Directed
by: Lindsay Shonteff
Starring:
Frankie Avalon,
George
Nader,
Shirley
Eaton,
Wilfred
Hyde White,
Klaus
Kinski,
Maria
Rohm
Released:
1967
Language:
English
Length:
95 minutes
In seeking movies to
review with Femdom themes, one thing that caught my attention was how many
science fiction and spy movies from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s that had the
plot of diabolical women attempting to take over the world (and of course the
brave and daring men who ultimately foiled their plans). Films such as “In Like
Flint” (1967) where James Coburn finds that a group of women have banded
together to take over the world through subliminal brainwashing in beauty
salons they own.
Even television had the
series “Planet Earth” (1974) where a man awakens from suspended animation and
finds himself in the 22nd century, where he finds that women rule the world and
that men are slaves called Dinks. He is captured and sold as a slave, but escapes
and hooks up with a male rebel movement.
Finally, the movie I
settled on for this review was the 1967 spy movie “The Million Eyes of
Su-Muru”. In doing my research for the film, I read about a popular scene where
a half-naked George Nader is whipped by Shirley Eaton. You remember Shirley
Eaton, don’t you? She was the Golden Girl from “Goldfinger” and her image
covered in gold paint is indelibly burnt into the minds of sixties spy fans.
The movie also has a
memorable thigh-crushing scene (referenced in Elise Sutton’s book, “Searching
for Wanda”) where witnessing a male’s demise is nothing more than entertainment
for a group of sadistic women. I decided to review the film, however, finding a
copy was about as simple as finding a bathroom when driving across the desert
between southern Utah and Las Vegas. The only thing I could get on Amazon was
the movie poster. Even old vintage movie sites had nothing. The only DVD I
could find with this movie was from a 1989 episode of “Mystery Science Theater
3000”.
You remember that show
don’t you? It ran on the Comedy Channel. It was a series where a man and his robot
sidekicks are trapped on a space station by an evil scientist and forced to
watch a selection of bad movies, initially (but not especially limited to)
science fiction B-movies. To keep sane, the man and his robots provide a
running commentary on each film, making fun of its flaws and wisecracking their
way through each reel. Each film is presented with a superimposition of the man
and robots' silhouettes along the bottom of the screen.
Sadly, this was the
version of “The Million Eyes of Su-Muru” that I was forced to watch, and it
made it very difficult to review the film. Fortunately, I also found some clips
of this movie on the internet, including the beginning, the infamous drowning
scene, the thigh crushing scene, the whipping scene and the gun shooting,
island exploding ending. So between the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” version
and the clips I got off the Internet, I was able to watch and review “The
Million Eyes of Su-Muru”.
Sumuru was originally
created for an eight part radio serial on the B.B.C. Sax Rohmer (creator of the
famous Fu Manchu novels), rewrote the serial as a novel titled “The Sins of
Sumuru”. The American paperback publisher, Fawcett, which was looking for
material for first edition paperbacks saw great possibilities for the character
and published it as “Nude in Mink” in May, 1950. It sold so well they had a
second printing the same month and they wanted more. Another series was born.
There are nine titles, but only five novels.
Who was Sumuru? It was
said that she was an ice-cold, fascinating genius whose hypnotic powers
impelled all men to do her bidding. It was said she was a fanatic who ruled her
followers with oriental despots. But what was the truth? Nobody really knew
although two men knew part of it -- Sir Miles Tristram and Dr. Steel Maitland
of the Secret Service. But Tristram died by the hand of a beautiful woman and
his secret died with him. That left Maitland alone to follow the trail through
Sumuru's shadowy underworld.
Sumuru spent most of the
novels lolling around nude on mink rugs smoking endless cigarettes or stalking
around in high heels sipping liqueur and pondering how ugliness was the root of
all that was wrong with the modern world.
American International
Pictures brought the character of Sumuru (spelled Su-Muru for the movie) to the
big screen in 1967. Shirley Eaton starred as Su-Muru. The film also starred
Frankie Avalon and George Nader as a couple of wise-cracking secret agents. The
plot involved Su-Muru planning to remove all of the men who are currently in
power and replace them with her army of women, most of whom are shown in skimpy
(for 1967) bikinis or tight mini-skirts.
American International
bragged that for the film they assembled the most gorgeous cross-section of
feminine glamour ever gathered together in a single locale (the film was
primarily shot in Hong Kong). Each woman came from practically every major city
in the world.
The romantic city of
Vienna was represented by Marie Rohm, an exciting blonde who was a full-fledged
member of Su-Muru's top guard.
From Rome came Krista
Nell, truly a Roman beauty who in recent years had been considered one of the
Continental cinema's big discoveries. She frequently worked in French and
German studios in addition to her native Italy.
The beautiful belle from
Berlin was the striking Ursula Rank, a former television model who became a
most popular cinema attraction in Europe. She portrays the chief executioner in
"The Million Eyes of Su-Muru."
