User reviews

Gwendoline, from 'Emmanuelle' director Just Jaeckin, is an erotic comic-book action adventure (think Indiana Jones crossed with Barbarella, only with more nudity) wherein a gorgeous but innocent young woman (played by 80s rock-babe Tawny Kitaen) teams up with a roguish riverboat captain (Brent Huff) to locate her father, a scientist who went missing while looking for a rare butterfly in the hostile land of Yik-Yak.

A one-time fashion photographer, Jaeckin is more than capable of capturing a striking image, whether it be a beautiful vista, the sensuous curves of a woman, or the surreal sight of a bald, naked Amazonian chick being sucked up an down an industrial pipe, but he fails dismally at telling a story, either as writer or director. His terrible script is hampered by dreadful dialogue (not helped by a wooden cast) and his handling of many scenes, most notably the action, leaves much be desired, being unimaginatively executed and ultimately rather lifeless.

Despite all of this, however, the film still manages to be a reasonably entertaining experience—partly due to the silliness of the whole thing, partly because of the often excellent production design (much of which would not look out of place in a major Hollywood film) and some surprising violence, but mostly thanks to all of the S&M-laced nudity, especially from the lovely Kitaen, who can't act, but who has a great bod and isn't afraid to show it.

Gwendoline began life within the pages of John Willie's Bizarre magazine which had a somewhat clandestine existence in the late 40s. The character appeared again in the magazine Wink in 1947 in a serial drawn by Willie and called Sweet Gwendoline. The artist/photographer and his work existed within a twilight world with high heels, bondage, extreme curves the order of the day and a rather shadowy but surprisingly substantial fan base. These days the whole BDSM scene has taken over much of this territory but somewhere the 'schoolboy/boy scout' fantasy element with young ladies bound to trees in the jungle has gone. I guess that old true Brit explorer notion has been replaced with a more high tech version in chrome and shiny black PVC. In any event Just Jaeckin's vague attempt to capture something of the flavour of those old pencil drawn fantasies seems more like cashing in on the name rather than any serious attempt to explore those murky but delightful waters. The script is awful and the early native village, jungle and desert scenes pretty bad and if the later sequences are enlivened by attractive and minimal costumes. John Willie this certainly is not.

Well not just her, but her two friends. Although you may argue how much of a friendship she has with the other two members of her ... "crew". Well one of them is her love interest - and let me tell you something: he treats her like ... well not how one should treat another individual. But because of his looks and I reckon the charme his character has, she still can't help herself falling in love with him.

Now you may have already deducted, that this may very well be able to offend your sensibilities. And it does not really care - nudity and cliches go hand in hand. Add some interesting action scenes and some costumes that are way out there (or down there) ... that it is able to either be one of the funnest rides you have or one of the worst. Again depending on your sensiblities and I am not telling you how to feel or what is right or wrong here.

An oddity that is quite entertaining for those able to suspend their disbelief.

A beautiful woman hires an intrepid adventurer to help find her father, who has disappeared in the jungle while searching for a rare and priceless butterfly. Along the way they run into cannibals, a race of Amazon warriors and all the usual attractions one would expect to find in a lost jungle. That's pretty much all you have to know of the plot, which is mainly an excuse to show off scads of beautiful naked women, gorgeous Filipino scenery, some almost competent action scenes, and Tawny Kitaen. That about covers it. Director Just Jaeckin apparently put a fair chunk of the tons of money he made off his "Emanuelle" movies into this one, and it shows; the film doesn't look cheap, at least, and Jaeckin's photography shows off the film's best assets--including Tawny Kitaen's--to their best advantage. Go at it with the right attitude and this film can be a lot of fun.

This is a very strange film. Half action/adventure; Half Comedy; Half Porno.....

But even if you can say this or that about the film, there´s TWO things that are outstanding with this film.

a) The Girl - Gwendoline, played by Tawny Kitaen. A very Beautyful and Sexy girl/young woman, whom i fell in love with.....

b) The Soundtrack. A great soundtrack by a French Composer Pierre Bachelet. When i found the soundtrack on record (LP), a few years after i´ve seen the film, i became very Happy.........

Tawny Kitaen must have been a lot less cooperative an ingenue than Sylvia Kristel had been for director Just Jaekin. His adaptation of John Willie's Sweet Gwendoline adult comic lacks any real erotic content and ends up little more than a cheesy pulp adventure with a little skin. The acting is as awful as any school play and not helped by casual Euro dubbing.

