| Vintage Pulp | Dec 18 2023 |
You never know what you'll find if you go far enough up the Amazon.
Written, produced, and directed by Curt Siodmak, who was behind numerous monster features, including Bride of the Gorilla and Curucu, the tropical adventure Love Slaves of the Amazon, which premiered today in 1957, is a full color production about the search for a lost realm of warrior women and their priceless treasures. In order for the expedition to take place, semi-crazy Eduardo Ciannelli must convince staid Don Taylor that the Amazons exist. He reveals a golden statue as proof, which he'd obtained on a previous foray into the jungle, and after some back and forth, sufficient funds for the journey are obtained. Unfortunately, rumors of gold and diamonds have piqued the interest of local ruffians, who plan to hijack the expedition.
Are there actually Amazons? You bet. French actress Anna Maria Nabuco is their queen. Are there love slaves? Yup, one poor exhausted one, anyway, and Taylor looks ripe as a replacement as far as Nabuco is concerned. And is there treasure? There's that too. The movie's plusses include a pitched battle between the expedition and the hijackers while both their boats are mired in river mud, and various exteriors actually shot in Manaus, Brazil and the nearby rain forest. Additionally, the poster art by Reynold Brown is tops. On the minus side, we felt that intermittent veerings into comedy were pointless and unfunny. But on the whole, Love Slaves of the Amazons was better than we expected. Does that mean it was good? Define “good.”
BrazilManausLove Slaves of the AmazonsDon TaylorGianna SegaleEduardo CiannelliAnna Marie NabucoCurt SiodmakReynold Brownposter artcinemamovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Jan 12 2012 |
Yes, sweetie, it’s bigger than yours. But I told you size doesn’t matter to me.
Curt Siodmak’s sci-fi classic Donovan’s Brain, first published in 1942, is a story of scientific experimentation gone terribly wrong: body dies, brain lives, scientist communicates with brain, brain takes control of scientist and makes him do horrible things. You already know this tale because it’s been recycled everywhere from Star Trek to The Man with Two Brains, but the German-born Siodmak’s first swipe at the theme is still tops. Highly recommended. The paperback version you see above appeared from Bantam in 1950 with uncredited, but very effective cover art.