From Belgium came the
vivacious Denise Davreaux, who ranked among the most beautiful Eurasian girls
in the world. Her father was a Belgian business executive and her mother
Chinese.
Representing Hong Kong
was the exciting Mary Cheng, who took time off from her regular job of staff
supervisor at the Hong Kong Hilton, to portray a part in the film.
Blonde Jill Hamilton
hailed from Australia's harbor city of Sydney while Lisa Gray, one of the
most-acclaimed show dancers to tour the Far East, came from far off Puerto
Rico.
To complete the
assemblage of world beauty were Christine Lok, Margaret Cheung and Louise Lee,
who claimed Shanghai as their birthplace.
The film opens with a
Chinese funeral procession. A group of young men march along behind the coffin,
while on the side of the road, a girl watches on. Then we hear a voice-over
from Sumuru herself (Shirley Eaton):
’This is the funeral of
the richest man in the world…
These are his seventeen
sons…
Soon they will share his
fate…
Along with all other men
who oppose my will…
The eyes of this girl
are watching them…
As maybe, some other
girl’s eyes are watching you…
I have a million eyes…
For I am Sumuru!’
The blonde assassin,
Erno (Ursula Rank), returns by boat to her oriental headquarters. Outside are
armed female guards. She walks into a room full of beautiful women. The women
are seated comfortably, sipping champagne, smoking cigarettes, and they are obviously
enthralled by something as they stare intently downward toward the middle of
the room. As Ursula Rank gets her own glimpse, we see an oriental man with his
mouth taped shut, struggling as an attractive brunette (played by Denise
Davreaux with an amused and devious look on her face) has her legs wrapped
around the man’s neck, squeezing her thighs tightly around the sides of the
struggling man’s face.
The brunette looks
toward Erno and asks; “Mercy?” Erno shakes her head ‘No’ and with that, the
brunette snaps the man’s neck with her thighs, instantly killing him.
From what I gather, this
scene has become a favorite among submissive men who have seen this film. I
guess it is kind of a masochist’s ultimate fantasy, to be toyed with and
tormented by a dominant female while other dominant women look on with
amusement. The fact that it ends in death makes it the ultimate sacrifice for
the cause. Even the gang at “Mystery Science Theater 3000” commented that it
wasn’t such a bad way to go.
Next, we meet Su-Muru in
the flesh. She lives on the island with her own private army of women. But
there is a problem with one of her disciples. One girl, operating out of Rome,
has done the unthinkable - she has fallen in love! Su-Muru decides to travel to
Italy and ‘take care’ of the traitor personally. A voice over provides another
piece of Su-Muru’s manifesto:
‘In the war against
mankind, to achieve our aim, a world of peace and beauty ruled by women, we
have but one weakness, which must be rooted out and destroyed…Love!’
We see these words put
into action, when three women in black bikinis, drown a woman in a white bikini
in the ocean. It is a rather intense and disturbing scene by 1967 standards.
Still in Rome, next we
meet C.I.A. agent Nick West (George Nader). He is greeted by Sir Anthony
Baisbrook (Wilfred Hyde-White), who works for ‘Her Majesty’s Government’. It
appears that the girl who was killed, is the secretary for the made-up
Syronesian Chief Of Security, Colonel Medika (Jon Fong). Sir Anthony asks West
to find out who the killer is. Along for the ride is Tommy Carter (Frankie
Avalon).
West meets with Medika
and they plan how the investigation will take place. But soon after the
meeting, Medika is kidnapped by Su-Muru’s agents, and West is left to solve the
remainder of the puzzle, along with a little help from Carter.
They discover that
behind the killing is a world-wide organization of women plotting the
enslavement of mankind. Led by the beautiful and sadistic Su-Muru, the women
plan to become the Mistresses to the eleven most powerful men in the world.
Once in place, they will enslave these men. However, one man, Syronesian
President Boong (Klaus Kinsky), cannot be brainwashed by female power because
he is a homosexual and prefers men. Therefore, Su-Muru plans to assassinate
President Boong.
After finding a dead
woman in his hotel bed, Nick, suspecting a frame-up, flees with Carter to Hong
Kong to warn President Boong. Su-Muru's assistants follow them, however, and
Nick is abducted and taken to the organization's island headquarters.
Su-Muru shows Nick
around, showing him her male victims and how they are being tortured. She uses
men as guinea pigs for science experiments. When Nick asks why a certain man is
not screaming from the obvious painful experiment, she explains that they cut
out his tongue. Su-Muru makes no bones about the fact that she likes to torture
and kill men. One method is with a special gun that turns men into stone. She
shows Nick how it works by shooting a man they have caged. The man happens to
be President Boong’s security agent.
