..not THE WOMAN EATER as Columbia’s poster art at the time proclaimed. That’s a very important distinction as the film is about much more than just a woman eating tree. The movie is actually a misogynistic fable about the male attitude toward women in general and George Coulouris’ attitude in particular. The story involves a mad doctor’s attempt to use an Amazonian flesh eating jungle tree to produce a serum that will bring the dead back to life. Since this is 1957 and sex can’t yet be depicted, we do get to see George and his native assistant have over-the-top reactions while watching the women victims get devoured (not shown) which is very adult for the time. An added subplot shows the doctor’s devoted housekeeper’s reaction (she’s his former lover) to attractive Vera Day’s arrival to serve in the household. This leads to a remarkable scene where the doctor states quite bluntly that older less attractive women should make way for younger more attractive ones. This is clearly a Grade B monster/mad doctor movie with something more on its mind than the standard fare.
Ultimately though WOMANEATER (which could just as easily be titled WOMANHATER) is a grade B movie in the best low budget British tradition. It manages to squeeze more out of itself thanks to good photography, excellent use of sets and locations, and an eerie music score. Then there are the performers. George Coulouris as the doctor, Jimmy Vaughan as the native assistant and Joyce Gregg as the housekeeper/lover all give vivid performances enhanced by the above average script. Marpessa Dawn (BLACK ORPHEUS), Sara Leighton and especially Joy Webster as the victims provide 1950s style eye candy with their tight dresses and pointed bras. Vera Day is no slouch herself and a couple of shots of her sitting in a car while her mechanic boyfriend gapes at her attributes are simply amazing in their brazenness. Like most of the British films from this era, WOMANEATER’s approach mixes the cerebral and the carnal with more emphasis on the former than the latter which will put off most of today’s viewers but for those of you willing to go the distance, this is more than just another B movie.
The Capsule Critic 