The story sees Gwen and gal-pal Beth arriving in China to search for Gwen's butterfly-collecting father. They cling to skipper Willard, a man so singularly mean, sarcastic, and uncooperative that the girls' action are bizarre. Together, they traipse thru jungle and desert to the fabled Amazonian land of Yik Yak.

The location work is pretty admirable, but the studio sets at the end are the cheesiest you'll ever see. You may not notice at first because of the distracting presence of many lovely women in metal bikinis, but by then you'll know that nothing really sexy is going to happen. There is only one love scene in the film, and Kitaen wears a cloak the whole time! The rest of the film contains nothing more than a few random breasts, and the last act features many strangely industrial bondage setups that aren't really used to any advantage (except, perhaps, the pony girl chariot race). It's all a terrible waste, since the girls are lovely (tho not busty) and the erotic possibilities of Asian girls, jungle love, and Amazonian warriors are endless, but again and again it's obvious that Kitaen refused to do more than flash the camera.

Just Jaekin's film based on John Willie's bondage comic The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline. In in the Orient in the 1920's or 30's Gwendoline and her best friend ship themselves over seas in order to find her missing father. Gwen is discovered in a crate and kidnapped and brought to a crime boss. Rescued by accident by a handsome hunk of a guy Gwen, her friend and the guy end up wandering off into the jungle/desert/lost city in order to find her father.

As you can tell from the lack of names this really isn't good enough to pay attention to. Sure it has lots of beautiful women (almost all of the naked or semi-naked variety) and some decent action, but the over all direction (a bit too slack)and much too whimsical script under cuts its ability to send up films of the Indiana Jones variety.Yes its amusing for 20 minutes or so but then you realize that there are 80 more to go and you end up groaning loudly.

The selling point of the film is the look. Its very much a fetishists dream with the lost city's Amazons all dressed in revealing leather, while the city itself contains some very nasty torture devices. it looks great and to be honest its the sort of thing thats gonna play oh so much better with the sound off.

I'm still pondering how the heck I ended up with a copy of the film on DVD since even though I've read some recent vintage articles on the film which argued its better than its reputation, I never really liked the film much when I saw it all those years ago when I managed a video store. Still the extras are informative, and there always is the resale market.

I'd take a pass on this one.

The plot is pedestrian (Think "Wizard of Oz" meets "Story of O"), the acting no better than High School and the dubbing flat, but the visuals on this are very artistic. Not only the large amount of female nudity, but the sets and some of the camera angles, especially where Gwendolyn and Beth are being held back-to-back in the dungeon. There were more than a few scenes I wish would have been given more screen time. None of it is great cinema, but the artwork makes for great entertainment. The copy I saw seemed to have been hacked more than edited, perhaps to bring it in line with an "R" rating. I saw it on HBO shortly after it came out, and eagerly awaited a chance to purchase the video. I managed to get an ex-rental copy.

Moronic sex-adventure-comedy with a disconnected script that takes you from one place to another following no logic or pattern, and a certain undeniably trashy imagination (a four-way fighting match between women wearing heavy-yet-revealing armors). Tawny Kitaen is beautiful, but she can't act worth a damn. Check out Monique Gabrielle's work in "Deathstalker II" to see how a "deliberately" bad yet lively performance is supposed to be done in this kind of film. (*1/2)

This movie is one of the great old "B" movies from the 80s. The acting is totally amateur, but perfect for the campy theme. It has everything needed for an adventure movie of this type; jungle localles, dirty boat captain, gambling, savages, and the always welcome nude scenes (wow, but Beth really made the movie!!)

Rent it, buy it, borrow it, STEAL it!! It's worth the time!!!

From the director of Emmanuelle (who has the best name a softcore pornographer could possibly have) comes this bizarre, nonsensical fantasy/adventure/comedy starring a nubile Tawny Kitaen. She ships herself to China in a crate so she can find her father, who disappeared looking for a rare butterfly. Accompanied by partner Zabou and hunky adventurer Brent Huff, they journey through a bunch of cheap-looking locations until they arrive at the lost city of Cheops, which is populated by an Amazonian tribe of women known as the Yik Yak. This is the mentally disabled descendant of Barbarella. It barely makes sense from one minute to the next. Yet I could not look away. Well, I mean, Tawny Kitaen, meow. And, Hell, I might like the Olive Oyl-ish Zabou even better. The production design is majestic in its moronic cheapness. If it weren't so dull up front, I'd give it a higher recommendation, but I ultimately enjoyed it.

