Queen of the Amazons (1947)

So much average

Admirable film.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Although I found this movie to be enjoyable, I must say that it has its share of flaws. To that end, except for possibly Patricia Morison (as "Jean Preston") the acting wasn't very good. Likewise, the dialogue was cheap and the humor was really corny. Additionally, there was so much stock footage that I thought I was watching a documentary at times. Along with that there were obvious cuts made which caused the film to seem rather choppy at times. Be that as it may, as I mentioned earlier I still enjoyed it for no other reason than the fact that it was a good story which had little pieces of action, romance and mystery all rolled up into one. Also the fact that Patricia Morison was kind of pretty certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, while this film definitely could have been much better, overall suppose I have no major complaints with it and I rate the film as only slightly below average.

"Join us on a woman's thrill-packed expedition in search of Greg, the love of her life, who seems to be lost in the African jungle. Unfortunately, her guide, Gary, sees her, and all women, as dead weight on such a trip. Despite this, he agrees to help her while searching for ivory poachers. In the course of their journey they must face imminent danger from man-eating lions and a plague of locusts. Eventually, they encounter a lost tribe of Amazon warriors. Is Greg held captive by their desirable 'White Goddess' (titular Queen) or is he there of his own free will?" asks the DVD sleeve synopsis. You won't care.Some of the zealously inserted stock footage isn't bad, but it's edited in too sloppily to have any good effect. Leading players Robert Lowery (as Gary Lambert) and Patricia Morison (as Jean Preston) are about as good as you can get, considering the material; they appear to see the humor in the material, without breaking into fits of laughter. A couple of the supporting players appear to be taking their roles far too seriously, which helps make the movie unintentionally funny. Former silent child star Wesley Barry is credited as "Assistant Director," which became a moderately successful second career.** Queen of the Amazons (1/15/47) Edward Finney ~ Robert Lowery, Patricia Morison, J. Edward Bromberg, John Miljan

While it brought back memories of a Saturday matinée, after seeing this on DVD I asked myself now that I'm much older, did it mention "Amazons" anywhere in the film? Or for that matter "Amazon Queen"? -- I think they called her the White Goddess. Were there any Amazons, besides the title's maid, if you then count that as two? And doesn't it take place in Africa when it should be in South America? Did all this escape the screenwriter? This movie is obviously aimed at kids. But parents should have a little talk about geography and mythology after viewing this with them. Maybe that's a good thing. Anyhow, you can see why I gave it a 3.

Heck! It was different time altogether. What made for excitement in 1947 is merely amusing, boring, or fascinating depending on your attitude towards films and movies.I watched it. I enjoyed it despite the amazing plot holes. The first thing you will note that the movie takes place mostly in Africa even though the Amazon is in South America. Oh, but this is about a strange white women's tribe living the jungle so they must be Amazons. Oh, and the white women's tribe is mysterious in its nature even though the origin is very well known and no-one ever decided to go rescue the survivors of the shipwreck. I can't figure it out so it is best not to try.Stock footage runs amok. It doesn't always match or even come close in the continuity of details department or even in film granularity. One hilarious example occurs when the lead actress looks through a telescope at the wildlife and notes how they are all in a hurry. Then we are treated to stock footage of a herd of gazelles jumping away - in slow-mo. Ha ha! We must have been shown footage of 5 or 6 different tribes of people which were lumped together in this film to represent one tribe. We even were privy to stock footage of trees which are not native to Africa - but there they are growing on the landscape. It's pretty awkward but no-one probably noticed in 1947. That wasn't the point back, I suppose. This movie is here to entertain or fill time. It does both.The acting is surprisingly competent enough by most although there seemed to be an abundance of inappropriate smiling, especially by the lead actress who gets a good share of close-ups. Yeah, she's pretty. But for a woman who has lost her fiancé to the jungle she just doesn't seem very upset. She is simply determined to go on with the safari even though her feelings for her fiancé are seriously challenged by another man in her party.Meanwhile, her fiancé has fallen for the 'Amazon' queen but has decided to be a rat and not tell anyone. Apparently he thought no-one would care if he simply vanished along with the rest of his earlier safari party.Meanwhile the Amazonians get the blame for all the mysterious deaths in the region. They are determined to remain secret and keep their territory safe from outsiders - except for the one lone male which the Queen keeps for herself. Considering how awesome this tribe of white women must be since they can overwhelm a safari without much problem - you never see more than 3 of the white women tribe. In fact, they put up no defense whatsoever during the eventual incursions into their camp by the antagonists - except for a well-timed blowgun incident.Meanwhile the Queen says she will kill to keep her man but we can still be friends. Huh?? Others have noted and I will reinforce - this is not a movie to get all serious about. These are the movies I saw when I was young and it is really quite lame - but still it has a charm. It tries to be fun and succeeds a few times.The ending moans and groans. But at least it's happy and doesn't set you up for a sequel.Rainy day fodder when you are not so critical. Bring a pillow.