Exploitation moviemeister Roger Corman is known both for his hit-and-run film techniques and for giving talented sprouts a shot at moviemaking. Combining these principles, in the early '60s, Corman bought some Soviet Sci-Fi flicks, kept all the expensive special-effects sections, and tossed the footage to a young director named Peter Bogdanovich.
Bogdanovich took the material and went totally nuts. His creation, Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, is a twisted drive-in gem. Using big chunks of the Russian movies, he added spice to the turgid space agit-prop by assembling a bevy of blond babes (including the lovely Mamie Van Doren) for some quickie filming. These shell-bra, hiphugger-wearing aqua queens are the telepathic inhabitants of Bogdano- vich's planet Venus. By splicing the Russian film with original, matching scenes, the young director collaged together a '60s surrealist masterpiece - and one with a plot!
His impressive endeavor is proof once again that brains almost always triumph over budget.
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women: US$19. Sinister Cinema: +1 (541) 773 6860, fax +1 (541) 779 8650.
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