Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
And once again in our Horror Classics series we have a case of guilt by association. Roger Corman’s 1955 directorial debut, SWAMP WOMEN, is several things--jungle picture, crime drama, maybe even action flick--but horror it is not.
Set in and around New Orleans, the story focuses on Police Lt. Lee Hampton (Carole Mathews) and her plan to recover the stolen Nardo Diamonds. She agrees to be sent to prison where she’ll room with the Nardo gang, Josie, Vera, and Billie (Marie Windsor, Beverly Garland, and Jil Jarmyn respectively) with a plan already in place to break out and, in return for their escape, Hampton will demand a cut of the diamonds. The Nardo girls go after their hidden cache, heading deep into the swamps of Louisiana, where they meet oil man Bob (Mike Connors) and his girlfriend Marie (Susan Cummings). The two are taken captive and their boat hijacked. An accident in the swamp leads to Marie’s death, but Bob doesn’t seem too torn up about it with three of the other four girls fighting for his attention. The diamonds are recovered and from then on it becomes a struggle among the group for dominance and a bigger share of the cut.
In the end, SWAMP WOMEN isn’t a horrible movie. It’s not horror, though. But, when you’ve got Roger Corman involved (THE UNDEAD, A BUCKET OF BLOOD, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, and THE TERROR to name a few), I’m not at all surprised to find it shoved into this category anyway.
What did surprise me was that it was the first movie he directed. While there’s nothing particularly original here, what you will find are some of the marks of a professional. While the movie only runs 70 minutes, Corman manages to make it seem longer by packing in a lot of story in a short amount of time. 20 minutes in, we’ve enjoyed a Mardi Gras montage, met our characters, established the plot, and the girls have already broken out of prison. I kept thinking as I watched it that Corman seemed to be shooting this movie like a short story, never lingering too long on establishing shots or getting into lukewarm subplots meant only to pad the length. Considering my previous experience with the very long and boring THE TERROR, SWAMP WOMEN didn’t even seem like it was directed by the same man.
Another plus for me were the characters. Again, nothing original, but we do get a great sense of who these women are and their place in the Nardo Gang hierarchy. Josie is obviously the leader, but she shows us glimpses throughout the show that she’s not just a heartless criminal. She’s a sensible enough person, treats Bob like a human being, makes sure he’s comfortable enough. She even cuts him loose when Marie falls into the swamp and the gators are closing in so he can try to help. None of her character traits are necessarily spelled out for us, but we get to see, through her actions and interactions with the others, the depth of her development by Corman, Windsor and screenwriter David Stern (author of the original novel and writer of all 6 Francis the Talking Mule movies). Likewise, Vera and Billie are lackeys, the toughs, in it only for themselves, even if it means taking out the rest of the gang to better themselves.
Production on SWAMP WOMEN wasn’t much. It was shot on location in New Orleans and the surrounding swamps, which was great, but sometimes the cracks are visible, like when Marie is in the “swamp”, fearing for her life as the gators approach. The reaction shots of Bob and the Nardo Gang are on the banks in Louisiana, but Marie’s flailing and splashing is obviously in a swimming pool. The quality of the water is entirely different, and you can see crew members and the side of the pool in one shot.
The fights that constantly erupt between the girls were laughable at best with dozens of thrown punches and fake reactions.
And the acting. Um . . . not the best, really. The girls are all smarmy and preening, managing to say their lines, but doing very little acting in the process. Meanwhile Mike Connors (MANNIX, credited under his college nickname “Touch Connors”) seems totally removed from his surroundings. Either that or he thinks his character Bob’s natural reaction to being kidnapped by 4 escaped cons and watching his girlfriend be eaten by gators would be to cozy up to one of his kidnappers (the undercover Lt. Hampton), but never worry at all about possibly escaping or even attempting it.
I’d have to say, in the end, that SWAMP WOMEN has about as much going for it as it has against it. Good pace, structure, and characterization, but glaring mistakes, tepid acting, and an unconvincing male co-star. Simple case of a 3-star movie. But it’s still not horror and nothing will ever convince me otherwise.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.