Blu-ray Review: Diamonds Of Kilimandjaro

Jess Franco was an unusual and incredibly prolific filmmaker (he directed between one hundred fifty and two hundred movies). Not all of his films are excellent, of course, but all of them have moments and elements that make them worth watching. Lately there has been a renewed interest in his work, which is good news, for it means that more of his films are getting Blu-ray and DVD releases. Diamonds Of Kilimandjaro might not be as popular as some of his other films, but it does feature a supporting performance by Lina Romay, Franco’s muse and second wife, who in appeared in much of his work. The film is now getting a Blu-ray release, as part of the MVD Classics series.

When the film opens, a small plane is in trouble, preparing for a crash landing, as a tribe below watches. When the two survivors emerge from the wreckage, the tribe kneels before them as if they are gods. A few years later, armed treasure-hunters make their way through the jungle and are suddenly surrounded by the tribe. One of the men is beaten until Diana, the young woman now grown, puts a halt to it. Interestingly, all the men of the tribe immediately get on their knees, but the one woman (who was administering the beating) remains standing, like she knows better. It’s a nice touch. The woman even questions Diana’s judgment when Diana demands the man be set free. He is warned to never return. By the way, both women are nearly naked. This is a Jess Franco film, after all.

The treasure-hunters go see Diana’s mother, a rich woman in her sick bed, who seems surrounded only by people who want her money. She is played by Lina Romay, who began acting in Jess Franco films a decade earlier. Though she doesn’t have a large role in this film, her presence is appreciated. The explorers offer to mount an expedition to find and return her daughter if only she’ll finance it. She sees them as thieves right away (the women in this film are much smarter than the men), but takes them up on her offer, for she must cling to hope of seeing her daughter again. But can she trust them? Even her relatives are only after the inheritance, and don’t want Diana to return for that very reason. These characters are all greedy and self-centered, making the world of the tribe all the more appealing. It’s an intriguing effect, as the viewer can’t wait to get back to the jungle, where the people might be cannibals but at least they’re honest. It’s the opposite of how most films of this genre make the viewer feel. And into the jungle the team goes, after a girl none of them actually wishes to save. With such questionable motives, how could anything possibly go wrong? Well, it doesn’t help that one of them shoots the first native they encounter. But remember, “Any man who thinks too much of his honor is no good in bed.”

This film has a lot of the stylistic elements that Jess Franco is known for – interesting use of sound, zooms, moments of odd focus, extreme close-ups of people, and wide and sometimes gorgeous shots showing the landscape. He always makes the most of his locations, as he does here. The film is presented in English, and like all Jess Franco films that are dubbed, the dubbing has much room for improvement. And it’s not just a matter of things not being in sync. One character is referred to as Diana’s cousin at first, though he is clearly much too old, and then later referred to as her uncle, which makes more sense. However, like all dubbed Jess Franco films, the poor dubbing becomes part of the film’s charm. There is also a moment when in a wide shot you can see a note written in French in blue marker, and then in the close-up, it’s suddenly in English in black marker. There is also a strange moment when one character almost becomes Gollum from Lord Of The Rings when talking about his stones.

Diamonds Of Kilimandjaro is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray on September 11, 2018 through MVD Visual. By the way, even though the Blu-ray case indicates that the film is 83 minutes, the disc actually contains the 95-minute version. The Blu-ray contains the film’s trailer (which is in French), as well as the trailer for Jess Franco’s Golden Temple Amazons.

DVD Review: Of Horses And Men

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a film quite like Of Horses And Men before. Its subject, its tone, its style and its characters all feel singular to this movie. And that is remarkable. Clearly the film is a work of passion. At the end, there is this message: “No horses were hurt in the making of this film. The entire cast and crew are horse owners and horse lovers.” That message goes a long way in explaining how they got some of the tremendous footage that this film contains. But the extraordinary footage is only part of what makes this film a delight.

The movie begins with extreme close-up shots of various parts of a horse, until a shot of the animal’s eye reveals a man standing there. He is attempting to put a bridle on the horse, which he eventually manages to do. Though spread out, the community is close in spirit, and several people with binoculars wait for a glimpse of him riding his new horse. As the man proudly rides the horse, there are some shots of his face, and some of the horse’s face, as if each has his or her own thoughts, but maybe have the same goals. As he rides atop the mare, a stallion breaks free from a nearby pen and mounts the mare. The sun’s reflection on the binoculars in the distance alerts the man that everyone is witnessing his strange ménage à trois.  The man’s demeanor changes quite a bit after that, and the film takes a surprising turn.

What’s interesting is that after that, the film gives us a close-up of the eye of another horse, this time with a passing vehicle reflected in it. The vehicle’s driver spots a boat in the distance, and races back to a pen, from which he takes a horse and rides it into the water all the way to the boat. He makes it to the boat, only to purchase some rather potent alcohol, which then kills him. There is a wonderfully odd humor to this film, and at his funeral he is described by the minister as a man “who let nothing come between him and his goals.” It is a small, tight community, and the first man attends the funeral. So does his girlfriend, whose stallion was the one to violate his mare, and the two now seem estranged and do not speak to each other.

Each section of the film begins with a reflection in a horse’s eye, as if the action is from the perspective of the horses, which creates an interesting dynamic, as it is not just about the relationships between characters, but the relationships between the characters and the horses. The horses are a big part of the identity of these people and their community. The characters are all interconnected, so the film never feels like an anthology of stories. In addition to the excellent footage of the horses, there are gorgeous wide shots of the landscape, and some intense footage that brings us close to the human characters. For example, when one man cuts a barbed wire fence, the wire snaps and hits him in the face, blinding him. This movie also contains one of the oddest and most honest sex scenes I’ve ever seen in a film (and yes, binoculars come into play again). Okay, I suppose the movie actually has two of the oddest sex scenes I’ve seen, as we cannot forget that early threesome scene. There is also a scene where one of the characters acts like Han Solo on Hoth, using a horse to stay warm.

Of Horses And Men was directed by Benedikt Erlingsson, and was released on DVD on December 5, 2017 through Music Box Films. The film is presented in its original Icelandic, with English subtitles. The DVD contains the film’s trailer.