Woodoo Baby - Insel der Leidenschaft

This is an example of small, kind of unofficial genre in 1970's Italian exploitation films, which might be called the "black sexploitation film" (not to be confused with American "blaxploitation" films). These films generally traded in exotic travel, lots of interracial sexual couplings, and (in their most potentially offensive aspect) the myth of "primitive" black sexuality. Director/cinematographer Joe D'Amato was one of the masters of this "genre", having been the driving force behind the "Black Emanuelle" series. D'Amato's most frequent actress in these softcore extravaganzas, Laura Gemser, actually looked a lot more Asian than "black", but these films also featured plenty of white European women like Karin Schubert, Ely Galeani, and the star of this film, Nieves Navarro, getting down and dirty with the dark-skinned "natives". This movie is most similar to D'Amato's "Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals" and "Papaya of the Caribbean", but while it has plenty of sex, for better or worse, it is nowhere near as violent as either of those movies.

An older woman (Nieves Navarro) visiting her writer husband (Richard Harrison),while he's staying on a tropical island, meets a young "native" girl (Lucia Ramirez). They have a lesbian affair, and she decides to take the girl back with her to "civilization". She isn't adequately alarmed when the girl, in a fit of jealousy, tries to take a machete to a guy she brings home from a bar. The girl also causes some tension between her and her husband (even though she already cheats on him with everything in pants), but as is often the case in these kind of movies this tension is eventually assuaged with a steamy three-way sex scene. But when the couple decide to move away and try to return the girl to her village, they learn too late that her fierce lesbian jealously has caused her to return to her "primitive" bloodlust.

The plot is obviously preposterous, and rather ham-handedly executed to boot. Ramirez is certainly more "black" than Laura Gemser (who really should have been in this), but she looks a lot more like the cosmopolitan, mixed-race fashion model she probably was in real life than any kind of of "primitive local". It's weird seeing expatriate actor Richard Harrison in a movie like this--he was usually in more respectable Italian genre films like spaghetti Westerns or crime thrillers (he claimed in an interview I read that he didn't know that this was actually a sex film!). Only Nieves Navarro seems at home in this genre. It is odd that someone who was once a fairly successful leading genre actress would become a softcore porn star in middle age. But she definitely still had a great body here in her early forties, and just because these sex-soaked roles were really beneath her talent doesn't mean she wasn't very good at them. I'd recommend this I guess to serious fans of D'Amato or Navarro, but they've both done a lot better stuff.

Orgasmo nero (1980)

** (out of 4)

Paul (Richard Harrison) is doing research on a Caribbean island when his wife Helen (Nieves Navarro) comes to visit. The wife is sexually unsatisfied and she strikes up a friendship with the native girl Haini (Lucia Ramirez) and soon they start a sexual relationship. The wife ends up taking the native back to her home where all sorts of trouble begins to happen.

ORGASMO NERO was just one of many films that director Joe D'Amato made during this period, which mixed sex and horror. The most famous (or notorious) examples of this were PORNO HOLOCAUST and EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD but this film doesn't reach the same level as those two. If you're looking for horror elements then it's best you watch one of the previous mentioned films because ORGASMO NERO is more of a drama mixed with sex. The film is available in a 97-minute "soft" version as well as a hardcore version, which features Ramirez doing real sex scenes with Mark Shannon.

I watched the soft version (the hardcore scenes were an extra) and for the most part I found the film to be entertaining. I was really shocked at how caught up I got into the story because it's certainly nothing special. I mean, we've seen this type of love triangle several times before and after this. We've seen movies where women are sexually unsatisfied so they go searching for better sex. I think the reason the random story keeps your attention here is that D'Amato actually does a very good job at making it erotic. I've seen countless films from the director and I've usually attacked him for not making the films erotic but that's not the case here. There are several lesbian scenes that have a lot of steam to them and the same is true for a sequence where the husband has had enough and decides to break in on the wife and native.

I also liked the three leads, although none of them give an Oscar-worthy performance. I thought Ramirez was extremely good as the native who brings out all of this sexuality. She really doesn't have too much to say but I thought she was good at just playing quiet and sexual. Obviously she's mainly here for eye candy and she's certainly that. I thought Navarro was very good as well and especially at coming across as a bored wife. Needless to say, she was still looking extremely hot at this time and she oozes sexuality. Harrison somewhat sleepwalks through the role but I guess you could argue this makes the wives sexual frustration more believable.

The cinematography is good as you'd expect and there's also a nice music score to bring out the sex scenes. ORGASMO NERO still suffers from a problem that a lot of D'Amato's work does and that's the fact that it runs a bit too long and there are a couple stretches that get a tad bit boring. Still, fans of the director will still want to check this out since it's certainly a lot better than many of his films.

Joe D'Amato's 1980 erotic drama Orgasmo nero (literally, "Black Orgasm") takes us on a journey to a Caribbean island, where passion, desire, and unrestrained sexuality await.

Paul (Richard Harrison) is a researcher on a Caribbean island who is joined by his wife, Helen (Nieves Navarro). Helen, sexually frustrated, soon forms an intimate bond with a native girl, Haini (Lucia Ramirez), and their relationship quickly becomes sexual. Helen even brings Haini back to her home, setting off a chain of dramatic and titillating events.

Orgasmo nero is a classic example of D'Amato's unique style, blending sex and horror, though this entry leans more heavily into the former. It is known for its explicit sexual content, including both heterosexual and lesbian encounters, earning its place in the canon of sexploitation cinema.

The film delivers on its promise of eroticism, with D'Amato crafting a narrative that holds attention and stimulates the senses. However, it falls into some of the same traps as other D'Amato films, with a runtime that feels excessive and pacing that drags in certain parts.

One of the most memorable aspects of Orgasmo nero is its setting. The Caribbean island provides a lush and exotic backdrop, adding to the sense of liberation and hedonism that permeates the film. The use of location also contributes to the sense of "other-ness" that enhances the film's themes of sexual exploration and transgression.

The performances in Orgasmo nero are serviceable, with Navarro and Ramirez embracing their roles and delivering the necessary chemistry to sell the erotic storyline. Keep an eye out for a particularly steamy scene between them, where a naked Navarro, with her hairy vagina on full display, passionately locks lips with Ramirez, their bodies entwined in a sensual embrace. It's a moment that encapsulates the film's unapologetic celebration of female desire and pleasure.

However, despite its strengths, Orgasmo nero fails to reach the heights of infamy achieved by some of D'Amato's other works, such as Porno Holocaust and Erotic Nights of the Living Dead. While it delivers on the sexual content, the horror elements are largely absent, aside from brief appearances in the opening and closing scenes.

In conclusion, Orgasmo nero is a film that will appeal to fans of D'Amato's unique brand of sleaze and eroticism. While it may not revolutionize the genre, it provides a stimulating viewing experience.

For the most part, this is one of those "white couple has a holiday in the sun and has sex with the black natives" kind of films which were fairly popular in the 1970s. There is also a voodoo element and a bit of cannibalism thrown in for good measure, but neither gels very well with the rest of the film. Thoroughly unremarkable.

Orgasmo nero is a sultry, sun-soaked detour into the world of European sexploitation, set against the lush backdrop of a Caribbean island. The film's atmosphere leans heavily on its exotic location, using the vibrant scenery to evoke a sense of both liberation and simmering tension. While the tropical setting is visually appealing, the film rarely rises above its own ambitions, often settling for surface-level eroticism rather than building real suspense or intrigue.

Cinematographer Alberto Spagnoli captures the steamy climate and vivid colors with competence, giving the film a glossy sheen that occasionally elevates the otherwise routine proceedings. The camera lingers on bodies and landscapes alike, creating a voyeuristic mood that fits the genre, but the visual style never quite manages to transcend the material. The pacing feels sluggish at times, with long stretches that test the viewer's patience, and the editing does little to inject energy into the narrative.

Among the cast, Nieves Navarro stands out as Helen, the sexually frustrated wife whose journey drives the plot. Navarro brings a weary sensuality to her role, convincingly portraying a woman caught between desire and disillusionment. Her explicit scenes are performed with a frankness that is both bold and unashamed, and she manages to imbue her character with more depth than the script provides. Lucia Ramirez, as the enigmatic Haini, is mostly relegated to silent seduction, offering a physical presence that is memorable if not particularly nuanced. Richard Harrison, playing the husband, drifts through his scenes with minimal engagement, which, while perhaps intentional, does little to elevate the emotional stakes.

Despite moments of genuine eroticism, "Orgasmo nero" struggles to find a consistent tone. The film promises a blend of sex and horror, yet the horror elements are fleeting and underdeveloped, leaving the story to rely on melodrama and explicit encounters. The narrative is predictable, and the character motivations often feel forced, making it difficult to invest in their fates. While the film may appeal to die-hard fans of D'Amato's brand of exploitation, it lacks the shock value or inventiveness of his more infamous works.