Le mystère de la source

My review was written in July 1990 after watching the movie on Quest Entertainment video cassette.

"The Spring" is an oddball romance about Ponce De Leon's fabled fountain of youth. Florida-made feature went direct to video for the voyeur trade.

Filmmaker Hugh Parks (who produced and scripted) seems obsessed with the old Cecil B. DeMille formula of pulchritude, flashbacks and spirituality. Like his previous film "Before God" (released as "After School"), "Spring" mixes contemporary footage with topless flashbacks of Indian girls at the magical spring when the Spanish explorer arrived 400 years ago.

Main tale deals with museum researcher Dack Rambo and his assistant Gedde Watanabe heading for Florida with evidence as to the whereabouts of the Fountain of Youth. They arrive coincidentally with a cosmetics confab where venal industrialist Steven Keats is out to exploit the find.

Rambo falls in love with blonde beauty Shari Shattuck, who turns out to be an 87-year-old woman preserved by the magic waters guarded by an ancient Indian chief (Robert V. Barron). Aided by a voodoo priestess (Virginia Watson), the heroes make it through a phony happy ending.

Main draw here is Shattuck. Tech credits are fine, especially Jordan Klein Junior's underwater photography.

The video cover of THE SPRING makes you think that it'll be a film filled with sex or nudity, and though there are some very brief nude scenes of Shari Shattuck, there's no sex in this flick. Nothing. It's a long and boring and stupid movie that looks like a long lost episode of THE RELIC HUNTER. They should call this one DERELICT HUNTER, not THE SPRING.

Avoid at all cost!!!

If you`re into slow moving, dull, action movies then this one is right up your alley. Dack Rambo as the leading man of this turkey should clue you in pretty quickly. The acting is poor at best as this Indiana Jones wannabe plods along to its conclusion. Don`t waste your time.

This is Shari Shattuck at her best!!! Wow, what a knockout she is!!! I guess she must have been the best looking woman in America in 1989. Probably still is. THE SPRING is becoming a cult movie; check out its ebay activity. It's a wonderful indie flick with beautiful footage filmed in Central Florida. The actors/actresses gave 100%. I understand that it has been re-made for release in 2001 and I hope it will spark interest in the original version. If you can find it; buy it!

I saw this movie recently on TV. This genre is attractive to me and this movie is, in my opinion, worth watching but with some serious flaws in a plot. The mob guy is pretty naive and his two "buddies" are more than hilarious and funny. However, it might add a new dimension to this film that was not intended in the first place. Shari Shattuck is gorgeous as always and maybe not used in all her potentials. Two archeologists are so-so with pretty good main character. For me, Virginia Watson's Palinya was revealing and surprisingly interesting character. She showed big ability for transformation of her role. She was my favourite character in this movie and it is pity that didn't see some more of her casts. She is my favourite one in this flick! Unlike her,that woodoo sorcerer was terrible and unconvincing. The guardian of the spring was kind of "mysterious" as it should be. And Clair Jordan's character was astoundingly unused. Pity.

All in all, interesting flick worth having on tape in private collection.