Incontro nell'ultimo paradiso

Umberto Lenzi is perhaps most (in)famous for "Cannibal Ferox", a film that is not good maybe, but is certainly memorably brutal. This movie seems to have a similar plot with two Euro-idiots deciding to tour a Third World jungle where they encounter both a primitive tribe and vicious ruby smugglers. However, they also meet a lone teenage white girl (Sabrina Siani), who is living there for no apparent reason, and the movie becomes instead a throwback to the late 60's "female Tarzan" movies like "Luana", "Samoa", or "Tarzana". Although it was apparently filmed partly in the Dominican Republic (rather than a European zoo), this movie resembles the contemporary cheap-jack Eurocine/Jess Franco productions ("Cannibals", "Diamonds of Kilimanjaro") much more than it does the Italian cannibal epics. The "locals" seem to be a strange mixture of African and Asian, while I strongly suspect many of the "natives" are really white Europeans in grease-paint. To make matters worse, this is actually a comedy. Italian comedies are really an acquired taste (not unlike huffing paint thinner), but even by the standards of that inferior genre, this is pretty inferior.

Lenzi was fairly proficient at gialli and police thrillers (i.e. "So Sweet, So Perverse", "Almost Human"), but he demonstrates no aptitude whatsoever for screwball comedy. The male characters are all incredibly annoying, but it's hard to know whether to blame the Italian actors or the talentless idiots responsible for dubbing them into English. Then there's barely legal Euro-model Sabrina Siani, who had a great body, but absolutely no idea how to use it. It wasn't that she was a bad actress so much as that she was simply NOT an actress. She never really made any attempt to act, just letting her pert young breasts and her post-adolescent derrière do it all for her. Unlike someone like Edwige Fenech, who was a genuinely talented actress, or Gloria Guida, who was definitely serviceable, Siani doesn't manage to pull off either funny OR sexy here. Her body is the only thing she (or this entire movie) has going for it.

If you're tempted to see this, I would recommend instead Franco's "Cannibals" (also with Siani) or "Diamonds of Kilimanjaro" (with Katja Bienert). Both movies are much more unintentionally funny than this movie is intentionally, and most of the annoying cast in those gets devoured by bloodthirsty cannibals.

Ineptly presented, but surprisingly not that bad to watch. Being the guy from ElectricLadyLand, I am of course here for just one reason, Sabrina Siani. Be warned that you have to wait for her appearance, about 30 minutes just like that other reviewer warned me beforehand. As the movie starts, it holds very little promise, it is a far, far cry from Hollywood production standards, but those two chumps aren't as bad as I thought they were gonna be. Yes, the dubbing is ludicrous, but holds a certain charm in its own way. Here I have to mention that I initially feared my copy would not feature an English soundtrack, so after the relief, I was just thankful I did have this long-sought-after item in all its splendor.

Which, of course, is Sabrina Siani. That reviewer from North Carolina who reckons she's got too much junk in the trunk is really off course. That's the way an ideal voluptuous girl is supposed to look, and praise to The Good Old Days, no fake implants, just nice boobies :)-8 unspoiled by Dr Frankensteins. My most valuable comment here, compared to your other reviewers, would be to point out that these boobies are rather inconsequential compared to the lovely, lovely rear view shots. A buttock fetishist's dream. So, you guys out there, go for it! Loved the referrals to Bo Derek, Blue Lagoon and Endless Love. Clearly, Mr Lenzi was in high spirits working with a pretty half-naked girl. What kind of person wouldn't be? By the way, here's how to show off pretty legs to full effect: let her ride on the back of an elephant's neck. Wow! Double wow!

The jungle language used in the movie does seem to be genuine, as that Ikona yell is similar to a local 'no'.

The director had as much chance to get a lift- off from this as that rusted helicopter hulk would have lifted off in real life. But if you're expecting a total letdown of a movie, you will be surprised.

Who would have thought that just one year after making one of the most notorious gore-exploitation films ever, "Cannibal Ferox", Umberto Lenzi would return to the jungle for a lightweight slapstick comedy?!? Two annoyingly bickering but essentially good-hearted heroes, a troublemaking but smart monkey, some rather inept crooks, and a few cannibals who don't eat anybody, and actually help the heroes defeat the bad guys at the end, are the main ingredients of this one, and if they don't sound too appetizing, maybe I should also mention the presence of Sabrina Siani in a self-made jungle bikini. This woman is A VISION: I would rate both her face and her body a solid 10 out of 10. There is no gore and the violence is of the "hit over the head with a coconut" variety, but the 20-year-old Siani provides some nudity and makes you go "Wow!" with the natural beauty of her form. The role of a female Tarzan fits her quite well too - she can swing on vines and ride elephants. The film is never very funny, but if you make it until Siani appears (about 30 minutes in), you'll make it all the way to the end. (**)

Daughter of the Jungle (1982)

** (out of 4)

Ringo (Rodolfo Bigotti) and Butch (Renato Miracco) decide to take a trip to the Amazon. When they boat runs out of gas they end up lost in the jungle. After a little walk they run into a strange tribe but after an even further walk they run into Luana (Sabrina Siani), a beautiful jungle girl who they decide to call Jane (after Tarzan).

Umberto Lenzi's DAUGHTER OF THE JUNGLE is an Italian comedy that really isn't all that funny but at the same time I must admit that it kept me more entertained than I thought it would. The film was obviously shot on a low-budget and for the most part I didn't find it funny at all but at the same time there's no question that Lenzi knew how to film in a jungle and that is the reason to watch this.

Comedy is a very subjective thing so perhaps some will get more laughs out of this picture but I really thought the two male leads were extremely annoying. I know their act was meant to be funny but I find it more annoying than anything else and the English dubbing really didn't help things. Another problem with the film is that it looks rather ugly as there's certainly nothing overly good about the cinematography.

With that said, the film does feature some wildlife (large snakes, elephants, hippos) and this helps keep it entertaining. Siani is also an extremely attractive woman and seeing her run around naked was another plus. I also thought Lenzi handled the jungle locations extremely well but one does wish that he had spoofed up his cannibal films a bit more.

The iconic Italian director Umberto Lenzi became a cult filmmaker in several genres as Giallo, Peplum & Sandals, Poliziotteschi and mainly Jungle Adventures as CANNIBAL FEROX, in this specific niche came out the sexploitation Incontro Nell' Ultimo Paradiso featuring the eye-candy Sabrina Sianni in sexy tiny outfits allied in a strong humor oriented.

The plot is quite simple two dumbest guys travel to Amazon jungle for a touring, soon they get stranded into a deep forest, bumping up angry natives and later both are caught by a moronic gang of rubies smuggles, at night they sneaking away and daylight they meeting a naïve jungle sexy girl, hereinafter the smart one figure out escaping from there by a jammed helicopter meanwhile the lovesick wondering with gorgeous girl team up a bunch of natives to struggles against the gang.

Shot at Dominican Republic on those everlasting palm trees quite opposite with Amazon rain forest, whoever wrote the screenplay underpinned the offering in two key elements, firstly in dizzying sexy beauty of Sianni and also in many stereotyped characters as the gang leader Dupré and their fat, stupid and even stutter sidekicks, aiming for became it a delightful and harmful Sunday matinee, let it see easily.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1992 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 5.