Jane et la cité perdue

The idea of the pin-up poster was never a bad thing. It was very helpful for the morale of homesick soldiers, stuck on the front lines, fighting for their lives, during WWII. Jane grew out of that era and was the creation of a British author. She too was created to help morale during the terrors of WWII and even the wars that followed that. We flash to 1987 and British filmmakers, along with New World Pictures, decide to reboot Jane, with this really bad effort. In Jane and the Lost City (1987), Jane (Kirsten Hughes), is basically working for the British government, helping her friend, the Colonel (Robin Bailey), protect diamonds from the bad-guys. Jane's super-power is her clothes fall off, just in time, which distracts enemies (and sometimes friends, if need be), until she is able to escape or attempt to apprehend them. It's not dirty. It's not in poor taste. Jane and the Lost City (1987), has a PG rating, so that tells you that there is nothing to fear about the pin-up nature of this IP. It's everything else in Jane and the Lost City (1987), that makes it bad. I wanted to rate this film, even lower than, a "4", but in my book, any film rated less than four is unwatchable and I want people to see Jane and the Lost City (1987), in order to believe it, so I stayed at "4". You won't.

PMTM Grade: 4.0 (F+) = 4 IMDB.

Jane was a very popular British comic strip that ran through the war years. Churchill hated it and wanted it banned, but it was too popular. The artist used to use the strip to make political points, and whenever it would be getting too dry for the readers, Jane would somehow lose her clothes.

The film version is played for camp, and brilliantly so by Kristen Hughes, Sam Jones (who also conveniently loses his clothes a few times in a nod to a later age), Maud Adams, and Elsa O'Toole as the Leopard Queen.

Yes, it goes over the top - it's meant to. Get giggly with a few friends and watch it.

Based on the UK comic strip 'Jane.' Jane (Kirsten Hughes) and the Colonel (Robin Bailey) journey to find the lost city. That is the city that is lost and is said to have diamonds. It is WWII and the NSDAP's top cutie spy (Maud Adams) and her entourage are also in the trail.

Move over Indiana Jones; Jane is on her way. As cute as Jane is with her outer garments dispatched periodically in unpredictable ways, The Leopard Queen (Elsa O'Toole) can give Kirsten Hughes a run for her money when it comes to ogling.

So, are there diamonds?

And is there a possible sequel?

This film has just the right amount of campiness.

Lots of good references to knowable films and books.

Excellent evacuated character types.

Good disposable wardrobes.

A good plot and follow through.

Keeps your attention all the way through.

If you use fast forward you will miss it.

Patterned after the book by H. Rider Haggard "King Salomon's Mines" follows along the lines of the original first 3 films but this one has used a comedic theme to help it along ... i found jane to be plenty erotic enough for heroine and defender of god and country ... i had a feww good laughs

To its credit, many of the supporting roles are played so well, we almost have a decent Indian Jones type movie.

Everything everyone says here is true, which just shows how subjective enjoyment of a film can be. Comparison is made to the Carry On films, which is close ... but the Carry On films really relish their everything-is-about-sex undertone, while Jane And The Lost City prefers the innocence approach. Yes, Jane loses her clothing half-a-dozen times, but it always feels a bit out of place -- as if they really wanted to go Indiana Jones, but were saddled with this pinup-girl concept.

For me, there were just enough good comic moments to sustain through the ones that fell flat (mainly Jasper Carrott's endless mugging). I've seen my share of not-very-good jungle films; this ranks just about right, with the occasional clothes-ripped-off seemingly punched in for novelty. I think it would have been funnier to make that a more central concept -- even to play with audience expectation by having it almost happen, then partially happen, then not happen when you expect it to, then happen to someone else, etc -- you see? A running gag should be explored for all of its possibilities, not just the same gag used as window dressing, then sold as main attraction.