Savage Inmates

Savage Inmates

DVD-R

Cinema-de-bizarre

Savage Inmates (1978) Die Insel der tausend Freuden aka Island of 1,000 Delights is a strange exploitation film which has a very convoluted plot. It centres on the lives of the rich and not so rich on an island where sex, power and gambling are the name of the game.

The plot focuses on Michael, a gambling playboy, his many affairs, his wife Julia and her domineering and annoying mother, Lady Henriette. Howard is having an affair with his wife’s best friend Sylvia. While Howard, who owns the local casino runs a slave trade operation and is involved in all manner of double-dealing.

The plot twists and turns through an interesting crime tale using sex and nudity to sweeten the tale. Nudity certainly is in abundance with all sorts of unusual scenes include an erotic dance with a banana and the rather nasty use of a candle. The erotic content is high but the story itself is uneven and a bit confused. In the first torture scene the evil henchman supposed tortures Olivia Pascal, a private detective hired by Lady Henriette. He menaces her with a lit light globe but ends up pulling her pubic hairs ! Not much torture really. After she escapes she confronts Howard at a party but considering what has happened the confrontation is relatively mild.

It could be the editing as there are various editions of the film, but it could also simply be that this is a quirky exploitation film which was not especially edited, it is always hard to tell.

The story splits into various sub plots involving a missing girl, the supposed murder of Lady Henriette and the attempted killing of Michael, the way these are all brought together works well and the tale is ultimately quite satisfying.

The acting throughout the film is fairly credible and the look of the film convincing. The score has more than its share of Seventies disco which is truly frightening but that was the period, wasn’t it?

The mixture of eroticism and crime thriller certainly makes this an unusual exploitation film with enough sex, nudity and sleazy action to make it a joy to watch. Cinema-de-bizarre has a DVD-R available of this rare title.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No.3 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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