Entry Thirty-Three: Tanya's Island (1980)

Tanya's Island (1980)

Dir: Alfred Sole

"If you loved 'Emmanuelle' you'll go ape with D.D. Winters on...Tanya's Island!"

I had promised a few of you that February would be "Fuck Flick February," in which I'd write about some classic XXX features, but since I've misplaced my DVD copy of intended first entry Cafe Flesh, I'll ease you into the realm of erotic cinema with this blast of 80's softcore weirdness...

Tanya (D.D. Winters; more on her later) is a model who lives with her abusive artist boyfriend, called (snicker) "Lobo (Richard Sargent, The Stepfather, who exposes his dick during much of the film)."  After an argument, the subservient Tanya ("I only want to please you, Lobo!") notices smoke, white light and what appears to be the sounds of Lobo beating off emanating from beneath a closed door.  When she opens it, she discovers a room full of candles.  This is just the pre-credits sequence, folks, and after said credits (which feature tits-and-bush bearing Winters superimposed in 360-degree rotation over the names of the crew), we find Tanya and Lobo now living on a deserted island.  While Lobo spends his time painting, Tanya becomes aware of the presence of another on the island, and soon encounters a simian with striking blue eyes (whom she nicknames "Blue").  After Lobo discovers his pet pig decapitated, he spots Tanya frolicking with Blue and, in a jealous rage, attempts to rape her ("What was it like with him in the cave? Do you wish my body was covered with hair?!").  Eventually, Lobo traps Tanya in a cage and descends into savagery, while the "savage" Blue is forced to shift into the role of savior, assaulting Lobo's compound with dozens of cocoanuts.  After the battle, Tanya decides she's had enough from men of either species, and the indignant Blue rapes her.  All is well, though, as Tanya wakes up screaming; this has all been a nightmare brought on by a late-night viewing of Mighty Joe Young.      

When I covered director Sole's Alice, Sweet Alice, I lamented that he hadn't directed anything else of note; I completely overlooked this little gem, which was a major flop on release, but I like it.  It's early scenes are artful and surreal (the use of smoke and piercing light reminds me of Nicholas Roeg and precedes Blade Runner and Legend-era Ridley Scott), and the later island scenes have an appropriately naturalistic, documentary-style feel to them.  The (intentional) humor actually works (a rarity in films of this type).  I mentioned that I'd get back to Winters earlier; she's better known as Vanity (Action Jackson, The Last Dragon), future (at the time) Prince protege and lead singer of Vanity 6.  She's naked (a lot) for the first and only time in this film.  "Blue" was created by the effects dream team of Rick Baker, Rob Bottin and Steve Johnson, all of whom were on the cusp of doing bigger things (An American Werewolf in London, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China, respectively).