Tanya's Island

D.D. Winters (a.k.a. 'Vanity') was highly nude from time to time in this odd little film. There were two other actors, one playing her abusive boyfriend and the other is a kind, sensitive emotionally available guy in a gorilla suit. The carachter was supposed to be an actual gorilla, but the cheap production values kill any suspension of disbelief. Tanya is stranded on the island with her thuggish boyfriend, but the gorilla has special qualities that win her heart and drag the body into near-bestiality.

The last performance of Mae West was as a guest on the Mr. Ed show. She used her patented come-ons to the talking horse, plying him with seductive patter. That too, was odd. That episode and this film would make a fun double feature for a very select audience.

A strange film in content and delivery. Tanya who is dangerously attached to her abusive artist boyfriend, Lobo, has an extended dream, in which she and her belligerent beau live on a deserted island paradise (cue gratuitous nudity over the opening credits). Tanya befriends an ape, Lobo gets jealous, and the trio fight in a manner which comes close to slapstick. The comic violence combines with sexual symbolism to create an unnerving mix. Perhaps the weakness of the film is Tanya herself, who provides a feast for the eyes, but leaves the mind a bit empty. She seems to spend the whole film both confused and amused by the whole situation. If the film is about Tanya's sexual naievity, then this theme is not developed sufficiently. For its weaknesses, this film is certainly a unique and interesting creation, worth seeing

Depending on your point of view this movie is either an interesting Freudian exploration of the "beauty and the beast" myth, or it is a particularly pretentious example of what Robin Bougie of "Cinema Sewer" magazine hilariously dubbed the "bigfoot-rape" film. Evidence of the former would be that this was directed by Alfred Sole who directed the cult horror classic "Alice, Sweet Alice". This isn't a patch on that one,of course, but it's better than a lot of Soles other equally bizarre, post-"Alice" projects (like the off-the-wall slasher spoof "Pandemonium"). Evidence of the latter, however, would be that this movie stars D.D. Winters, a singer/actress who couldn't really sing and DEFINITELY couldn't act. She would later become Prince's protegee under the name of "Vanity" and then eventually a born-again Christian (and I'm not sure which is worse).

This movie is about sexy and oft-naked woman and her husband who go off to live on an island for reasons that eluded me. The only other being on the island is a ape man/bigfoot type creature who the girl nicknames "Blue". The girl feels a strange affection, even perhaps an attraction, to the creature, which makes her husband increasingly jealous. He becomes determined to capture this monster and put it in a cage. The Freudian metaphor here is pretty obvious--the monster represents the wild, uncivilized side of the man, and he fears the woman's attraction to it and wants to repress both it and her. This intriguing idea is pretty seriously fumbled though by some truly horrid acting and a clichéd, cop-out ending usually used by filmmakers when they have totally run out of ideas.

This movie greatly resembles the notorious Walerian Borozyx film "The Beast". It is also a arty, metaphoric exploration of bestiality (albeit a little less graphic than the Borozyx film). But while "The Beast" also starred a sexy but talentless actress (Sirpa Lane) as the object of the bestial affections, Borzyx had the good sense not to give her any lines. Winters has many lines in this movie and is unbelievably annoying when she's not having sex or getting naked. More importantly, however, "The Beast" had a strong ending that tied everything together, while this one . . .well, I won't spoil it--I'll just let it spoil itself. This is a potentially interesting but flawed film.

The subject is timeless and difficult to express, as so many have tried throughout history. Tanya is torn between her own strength and weakness. On the one hand, she needs to be independent, making her own decisions. On the other, she needs to feel secure and not threatened by her choices. She wants to be a creative helper in her boyfriend's painting, and doesn't want to be excluded, shunned or dominated. When he treats her badly, she explores a different relationship, something more beastly. Initially, the beast is exactly what she wants. As things change, she finds he's as much of a beast as her boyfriend is. I don't think she found what she wanted, but, to everybody's disappointment, she did find she can change her mind.

The forum is renewed from the likes of "King Kong" and "Beauty and the Beast", but depicts a darker side with surreal graphic violence. Her obvious beauty and the simplistic tropical setting set the positive tone very well. Choppy, cluttered, and confused filming sets the negative tone equally well. The unrealistic dream is reinforced by the notable absence of all Robinson Crusoe hardships. Only interpersonal conflicts exist. Between Tanya and each of the males, conflicts are materialized with sexual situations. Conflicts between the males are even more adolescent, with the full spectrum of chest beating, coconut throwing, sling shots and trapping each other in cages. The only winner is the viewer, and only if they don't object to the B-movie feel.

I found it hilariously entertaining, yet disturbing. It makes me reconsider my concept of what being a woman is.

My review was written in May 1981 after a Times Square screening: "Tanya's Island" is the latest screen version of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale, only this time done as a skin flick. Director Alfred Sole avoids hardcore porn footage, but frequent nudity and violent sex scenes strain the limits of pic' R rating.

Elliptical script penned by producer Pierre Brousseau gives the film an unfinished quality -many scenes end tentatively with fadeouts and pic becomes tedious with inclusion of lengthy connective scenes wherein cast merely wanders around. Fantasy story is bookended by scenes in Toronto where Tanya (model and actress D. D. Winters) is a tv commercials model involved with an artist. Picture unfolds as her dream/nightmare, set on a remote, idyllic island.

Island episodes have Tanya making love or quarreling with the artist Lobo (Richard Sargent) while exploring the jungle and befriending a massive but empathetic ape there, which she names Blue (Don McCleod) because of its unusual blue eyes. Lobo and Blue become locked in a repetitive contest with Tanya as the prize, ending in the ape imitating man's violent behavior and raping her.

Plotline is thinnest excuse for Sole to show off Winters' undraped form. Plentiful nudity will satisfy voyeurs, but the acting scenes are crude and laughable. Plodding pace makes film most suitable for drive-ins, where uneventful segments will find patrons visiting the concession stand. The ape makeup by Rick Baker and Rob Bottin is expert and convincing, but their creation has little to do. Island scenery, filmed in Puerto Rico, makes a pretty backdrop for the lovely charms of Winters. Sole gives a nod to his forebears by opening and closing the film with footage from "Mighty Joe Young".