L'isola delle vergini

This movie is one of the B&W semi-horror films of the 50's and early 60's. Granted, the premise is totally absurd.....2 hunka hunka's running around an island with 3 babe-a-licious honeys and not one case of hanky-panky? The guys seemed more interested in each other and themselves -- swimming in those horrid 1950's spandex trunks (is that a potato in your swimwear or are you just happy to see me?), rubbing lotion on each other's backs, reminiscing about close friendships, --- hmmm --- maybe this should have been called "BROKEBACK ISLAND?" I liked the movie although it is totally predictable. I DID keep waiting for Godzilla or some other camera enlarged creature to come around and scare the swimwear off the guys, (looks like the girls would have defended the island against the killer beast while the boys were screaming little pansies scampering off into the forest), but no monster. Heck, enjoy it for what it's worth, a piece of B&W film history.

What a strange film from director Frank Tuttle, his final movie.... It is not a disgrace, no, let's not exagerate, but just strange. I would have bet on a director as Richard Cunha, Roger Corman or any psychotronic film maker, but certainly not Frank Tuttle. It is funny, light hearted. Plus, it is a short film, so it can't be boring. This stuff is destined to teen audiences I guess, because of those bunnies presence. It is impossible to take it seriously, it is just entertaining, that's all. I don't know any of those second rate actors, chosen I guess, only because they are handsome, good looking. Watch it just by curiosity.

"Joe Walker" (John Smith) is a pilot who is flying a radio commentator named "Mark Bradley" (Jeff Richards) to a conference in Australia. Unfortunately, a typhoon blows them off course and when one engine goes out they decide to land the airplane close to a nearby island. Upon landing they are greeted by a man who only wants to be known as "Mr. Paul" (Alan Napier) and his three lovely daughters, "Mercuria" (June Blair), Venus (Venetia Stevenson) and "Urana" (Diane Jergens). Although Mr. Paul initially wants them to leave he changes his mind when Joe and Mark realize who he really is and decides to destroy the airplane so that they have to stay. This pleases all 3 young ladies but Mark is still determined to leave while Mr. Paul is determined that they will not. Now rather than reveal any more of this film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was an enjoyable Grade-B movie from the 1950's. Although there were some dull parts here and there I must say that the 3 attractive women certainly brightened the scenery. Be that as it may, overall I rate it as about average.

I have to admit that I was looking forward to watching "Island of Lost Women". The 1950s and 1960 were full of movies about lost women missing male companionship (like "Queen of Outer Space"), and a lot of them were frequently and unintentionally hilarious. I thought I would be in store for more of the same. Also, the fact that a major Hollywood studio picked up this independently made feature interested me. But after watching the movie, I wonder why the studio in question thought this was worthy. The low budget is pretty evident throughout, for one thing. As for if the movie is unintentionally funny, for the most part it isn't. There are some chuckles here and there, but the characters are somewhat smarter and less dopey than usual, so they don't do many things that would be considered unintentionally funny. And the story unfolds not only at a pretty uneventful pace for the most part, what happens in the climax is telegraphed early on, so there is no surprise when it happens. A pretty disappointing quickie.

Let's see, now, this movie provides us with two hunky men who crash land their plane on an uncharted island in the South Pacific inhabited by three beautiful young women. Do you think, just maybe, someone could come up with a plot making effective use of these ingredients? ("Forbidden Planet" did!)

Amazingly enough, the temptingly-titled "Island of Lost Women" fails to do so. The characters simply stand around, looking attractive, while waiting for something in the way of a real plot to arrive. It never quite does, but even though the movie "blows" a seemingly sure-fire set-up, it's easy to watch, has a certain naive charm, and -- despite the erotic possibilities -- is suitable viewing for all ages.

Because of its blank, empty quality, viewers can project all sorts of interpretations onto the proceedings. Some may note, for instance, that though they're in the company of three nubile females, neither of the two men makes any sexual advances toward them, aside from a bit of kissing and hand-holding. Indeed, the men spend a lot of time together, reminiscing about their "friendship" and finding ample opportunities to take their shirts off. (Joe even gets a chance to apply lotion to Mark's bare back.) Neither man mentions a "significant other" back home. And while the women wear decidedly modest swimming attire, the men get to slip into swim trunks which are snug enough to bulge in all the right places.

The trio of actresses in "Lost Women" came and went without making a ripple but the two actors had careers with a bit of substance. Jeff Richards hovered at the fringes of stardom in the 1950s with a number of films to his credit, including "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but never became more than just "promising." By the time "The Island of Lost Women" went into release, his career had clearly begun to fade. John Smith, on the other hand, never made much of an impact in the movies but he did achieve a small measure of success in the "Laramie" series on TV. One wonders if they were cast in this movie because they were such opposite physical types. Richards has black hair and a hairy chest, while Smith is blond with a chest as smooth as a baby's bottom.