Incontro nell'ultimo paradiso

Normally when you get an Umberto Lenzi film set in the jungle; there's blood and people getting eaten, but with Daughter of the Jungle he actually tried to make a comedy film! Naturally I went into this expecting the worst, but surprisingly it's a decently entertaining film. If I had to compare it to something else along the same lines, I'd probably use Massacre in Dinosaur Valley; although this film is nowhere near as good as the later trash classic. Anyway, we focus on two American men who find themselves in the jungle. They're kidnapped by a bunch of cannibals but think they've been saved when they see an American plane. However, it turns out that the plane is full of mercenaries looking for rubies; so the Americans flee into the jungle where they find a beautiful girl who brought up by monkeys. This film is obviously very cheap and clearly Lenzi was in 'can't be bothered mode', and it's hard to believe that this film was made by the man behind the likes of Almost Human and Seven Blood-Stained Orchids. The use of stock footage is abundant too and the plot is unbelievably stupid. The film was obviously intended to be funny; although the jokes continually miss the mark and the only funny thing about it is the dubbing; which is among the worst I've ever heard. The voices are frankly ridiculous and that saps up any chance that the film may have had to gain any credibility. Still...it does at least make for amusing viewing and the film is at least not as bad as I thought it would be.

Umberto Lenzi, the pioneer of disturbingly gory cannibal films, directs. A strange change of pace for this director and the jungle genre. Be advised, this is a dumb, unfunny slapstick comedy-adventure with cardboard characters and comic book villains. There's even a comedic fat guy thug who constantly falls down or gets conked on the head. Hilarious. Probably better in the original Italian as the English dubbing is horrible.

Our heroes are a pair of knucklehead dudes from New York who seem to have wandered in from some frat-boy sex comedy (which were popular at the time). After pointlessly wasting a half-hour of screen time, they get stranded in the Amazon jungle -- which just happens to be full of African wildlife. They stumble across hostile natives, semi-comic-relief criminal goons hunting for rubies, and Luana, a beautiful blond jungle girl (Sabrina Siani from "White Cannibal Queen"). Luana cavorts with a chimp, swings on vines, talks to elephants, swims topless, and does a classic Tarzan yell. After getting an eyeful of Luana, one guy says: "Edgar Rice Burroughs got it all wrong." (That's the funniest line in the film.) The dopey dialog is loaded with wisecracks that reference other films ("you got it all over Bo what's-her-name"). She grew up alone after her parents perished following a helicopter crash-landing. Among the many implausible plot points is the repair of the helicopter that's been rusting away for 16 years. We're also supposed to believe these clueless dolts can somehow refine crude oil sludge into gasoline without any technology. Okay, whatever...

The only saving grace is the absolutely gorgeous Sabrina Siani, one of the most appealing and sexy jungle girls to come down the pike. She wears a skimpy leather top and a barely-there thong that hides none of her fabulous caboose. Siani has the kind of perfect posterior that anthropologists should study and document for future generations. Fortunately, we have this film. Everything else in this dreadful "Sheena" rehash is instantly forgettable.

Directed by Umberto Lenzi, Daughter of the Jungle is a tongue in cheek parody of both Tarzan and cannibal movies. Sabrina Siani plays the roll of Luana (a female Tarzan-like character) who was lost in the jungle as a child when her parent's helicopter crashes. Rodolfo Bigotti (Ringo) and Renato Miracco (Butch) are two goofy tourists who manage to get lost in the jungle, chased by cannibals and 'rescued' by Luana.

OK, the movie doesn't deserve a 6 based on it's production values, acting, direction, or story; but I give it that score because it's just damn funny. I watched the English dubbed version and the voices alone are hilarious... the brutish guy sounds like Pee Wee Herman while the main bad guy's voice and accent change throughout the movie, another character even cracks a joke about it. The dialog is no less funny as Butch constantly harangues Ringo and blames him for everything. Sabrina Siani is not the best looking girl but she's better than average although she carries a little more junk in the trunk than I personally care for. I give her props, she plays her role well and acts with extreme confidence even when topless. That last might seem silly but many women in film assume distracting, self conscious postures while topless. It's not a movie for everyone but fans of tongue-in-cheek comedies and cannibal movies might find it entertaining.

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.