Jane and the Lost City (1987)

Director:

Terry Marcel

Writer:

Mervyn Haisman (writer)

Release Date:

September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Plot:

Jane and the Colonel must journey to Africa to the lost city to retrieve the diamonds before the Nazis do. |

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Diamond | Africa | Female In Shower | Tied To Bed

Cast

Sam J. Jones	...	Jungle Jack
Maud Adams	...	Lola Pagola
Jasper Carrott	...	Heinrich / Herman / Hans
Kirsten Hughes	...	Jane
Graham Stark	...	Tombs
Robin Bailey	...	The Colonel
Ian Roberts	...	Carl
Elsa O'Toole	...	The Leopard Queen
John Rapley	...	Dr. Schell
Charles Comyn	...	Paddy
Ian Steadman	...	Capt. Fawcett
Graham Armitage	...	Gen. Smythe-Paget
Richard Huggett	...	Churchill
Andrew Buckland	...	Grenville
Albert Raphael	...	Rashleigh

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Mauritius

Company:

Glen Film Productions

Trivia:

'Sam J. Jones'' bare-chested torture, in which he's spreadeagled beneath a cluster of dangling, about-to-drop spears, may have been inspired by a similar ordeal inflicted on Mark Forest in the 1963 movie, Maciste, l'eroe più grande del mondo (1963).

Quotes:

Jane: [admiring Jungle Jack's knife] Oooh! That is a big one.
Jungle Jack: You ain't seen nothin' yet, baby.

The good old days

For someone who remembers Jane in the Daily Mirror strip cartoon, viewing this film is an exercise in nostalgia. In that context it is wonderful, but younger viewers would undoubtedly find the comedy limp and would miss the point that the actors are cartoon characters. The plotline is also a bit limp for today's audience, but reflects the naivety of the 40s and 50s very well. Jane, you must remember, was part of the escapist fantasy of the wartime years, created to boost the morale of the troops. She gave a double meaning to the "strip" in strip cartoon.

The story has something in common with the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Rider Haggard. The theme would have been a familiar one to readers in that era, a bunch of bumbling Nazis thwarted by a few equally bumbling Englanders, and set in the African jungle of course.

For Jane fans, a must see. For the rest of you, a damp squib.