By 1999, once prolific, legendary film-maker Jess Franco had been working with One Shot Productions for two years, a company relishing in its low-budgets, created primarily to facilitate and distribute Franco's films.
'Broken Dolls' ranks alongside the earlier 'Tender Flesh' as one of One Shot's most technically adept productions, not that that is saying a lot. Also like that earlier film, this is a reimagining of an earlier Franco project - here, 1982's 'The House of the Lost Women/ La Casa de las Mujeres Perdidas' gets a make-over, with much of that earlier venture's elements of graphic perversion removed. I'll try and review this on it's own terms rather than make tedious comparisons.
It's quite effective. Paul Lapidus plays the central role of faded actor Don Martin, increasingly unstable and delusional as the story goes on, believing he has unimaginable treasure buried somewhere on his island home. Lina Romay is Tona, his wife, who hates the paradise in which they live - Romay named this film as a favourite of hers.
Alongside Romay, who is wistful and cruel by turn, my favourite performance is that of Mavi Tienda who plays daughter Beatriz. Appearing to be asexual and introverted initially, she blossoms into the story's most appealing character, alongside Herbie, played by Ezequiel Cohen. The sound design is often not good, at times virtually incomprehensible due to the heavily accented English being spoken, but nevertheless a step-up from many other One Shot Productions.
In JG Ballard style, here is a family that has degenerated into eccentricity and madness; but the location is the real winner here - sun-bleached and yet filed with subtle shades and colours. Jess's occasionally stuttering camera work captures it all beautifully, providing the contrast between the characters' private hell and the extraordinary scenery that surrounds, and possibly traps them. My score is 7 out of 10.