Yes, it's dumb, and campy, but if you're in the mood for brainless entertainment, this might fit the bill. It's an example of the schlock-action-boobs niche that actresses like Sybil Danning and Shannon Tweed were well known for in the 80's.

The basic plot is an adventure that riffs heavily on the Indiana Jones motif, but it serves mainly to get the women to take their clothes off. Considering that the director was previously involved in "mainstream" porn like "Emmanuelle" (1974), "The Story of O" (1975), and "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1981), this really shouldn't come as a surprise. This also helps explain the casting choices, as the female roles are filled with actresses who are lovely to see, but otherwise awful at acting.

The single best part of this film is a sexy young Tawny Kitaen, prior to her days as the resident "babe" in Whitesnake music videos.

This movie is so much fun for so many reasons. It has action, ridiculous dialogue, rampant sexism, a dash of gore, and very funny performances. There are many schools of thought that might say Tawny Kitaen's performance was bad. I disagree. Her blend of innocence, energy, and complete lack of formal actor training are perfect for this movie. Much of the same goes for Brent Huff as the leading man. Watch this film with friends! Oh, and did I mention nudity? It's got that too. An excellent cinematic experience. Sequel, please.

80's metal band Whitesnake's sultry siren Tawny Kitaen is extremely lucky in some ways (ie. she dated OJ Simpson and lived to tell the tale). but decidedly unlucky in deciding this as her first feature film. Kitaen plays the titular role of Gwendoline who, with some help, is trying to find her father and a rare butterfly. While the first half of this film is so bad, it's good in a campy culty way, humorously enough the second half, when they actually find the girl tribe of the Yik Yak is when it takes a nosedive and becomes tedious. You'd think it would only get better by injecting a truckload of topless women, but you'd be wrong. As it's definitely not. But as I said up to around that point the movie is pretty damn enjoyable. And as bad as the second part of this film got (and trust me it gets pretty awful). I'd STILL watch it a million times more than that "Avacado Women in the Jungle of Death" crap fest. Tawny's next film, Bachelor Party, however, was and still is a bonifide classic no matter how you slice it (not really because of her, mind you)

My Grade: D+

DVD Extras: Commentary by Director Just Jaeckin; Interview with Jaeckin; Audio interview with comic creator John Willie; Tawny Kitean photo-spread for Lui Magazine; and both US & international theatrical trailers

It was only by chance, and an unlikely chain of browsing and search results, that led to me discovering this film. Between the name, the premise, and the byline that suggested "Barbarella meets Indiana Jones," how could I possibly pass it up? Well, maybe the "how" is answered by the knowledge I wish I could have had at the outset: that the pacing is forced and unnatural; that the storytelling is astoundingly direct to the point of being bare-faced and boring; and that a dire excess of ideas are thrown at us within the first ten minutes, let alone the first twenty and beyond, that comes off not as variety or fun-loving adventure but instead as haphazard, sloppy writing. The characters are hollow shells with meaningless veneers of single personality traits, the dialogue is terrible, the scene writing is a godawful mishmash of a kluge, and while the story sounds promising from the outside looking in, in actuality it's achingly thin and flimsy in addition to being plainspoken - and the result is just plain boring basically as soon as we press "play." 'The perils of Gwendoline in the land of the Yik-Yak,' also known simpy as 'Gwendoline,' is not good. It is, in fact, awful.

The first taste we get of Pierre Bachelet's music, over the opening credits, is fun and enticing, and some themes to follow later are pretty swell. As the length progresses, though, it's nevertheless reasonable to wonder if that opening theme was the top highlight of these 106 minutes. In fairness, the filming locations are outstanding and gorgeous, and so is the art direction. Stunts, effects, and action sequences are very well done in and of themselves, and I appreciate the costume design, hair, and makeup. There are some clever moments here and there, such as seemingly mousy Beth getting rowdy with a group of locals. On the other hand, the acting is overcooked, and the action sequences are painted over with a soft, flat, dull tone - abetted by ho-hum, repetitive music - that neutralizese the excitement they should carry. Attempted humor or basic levity completely fail to land. The writing is bad, the direction is bad, the acting is bad, the action comes up short, the comedy comes up short - is there actually of major importance here that comes off well? 'Gwendoline' may have been inspired by pulp adventure stories, but it mostly comes across as a floundering, weak, unfunny attempt at a parody of the same.