Su-Muru makes a deal
with Nick. Since he has the same facial profile as the man she just turned into
stone, she can use him in her plot against the President. Should he refuse, he
too will be tortured and killed. If he accepts, she will free him. Su-Muru
explains that her organization is exclusively female but they still use many
men to advance their cause. It’s just that most men don’t realize it.
Naturally, Su-Muru finds
Nick to be attractive, telling him that deep down, no matter how strong and
self efficient she may be, she is still a woman with certain needs. She kisses
him and he returns her kiss (and it is implied that she uses him for sex).
Nick accepts Su-Muru’s
offer, figuring it will buy him some time. She has him pose as Boong's new
security chief and introduces the president to Helga (Maria Rohm), one of
Su-Muru's agents, whose job is to carry out the assassination. Nick does not
know this.
When face to face with
the President, Helga has a change of heart, but when Boong calls for his guards
to apprehend Helga, one of them is in fact an agent for Su-Muru. The oriental
woman grabs Helga’s gun and shots Boong, turning him to stone. However, it
turns out that she in fact killed his double. Boong appears from the next room
unharmed.
Nick takes Helga into
custody but on the way down the elevator, she tells him how she couldn’t go
through with the assassination and wants to leave Su-Muru’s organization. Nick
knows that her life is in danger, so he tells her to find Tommy Carter and gives
her the name of the hotel where he is staying. Su-Muru shows up with her female
guards and recaptures Nick. Helga escapes and runs to Tommy’s hotel. Helga
appeals to Tommy for help, while Nick is taken back to Su-Muru's torture
chambers.
While Tommy is flirting
with Helga in his hotel room, we see Nick chained up and being whipped with a
bullwhip by Su-Muru.
The cocky Nick (talking
with ease, showing no ill-effects that would befall a man who was being
severely whipped) begins with the wise-cracks.
“It’s a privilege, oh
Leader of the World, to be on the receiving end of your generosity.”
“I was saving it up
until you were ready for it… like a ripe apple on a tree. The only thing is how
(should I torture you)? The method? It could be something of Ingrid’s. She has
assets, electrical equipment, all kinds of devices, as there are ancient,
tradition arts known in these parts that have been used for centuries with
unfailing success.”
“Why don’t you keep
talking and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble. You’ll bore me to death.”
At which Shirley Eaton
punches George Nader in the gut.
“We’ll leave you now,
Mr. West, and I’ll be thinking of the most exquisite tortures, and so will
you.”
Tommy and Helga win the
aid of the Hong Kong police against Su-Muru's army. They invade the island and
during the ensuing battle, Tommy rescues Nick just before Su-Muru's island is
destroyed by a huge explosion. Nick is still alive because just prior to the
invasion, Su-Muru has had enough of Nick’s wise-cracking and orders one of her
guards (Denise Davreaux - the same brunette that crushed the man to death with
her thighs early in the film) to kill him. The guard decides that before she
kills Nick, she might as well enjoy the hunk. She shoots his chain free from
the wall and by the chain she drags him into a cell where she begins to kiss
him passionately. She is still kissing him when a Hong Kong policeman reaches
Nick to free him. Nick is having so much fun making out with the sadistic
female guard that he hadn’t even noticed all the shooting going on around him.
In fact, he brings Denise Davreaux along with him when he is rescued.
Su-Muru escapes into a
secret cave prior to the island exploding. On the boat, Tommy, Nick, the men’s
new love interests, and Sir Anthony Baisbrook watch the explosion. Sir Anthony
Baisbrook makes the observation “No human being could have survived that.” To
which Nick remarks, “whoever said she was human?”
Obviously she didn’t die
in the explosion since Shirley Eaton returned as Su-Muru in the 1969 sequel
“The Seven Secrets of Su-Muru” (also called “Rio 70” for the US release in 1970
and later renamed "The Girl from Rio" for the DVD).
Harry Alan Towers
produced “The Million Eyes of Su-Muru”. Harry Allan Towers was kind of the UK's
answer to Russ Meyers with his cult-like films that featured beautiful,
dominant women. Maria Rohm was Towers girlfriend and often appeared in his
films.
Just like the “Our Man
Flint” movies and others, “The Million Eyes of Su-Muru” was made as a parody of
the 60's spy movies. It is campy with lots of humor, thus it is not to be taken
seriously, although both Avalon and Nader complained that their funniest lines
were cut as Harry Allan Towers ended up making the end product much differently
(more serious) than the male lead actors were led to believe. That is why both
of them turned down doing the sequel.
There is plenty of Femdom
imagery in this movie to thrill the readers of my blog. The Denise Davreaux
thigh crushing scene and the scene where Shirley Eaton whips George Nader are
at the top of the list. Shirley Eaton is wonderful in this movie with her
dominant facial expressions.
Eaton gets fantastic
dramatic mileage out of her cigarette holder and many of her femme fatales
smoke during this movie. The smoking adds to their dominant and sadistic
personas.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
