Once Before I Die

One of the Worst Movie Ever

The unique point that worth in this movie is the astonishing beauty of Ursula Andress. She plays Alex, a dumb blonde in Manila, 1941, shortly after the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor. Her character is so shallow and stupid that impress, the same way the countless closes of her gorgeous face. But this movie is so cheesy, with such an awful director, horrible story and screenplay, ridiculous dialogs and ham actors, which even Ursula Andress performance and beauty is unable to save. A film to be forgotten, and I am going to get rid of it from my collection. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): `Chamas da Paixão' (`Flames of Passion')

The title's an obvious come-on for another of those movies in which John Derek showed off his latest trophy wife - in this case Ursula Andress, first seen tossing back her head as she rides down some rapids. While Richard Jaeckel as a rugged sergeant should have got danger money for submitting to that haircut.

It's been many years since I've seen this movie on TV, but it's badness is permanently engrained in my memory. I kept looking for the high school theatre dept. mention in the closing credits. All these soldiers wanting to have a crack at Ursula Andress, before they meet their doom. Hopefully, the next time it's on, there'll be an Ed Wood film on another station!

What a waste of time confusing. pointless and annoying. The action scenes in this were stupid beyond belief. Why would you drive around in circles in a truck whilst trying to shoot a passing aircraft with a machine gun you're not aiming? Sticking red circles on a Sherman tank does not make it Japanese! I know they weren't really central to the plot - if you can call it that but still what a crock o crap. So many scenes were unexplained, why would senior officers be sitting in a strip club with enlisted men and then brawling? Why didn't they believe Custer about the rear guard action? Why is Custer allowed to cut the sleeves off his shirt and wear it like that? How does Ursula keep her outfit clean and pressed after jumping in every river she sees? Oh and another thing - why, after the battle, does Custer hand Alex his .45? She's never touched a gun before and never shown any interest! Disjointed and without flow, I really regretted watching this one through to the end. it's dire!

J

Failed war film with Ursula Andress and John Derek

When his acting career was no longer going well, John Derek (1926-1998) tried his hand at directing. Not a bad idea in itself, but talent should be there. Filming for the Hollywood major WARNER BROTHERS took place in the Philippines.

In 1941, the Americans stationed in the Philippines are enjoying life: the beautiful Swiss woman Alex (Ursula Andress) is sailing through wild waters in a canoe, her tanned fiancé, Major Bailey (John Derek), is having fun playing polo with his men. Suddenly an air raid by the Japanese and all hell breaks loose! Alex - contrary to her gray-haired lover's urgent orders - doesn't get to safety in Manila in time, but first picks up her sweet puppies. Missed airplane! You can't be that stupid! Now the breathtaking beauty has to fight her way through the jungle with the major's troops, always accompanied by Japanese attacks. Soon there are the first victims: the major also dies when he discovers a cuddly toy for his beloved and clumsily loses his hand grenade. WUMMS! Can that be grasped? From now on it's all about who can land with Alex to become the Major's successor. The men blithely fawn over the beautiful woman, who repeatedly emerges from various rivers with a soaking wet blouse. A well-built captain (Ron Ely from the upcoming TARZAN television series) tries hard. The fanatical, sadistic Lieutenant Custer (really good: Richard Jaeckel) enjoys killing the enemy, but he is a little afraid of the dream woman. However, a shy 22-year-old (one-hit wonder Rod Lauren) wins the jackpot. He confesses to the beautiful Swiss woman that he has never slept with a woman. One more time - before I die! Of course the blonde beauty helps out and fulfills the virgin soldier's deepest desire. During a Japanese tank attack, she gives herself to him in the tall grasses of the Philippines. Oh, that's nice! Dreams come true! Then the inevitable end can come...

You can tell that war slaughter is unpleasantly mixed with erotic kitsch here. Without the involvement of his wife Ursula Andress (their marriage had long since divorced before the film's premiere), John Derek would certainly not have been able to raise the film's budget. But portraying her as a naive sexual object in the chaos of war doesn't seem very credible. John Derek, who completed his military service in the Philippines, can be credited for having an eye for the country and its people. However, the gimmicks with frozen images and crossfades seem too trying and don't fit with the plot. Richard Jaeckel in the role of the nasty bald berserker is really good. Marlon Brando was able to copy a lot of things for his Colonel Kurtz. But this storyline is pushed far too much into the background by the flat waste of Golden Globe winner Ursula Andress as an erotic eye-catcher.

Conclusion: If you enjoy admiring the beautiful Ursula Andress in a confusing war film, you will get your money's worth here. For everyone else, this film has rightly been forgotten.