Edwige Fenech) and her tribe of savages, who welcome them with open arms.
Samoa also feels pretty drawn to Clint, much to Nancy's dismay. Then
though, Samoa shows Clint where her tribe keeps their diamonds, and now
Clint and company go ahead and steal the diamonds - and find themselves on
the run not only from the headhunters but also from Samoa's tribe ...
though interestingly, Samoa has chosen to join Clint's gang. Well, once
they seem to have outrun all natives, tensions erupt between the goodies
and the baddies in the expedition, and ultimately, all the baddies are
killed one way or another, with Moreau finding an especially horrible end
when he sinks into quicksand taking the diamonds he has risked everything
for with him. Nancy on the other hand brings the professor to safety in
the boat they were all traveling on, and Clint and Samoa, left stranded
without said boat, steal a canoe and row into the sunset ... In
general, I'm a sucker for jungle girl movies, and as a rule of the thumb,
it's the cheaper and campier the better for me - but this one just doesn't
make the cut, it just goes from one jungle clichée to the next without
ever becoming exciting, tries in doing everything to keep its characters
as flat as possible (and succeeds, too), plus, rather unexpectedly, Edwige
Fenech makes one of the most boring jungle girls there is (even if she's
wearing some fun costumes). Not really worth your time and money.
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