I have to admit up front that I’ve never been a fan of
director Jess Franco aka Jesús Franco Manera. I understand that he has a huge
fan following who flocked to his movies when they were released and who collect
his films on first VHS and now disc willing to pluck down big bucks to own
everything the man ever directed (which is quite a bit since IMDB lists him as
having directed over 204 films). For some reason I have yet to find a movie
I’ve been exposed to of his that would inspire me to join the ranks of those
fans. But different strokes for different folks, right?
With GOLDEN TEMPLE OF AMAZONS Franco does what he does best
which if find an attractive woman to star in his film and have her wear as
little as possible. This time around the story involves a pair of missionaries
who are killed by a tribe of scantily clad blonde warriors leaving behind their
young daughter Liana Simpson (Analia Ivars) to fend for herself. Fifteen years
later a friend of the family arrives with his group in search of a treasure in
gold the girl’s father had found. She agrees to help the group and get revenge
against those who killed her parents.
It turns out the warrior women are led by a maniacal priest,
Uruck the Temple Guardian (William Berger). He seems more interested in
pleasuring himself with whoever he finds than actually worrying about
protecting the gold. His right hand woman is an eyepatch wearing warrior who is
jealous of our heroine and sets out to kill her if possible. More scantily clad
women, more fights to the death and a raucous battle for the gold follow before
the end credits roll.
Let me say once more
I know there are fans of Franco out there who love every piece of film he shot,
every story he told and every movie he was able to get produced. And they can
be entertaining enough when accepted for what they are which is quickly shot
and guaranteed to make a buck on the exploitation film circuit. But if you’re
looking for deep stories or high quality acting then a Franco film is not where
you should be looking.
The movie has a haze to it even in this pristine version
brought to us by the folks at MVD who have done their best to make it look
great. But even that can’t make the movie any better than it is. On the other
hand if what you’re looking for is a glimpse of bare breasts then this movie is
right up your alley. It’s one of those films that pre-teens would stay up late
to glimpse on Cinemax back in the day eager for their first look at a bare
breast.
As part of their MVD Classics series the movie IS a classic
in that all movies that have been made deserve to be treated fondly and with
affection for those who seek them out and who want to find them in the best
version possible. With that in mind they’ve done a good job for fans of Franco.
If you’re one of them then by all means pick this one up. The same goes if
you’re curious to find out what the fans of Franco enjoy so much. It also would
be a good pick up for fans of the old T&A drive in fare from the glory days
of the 70s and 80s.
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