Tanya Roberts [Bronx gal -- and she has the voice for it] recently was often heard on the radio doing the voiceover for a commercial for some resorts. She is perhaps best known as a latter day Charlie's Angel, and more recently, as Donna's mom on That '70s Show. And, then there is the cult fav -- Sheena (Queen of the Jungle).* It was on late last night: perfect late nite cable fare -- including the USA version (it would, of course, edit the bath scene**). And, on some camp level, not bad as a movie. Of course, we are talking low expectations here. There is even a serious moment -- a reference to the reporters' apartment ... with a view of the Towers.
The actress playing the shaman in the film has a pretty interesting backstory: She is of Ugandan royalty. Her family was banished from the country when Idi Amin took over. Graduated from Cambridge University in England and passed the British bar exam to become Uganda's first female barrister. Served as Uganda's United Nations representative and roving ambassador. A successful Ford Agency model, she was the first black woman to appear on a Harper's Bazaar cover. Measurements: 33-23-33
I live for trivia like that. The movie ultimately has a good amount of violence -- the Queen of the Jungle has to defend her people after all. In a film of this sort, the violence basically fits into the story, especially with its comic book roots. Comic books (other than the Archies sorts) are nothing if not partially about violence. And, if you are going to have violence, the ridiculousness of the movie (though any number of violent movies meet that definition, just without the eye candy) helps. But, sometimes one wonders. Is this the only way out?
In other words, it seems the only way to beat the bad guys ... and this includes fairly tame fair aimed for younger viewers ... is to kill them. Maybe, we should not read too much into this, but this seems notable. After all, one of my points about popular media (including low brow) is that sends certain important messages. Thus, some silly unfunny comedy might have certain themes that point out what is supposed to be "good" or "bad." The lovable loser, for instance, is a constant theme ... in the end, s/he tends to win out.
The use of violence to serve as plot solutions is also telling. Surely, this is so in Westerns and other similar types of films. But, it is true across the board. Except when we are dealing with serials and the like (including television), the audience expects the downfall of the villain. And, this downfall often is not just putting them in prison -- viewers of the original Batman television series will tell you the perils of that. Next you will be talking life without parole!
Real life, of course, is not quite so easy -- some people wanting it to be, notwithstanding. Sure, the movies are not real life, but the messages they send do in some fashion match what real life people believe or are meant to believe. Thus, romantic relationships in cinema are worth noting as is the general absence of serious adult sexual fare. Western Europe does that better ... the violence is left for us -- after all, this translates well.
Still, would not a bit less violence sometimes lead to more interesting and complex movies? Yes, we want brainless fare often enough, but even that need not (in the most ordinary light thriller type deal) so often end with the bad guy shot dead. On some level, this feels unpleasant -- a movie should earn its serious plot developments, including the sometimes truly unpleasant deaths of various characters. And, anyway, the same old same old is a bit tedious after awhile ... perhaps, sometimes something different.
A bit less violence. But, hey, it's okay in Sheena.
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* The IMDB plot summary: "Sheena's white parents are killed while on Safari. She is raised by the mystical witch woman of an African tribe. When her foster mother is framed for the murder of a political leader, Sheena and a newsman, Vic Casey are forced to flee while pursued by the mercenaries hired by the real killer, who hopes to assume power. Sheena's ability to talk to the animals and knowledge of jungle lore give them a chance against the high tech weapons of the mercenaries."
See also here. This whines about how bad it is ... hopefully not seriously. "Serious" movies often have unbelievable plot twists; Sheena surely does. But, pointing them out is half the fun.
** Tanya has a nude scene here, but apparently in the 1980s, this was not enough to remove its PG rating. Meanwhile, a few years later, talking about masturbation and such by teenagers led Pump Up The Volume to get an R rating, even though teens were clearly its logical audience. This led to an early example of my muckraking ... a letter to the local paper.