The viewing experience goes from 0 to "laborious," and never meaningfully improves; every one minute feels like two or three. Small, rare flits of wit can't begin to build any real entertainment. It's not until we hit the one-hour mark that the feature illustrates any imagination (including even shot composition) and the suggestion of "Barbarella meets Indiana Jones" bears fruit, but by then it's all but impossible to care. Even still, the back end of the runtime continues to be marked with the same problems that define the first hour - only now with even more gratuitous nudity that's not titillating, nor even aggravating, but instead just empty and tiresome. There were great, creative ideas here, but they could scarcely have been treated more poorly; there are also a lot of tawdry, dubious ideas here, and they could scarcely be more prominent. Any potential this may have had in fits and starts is practically sublimated, whether for flailing, unconvincing construction or sometimes just for the fact that every most far-flung idea is tossed together, overloading the senses. Had 'Gwendoline' been made with earnest care and careful consideration all the skill and intelligence that went into it would have meant something, and this would have been an enjoyable, ridiculous, surreal, exploitative, schlocky romp - more like 'Barberella' and 'Indiana Jones' further smashed together with 'Rocky Horror,' with visuals cobbling together 'The cell,' 'Krull,' and the climax of 'Roboman Hakaider.' As it stands, this barely manages to rise above "unwatchable."

There is value here. It sure seems like the picture actively endeavors at every turn to squander it. I'm glad for those who get something out of this and have a good time; I entered with high expectations of a silly lark, and instead I have a hard time refraining from saying that I outright hated it. I see what it could have been, but as it stands there are too many other, far more deserving ways of spending one's time, and 'The perils of Gwendoline in the land of the Yik-Yak' is best reserved as a curiosity examined in tiny, scattered bits and pieces, from a distance.

I can not believe there would be anyone liking this garbage of a movie but the reviews show differently. I read some reviews before watching it and now I feel like I've been tricked into watching this. I watch two or three movies every day so you can say I've see thousands. I also have a list entitled "Absolute awful movies to avoid at all costs", all movies that I rated the lowest possible and I'm quite tolerant so to make it in that list isn't easy. There are now 38 movies in that list and Gwendoline is one of them. I get it that they wanted to make an absurd, dumb and very sexist movie but this thrash couldn't be worse if you tried to make it yourself. The acting is just awful, Tawny Kitaen and Brent Huff, the two main characters, have no acting skills at all, it's cringing to watch. The dialogues, fighting scenes, well all scenes actually, are all beyond bad. The whole movie portrays women like dumb tits on legs, and I don't mind watching nudity at all, but in this movie it's the only thing that keep men's attention. I watched another movie that made it to my list yesterday (Get Gone if anyone is interested to know), I can't believe I watched two absolute stinkers in a row, winning the lottery seemed more likely.

What do you expect from Just Jaeckin, the director of Emmanuelle and The Story Of O. This is a soft, barely erotic, barely funny, with no redeeming qualities.

The big problem with Gwendoline is that it isn't enough of anything. It's not funny enough. It's not a great action movie. It's not sexy enough. The acting is terrible. The script sounds like a child wrote it. The plot is moronic. I know it was based on a comic strip but this was 'paper thin' at best.

It does appear to have a decent enough budget, some of the sets are vaguely impressive and the river shots can't have been cheap to get.

Avoid. Watch 'Here I Go Again' on repeat, it's better.

Movie excess at its best. Ever imagined chariot races that were pulled by nude women? Well you can see it here. Directed by the same twisted mind that created Emmanuelle and The Story of O, he now makes a movie which is pure camp. From my opinion it was the perfect sendup of Raiders of the Lost Ark - only this time Indiana is woman and all the villans are large breasted women that romp around naked.

This movie is based on a comic strip I've never seen. The plot isn't much to talk about. It sure isn't as much fun as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or the other Indiana Jones films. And while there is some nudity and bondage (including Tawny) for the most part there really isn't much to the film. Adventure-seekers may want to look elsewhere. Bondage types might enjoy the dungeon scenes (which look more like a European art house than a Gothic-style dungeon) but they're played for erotic-art rather than bawdy sex, and it's always fun seeing Tawny wearing almost nothing for most of the film. Costumes are better than the rest of the film, except for a) the scene where Tawny and Willard find the wreckage of some crates and have a spat, b) the scene where Tawny tries to rescue her friend who has been captured and thrown in the dungeon where a single thread held in her teeth is keeping a bow from skewering her with an arrow, and c) the scene where a female prisoner has been placed, topless, on a wheel and is slowly revolving around and around. Clips from the movie will probably turn up in bondage newsgroups because of this.