International Walnut: Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay

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Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay

Published Saturday, April 29, 2006 by Brian | E-mail this post

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (1971)

The film opens with a buxomish belle enmeshed in velvety bondage. Serving as her audience a gaggle of elderly women listen somewhat cheerfully as a churlish dwarf reads the edicts of the bound beauty's sentence. To this our captivating captive defiantly responds: "Punish me, beat me! Take away my perfumes!" This plucky act of rebellion segues into a jaunty tune accompanied by an image of a small car weaving its way up a serpentine mountain road. Bouncing along inside the car are two lesbians on a road trip, a dirty blonde and her equally dirty brunette friend, their destination unknown - perhaps Belgium?

In need of wetting their whistles, the delightful duo pull off to the side of the road and park in front of an antediluvian pub. The salty patrons within aptly mirror the pub's exterior. Hunched over their beer the gang of oldsters ogle the ladies as if they were dressed in pretzel costumes. After the tantalizing twosome peruse some mulled wine, the barkeep turns the tables and offers them a tip, warning them in a hushed voice to stay away from the village; all of this transpires under the watchful eye of the ubiquitous dwarf.

On the road again, heedfully steering clear of the village, our trusty travelers quickly become lost on the endlessly repeating forest road. Finally, they see a barn in the distance and pull over to rest their weary heads, (and possibly experience an illicit roll in the hay?). Once situated inside the barn, pillow talk is soon smothered by a pair of lustful libidos. Later, Francoise wakes up startled to find Anna missing. Outside the dwarf emerges from the forest, beckoning Francoise to follow him, as he claims to know of Anna's whereabouts. Never one to doubt a dwarf, Francoise soon finds herself traipsing through the hinterlands behind her diminutive guide.

Before breaking a sweat the pair stumble upon the shore of a mysterious lake - a castle its crowning jewel. On the beach there's a small boat festooned with greenery, which floats Francoise towards a shore equally festooned with nightgown-clad women. Once inside the castle Francoise is bathed and coddled and soon meets the magnanimous Morgana Le Fay. All the while the dwarf, whose name is Gurth, bemoans his servitude and plots to usurp his Fairie Queen. With Anna's safety foremost in her mind, Francoise is relieved when it is revealed that Anna is also being indoctrinated into Morgana's slavegirl cult. Ultimately Francoise and Anna must decide whether to return to a life of freedom and uncertainty (Belgium?) or become one of Morgana's minions, achieving immortality, eternal youth - and perhaps along the way discovering how much wine a castleful of lesbians can actually consume.

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay is more erotic fairy tale than horror fare. But it is nevertheless effective and makes for a fine viewing experience. The eroticism could best be described as quaint rather than titillating (although they do try to put the "tit" in titillating), and the nudity reaches its climax during a feast bearing a bevy of supple female flesh that might leave audiences wistful for erotic cinema of the 70s dabbing their moist eyes tenderly.

The cinematography will also make viewers with an eye for the picturesque quite happy. To be sure pleasures of the flesh are not the only subjects of lovely imagery as the film was shot with an eye for atmosphere and elegance. The locations serve the story rather well and help link the film to its Arthurian origins. As one might imagine and possibly hope for, given the title, the cast is primarily filled with attractive young women, who all avail themselves quite well in various stages of undress. Less attractive but equally memorable is the fully-clothed dwarf played by Alfred Baillou.

While the plot is relatively bereft of twists, the story has elements which retain the viewer's interest, and will probably serve as more than just a mere night's entertainment for fans of Jean Rollin's films. The film's seductive imagery and languorous pace might spell boring for many viewers (especially those unable to spell languorous), but those willing to check short attention spans at the door might find themselves rewarded.

Once again, Mondo Macabro has proven to be on the forefront of releasing obscure and deserving cinema to a wider DVD audience. In addition to presenting a virtually flawless, anamorphic widescreen, Eastman color print, expect a very graceful menu that reminded me of a naughty doily. And as if this were not enough, special DVD features include deleted scenes, an exclusive interview with director Bruno Gantillon, the trailer, a bonus Bruno short, extensive background information written by Pete Tombs, a large still and poster gallery, and the always enticing Mondo Macabro previews. Enjoy!

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Recommended and related products:
Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay
Satanico Pandemonium
A Virgin Among the Living Dead
Venus in Furs
Living Dead Girl
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Labels: dvd, girl slaves of morgana le fay, mondo macabro, review