Les folles nuits d'Ibiza

Okay, so this won't win any awards and you won't see it's stars walking down a red carpet in Hollywood but the film has a lovable quality. It was filmed in Europe and the actors all have sort of a breezy, airy acting style. Nothing becomes too serious here as the story is very lightweight as well.

The sun is always shining here in Ibiza and while a mild motorcycle chase ensues you can hear the singers in the soundtrack;

"Going' on a motorbike, ladies going' down. Going' on a motorbike, ladies' getting' down. Ladies in White, Ladies in Black, got the motorcycle knack".

That pretty much sums up the feel of this groovy, slightly silly film where the characters try to solve some very mild problems, including tourists, in this party town of Ibiza.

Every once in awhile, a giddy, low-budget Euro sexploitation flick makes good. This movie is pretty good anyway.

Having enjoyed this movie on many occasions, I think that part of the fun is the really silly music in the dubbed English version. Shallow disco music with moronic lyrics make some of the slow-paced parts worthwhile.

For example, the opening: as three Euro-biker babes cruise down the beach highway on their scootercycles, the opening song introduces them. It went something like this:

Rollin' on a motorbike Ladies starin' down. Rollin' on a motorbike Ladies starin' down. Ladies in black Ladies in white Get those motorcycles!

Three other really silly songs and a few wacky characters move this flick a few inches away from the bare-breast and butt peepshow class.

I would have to agree completely with the previous posting form Illinois. I first saw this movie during the late 70's on cable, along with three others in the same genre (She's Nineteen And Ready, The Joy Of Flying, and Paradise Island), all of which were enjoyable for the same reasons. But this one seemed to have a certain charm from the recklessly hedonistic 70's party scene to make me want to watch it over and over again. And it was actually due more to the silly songs, goofy characters and improbable situations than the R-rated sex and partial nudity.

As previously stated, the opening song is hilarious. A sort of heavy metal biker babe song with ridiculous lyrics, presumably written by a German composer with a limited English vocabulary. All the music is really quite well executed, which is another reason I enjoy the movie. But after numerous viewings I think the lyrics actually go something more like this:

"Goin' on a motorbike, ladies showin' down. Goin' on a motorbike, ladies showin' down. Ladies in white, ladies in bleck (sic), get the motorcycle neck! Ladies! Motor ladies...get 'em! (etc. and so on).

Although this is clearly a non-intellectual, dumb summer vacation flick, the actors create quite memorable characters (in particular Poldi Griesehubble, the geeky rich kid who hosts the wild parties and has to pay for everyone's admission to nightclubs, while striking out with all the cute babes...ultimately has the shock of his life when he gets lucky with a transsexual!).

And lastly it is a nice introduction to the balmy Balearic island of Ibiza for those who are not familiar with it. In addition to the silly original music there are also several 70's pop songs contained in the soundtrack to help the slower parts move along. All in all it's a great, mindless holiday escape with nice "scenery", funny characters and memorable music.

I have a special feeling for this German film that I bought at a bargain video store in New York. While it is marketed as a softcore sex flick, the (minimal) nudity is not really the point, and definitely fits into the plot. Susie is at first reluctant to swim in the sea without a bikini; by the end of the film she is relaxed and topless on the nude beaches of Ibiza. Michael and Suzie are an engaged couple taking their honeymoon off the coast of Spain. Their reservations are lost and Michael loses their luggage and money to a scam artist promising to get them a room. Suzie berates him and Michael, disenchanted with his nagging wife-to-be, gives in to the temptations that are all around them. He falls in with a free-wheeling motorcycle gang. Eventually his lover leaves him (Hemingway-style) for a bullfighter, and he and Suzie, having found their wild and independent spirit on the island, come back together. While clearly a low-budget venture, this film has a spirited innocence that I find winning. Offbeat characters add color: the son of a rich woman who, looking to get laid, keeps getting taken advantage of; the young, gay bohemian who lives on the beach but gets into trouble over his affair with a businessman's son... Check out this 1980s gem.