Invaders of the Lost Gold, Emanuelle Joins Jungle Expedition

Ah! The sultry Indonesian actress Laura Gemser has graced this blog many times. Her portrayal of Emanuelle in several films has found her in a lot of peril, raped, beat up, and always victorious. Today we take a look at 1982's "Invaders of the Lost Gold." Okay, technically she doesn't portray the exotic vixen Emanuelle in this film...but still, her portrayal of Maria is a similar character. There is a classic scene in which she and the nubile Janice (Glynis Barber) are chatting. Janice would like to have pre-marital sex with everyone on the expedition. Innocently, Emanuelle (Maria, in this film) mentions to the blonde babe that she has already had pre-marital sex with everyone...including Janice's dad! Classic.

A Japanese patrol at the end of WW2 hide a stash of gold deep in a jungle in the Philippines. Most of them are wiped out and chopped up by cannibals, but three survive. 36 years later, the evil Rex (Edmund Purdom) murders one of these survivors for the map and puts together an expedition to find it. A rich guy finances the mission but needs a good guide, Mark (Stuart Whitman). Mark isn't interested so the rich guy sends his daughter Janice to seduce him into accepting the gig...this works. Bad news, Mark and Rex are mortal enemies and both have vowed to kill each other.

The expedition begins...down a long river. Of course the crew begins dying mysteriously and cannibals and crocodiles follow them. Maria and Janice gab some more and Maria lets Janice know she and Mark had a lot of pre-marital sex in the past. Luckily for Janice, Maria gives Janice permission to seduce him. While Janice successfully beds Mark in the jungle, Maria goes skinny dipping. Yeah, yeah...the search for gold. Rex is determined to get all the gold for himself and the deaths continue...cobras, booby-traps, crocodiles, and mysterious poison arrows take their toll on this party. As Janice and Mark fall in love, it appears Maria's decision to skinny dip may have been ill-timed.

Will Emanuelle and Janice end up in a cat-fight...or love scene? Will Rex kill Mark, or vice-versa? Will anyone survive the cannibals or their own greed?  This is a much better film than "Raiders of the Lost Ark," as Laura Gemser is an infinitely more sultry and talented actress than Karen Allen. Though everyone involved in a skinny dipping scene in this blog dies horribly, we do pull for Emanuelle...though Janice might not.