Cobra Woman **** (1944, Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Sabu, Lon Chaney Jnr, Edgar Barrier) – Classic Movie Review 3204

‘TOLLEA! TEMPTRESS OF TERROR’

Director Robert Siodmak’s uber-colourful 1944 South Seas adventure Cobra Woman is revered as a legendary camp classic. Hollywood Babylon book author Kenneth Anger called it his favourite film.

Cobra Woman re-teams Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Sabu after their 1942 hit Arabian Nights, and showcases twin roles for the marvellous Montez – as beautiful Tollea, a South Sea island princess, and as the Cobra Woman, her wicked snake-worshipping, high priestess twin sister Naja, who kidnaps her to usurp her right to the crown.

Tollea is taken to Cobra Island, where the Queen is her grandmother. On discovering his fiancée has been kidnapped, Ramu (Jon Hall) and his young friend Kado (Sabu) set out after her to the forbidden isle, despite warnings by Hava (Lon Chaney Jnr).

This Universal Pictures studios escapist adventure is deliciously camp, kitsch and colourful with the liveliest, most weirdly exotic performances imaginable, and it’s made so extra entertaining because the script takes itself so seriously. The Montez-Hall-Sabu act are again reunited to hugely entertaining effect. And just watch Montez do her suggestive phallic snake-dance with a live cobra and hear her utter the immortal words ‘Geev me the Cobra jewl!’

Director Siodmak puts a polished sheen over it all and George Robinson and W Howard Greene’s Technicolor cinematography is an eye-catching delight.

Also in the cast are Edgar Barrier as Martok, Moroni Olsen as MacDonald, Samuel S Hinds as Father Paul, Lois Collier as Veeda, Robert Barron as Chief Guard and Fritz Leiber as Venreau.

Sabu Dastagir (born Selar Sabu; 27 January 1924 – 2 December 1963) died of a heart attack on December 2 1963, aged only 39. He married little-known actress Marilyn Cooper on 19 October 1948. Her only film role as Princess Tara in Song of India in 1949 was not credited.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3204

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