Review #483: 'The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak' (1984)

Based upon British bondage photographer and illustrator John Willie's 1950's and '60's fetishist character in the 'Sweet Gwendoline' comics, this French adaptation, vies more towards the adventure iconography of contemporary action cinema, than the Betty Page inspired submission-and-BDSM. Of course, the Gwendoline of the film does often - like the comic character - become tied in bondage (captured), but is not as sexualised, or eroticised - in the first two thirds at least. The film opens in China, and Gwendoline (Tawny Kitaen) has smuggled herself in a cargo case, - strangely her companion, Beth (Zabou), has not smuggled herself, leading to a questionable customs system - and has travelled in search of her father, who had been searching for a rare butterfly, in the mysterious region known as Yik Yak.

After being caught and bound by locals, she is inadvertently saved by American adventurer (in the vein of Indiana Jones), Willard (Brent Huff), a seeming misogynist rouge. Employing him as a guide, the three protagonists head for the land of the Yik Yak, in search of her father, and the mythical insect. After encounters with primitive tribes, and the inevitable capture-and-binding, the team enter a cave, that leads to a subteraenean world, where only women stay, mining for diamonds. Willard is used as a sex object, as several women fight to the death for the chance to be impregnated by him - and his death would be the inevitable end, after doing his duty.

The film has been often compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Barbarella (1968), and it certainly shares the latter's kitsch styling's. Luckily, considering the awful delivery of dialogue, and often terribly cliched lines, the film has it's tongue firmly lodged in it's proverbial cheek. However, this does not save it from coming across as crass, juvenile nonsense. In the subterranean world that the narrative climaxes in, it's iconography is filled with scantily clad, leather-bound women, which is a simple attempt at titillation - quite literally.

Directed by Just Jaeckin (a name that seems like a farcical mock - as in "just joking" pronounced in an Edinburgh accent) who previously had international attention with erotic hits, Emmanuelle (1974) and The Story of O (1975), he seems out of place in this fantasy adventure context. The saccharine relationship that develops between the male and female leads is horribly infantile, but as I previously said, this may be intentional, as the film makers may even have contempt for this kind of genre film - this is speculation. However, even if the "humour" was intentional, humorous is ain't, and simply comes across as callow and immature - and mostly seems like an excuse to show some tits.


Directed by: Just Jaeckin
Starring: Tawny Kitaen, Brent Huff, Zabou Breitman
Country: France

Rating: **

Marc Ivamy

Review #121: 'Bachelor Party' (1984)

Man-child bus driver Rick Gassko (Tom Hanks) surprises his friends when he announces he is going to get married to his girlfriend Debbie (Tawny Kitaen), much to their horror. In his honour, they plan to throw the greatest bachelor party in history. Worried that Rick will be unfaithful, Debbie and her friends leave their own bridal shower to go to a strip club, and then to crash the bachelor party. Rick must resist his temptations, and deal with a psychotically jealous ex-boyfriend (Robert Prescott), a transvestite hooker, a mentally unstable school friend, and a coked-up donkey.

When I watched this I really felt in the mood for a bit of 80's cheese. The sex/teen comedies that came out in that decade were hugely successful, and were usually funny in a guilty way. Films such as Porky's (1982) and Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) managed to balance gross-out humour, coming-of-age, and an odd vein of sweetness to good effect. Bachelor Party, however, is an unfunny, offensive and appallingly crude journey into the mind of jock-mentality.

90 minutes of a group of middle-aged men with bad haircuts and even worse fashion sense grope and drink to excess does not a good film make. Apparently the idea of the film came from the director and the majority of the crew attending a similar bachelor party. I couldn't imagine a more nightmarish prospect. Apart from the odd funny line - "Gentlemen, start your boners!" - this is desperately devoid of ideas and inspiration. And Tom Hanks' character is one of the most annoying in cinema history. He plays tennis with his fiance and his future in-laws and repeatedly hits the ball out of the court laughing like a child. Debbie's father hates him, and we're supposed to think he's a stuffy old man. If I had a daughter that was considering marrying someone like Rick Gassko, I'd throttle the both of them in their sleep.


Directed by: Neal Israel
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tawny Kitaen, Adrian Zmed
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie