THE PANTHER WOMEN (1967)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

I've been dilatory about getting around to reviewing the first two of Rene Cardona's five "Luchadoras" films about heroic lady wrestlers. The first, DOCTOR OF DOOM, is great fun, while the second, WRESTLING WOMEN VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY, is an incoherent mess. Until recently, I hadn't seen any of the other three films, and by all accounts, the third one, SHE WOLVES OF THE RING, is a purely naturalistic wrestling-adventure. Yet I'd long wanted to see the fourth and fifth in the series, both of which returned the gal grapplers to sparring with metaphenomenal threats, though to my knowledge neither film received a dubbed U.S. release. Happily, someone ponied up the dough to release an English dub of what is now my new favorite "luchadoras" flick. 

To clarify some of the history of this short-lived franchise, the first three films focused upon the adventures of professional wrestlers Golden Ruby (Elizabeth Campbell) and Gloria Venus (Lorena Velazquez). For some reason, Gloria's name is changed to "Loreta" in the third film, so I suppose one must assume that the "Loreta" of the fourth film is the same character, even though she's now played by a new actress, Ariadne Welter. FWIW, the fifth and last film dispenses with both of these characters and the actresses playing them and includes just one girl grappler played by yet another actress.

Some of the best evildoers in Mex-horror films are associated with fiendish cults, either pagan or Satanic (sometimes both). PANTHER begins with a coterie of witches, some of whom have the power to turn into panthers. One who does not is Satanasa (Maria Douglas, a dead ringer for the departed Lorena Velazquez). Satanasa explains the cult's history to her adherents. In bygone centuries-- by one account, in "Croatia"-- the panther cult was on the verge of conquering the world with its Satanic powers. However, the cult fell on hard times after its diabolical leader Elohim (note: a Hebrew word for "god") is slain by a good wizard with a "Druid sword." The wizard, known as Pietra Santa (whose name sounds a bit like Saint Peter), passes the magic sword down to his descendants, who are still named Pietra Santa in the 20th century. Loreta Venus is related to the family, but the modern-day Panther Women are determined to track down only direct descendants and slay them, the better to bring Elohim back to life and to rule the world.

Loreta and Ruby get into assorted fights with the panther women, their human henchmen, and even a big barely explained male monster, accompanied by two federal agents (who are not the same as the two cops who help the girls in the first two adventures, but might as well be). However, for whatever reason Cardona elected to bring in a third main hero: a masked luchador known only as Angel (and not billed under any other name in the credits). Angel is in essence a superhero wrestler just like Santo, for he never takes off his mask, has his own secret HQ, and wears a cape that shields him from both bullets and fire.Maybe Cardona was hoping to spin Angel off into a new luchador franchise, but I can't find evidence on IMDB that the unbilled actor ever essayed the role again.

Maybe the third luchadora film didn't make satisfactory box office, for it seemed to me that Cardona really put extra effort in this film, making copious of close ups in the fight scenes. Despite an opening scene showing several panther women in the cult, no more than three cultists ever show up in Mexico. Still, one of them ups the tension by becoming the girlfriend of one of the male Pietra Santas, and after toying with him sufficiently, she turns him into panther chow. This leaves only one direct descendant, a little girl, for the cult to destroy so that they can resurrect their evil leader.

The budget's too low to depict any transformations from humans to beast-girls, and so the movie usually avoids showing the were-girls in full panther mode. Yet I'd still say that Cardona keeps up enough tension that the devilish ways of the cult comprise a metaphysical threat to normal life, thus causing me to grade the film's mythicity as fair.

Elizabeth Campbell shows the same vivacity she did in the first two films, but Ariadne Welter, best known in the U.S. for horror-films like 1957's THE VAMPIRE, isn't very convincing as a fighter. Douglas, whose resume doesn't seem to include many fantasy-films, makes an alluring villainess, though the lack of acting skills of her two assistants might make her look better. The guy playing Angel acquits himself well in his fight-scenes, but he too didn't go on to greater fame in horror or adventure films. Still, PANTHER WOMEN now makes my top ten list of 1960s Mexican fantasy-movies.