I may be mistaken, but it seems fairly clear that in watching 1969's 'The girl from Rio,' there is not such narrative connectivity as to make it necessary to watch this in association with other titles adapted from the same source material. This, and presumably any Sumuru feature, can be appreciated on its own without engaging with another related film. That may in fact be preferable, for unless one is wholly enamored with the niche genre of campy "spy-fi," or so determined to achieve completion as to seek out every such movie - then amidst all else in the wide world of cinema, just one rendition seems enough. This is above all on account of the unrelenting kitsch that so heavily characterizes the production: apart from noteworthy feminist themes underlying the premise (female empowerment; destroying patriarchy - distinctly offset by the clear authoritarianism of "Femina"), the picture is saturated, dripping with an (over)abundance of ham-handed flourishes. To be sure, 'The girl from Rio' has no pretenses of being something it's not, and every last iota is only intended for silly fun. Nonetheless, the jazzed up stylization fills every corner - dialogue, characters, narrative, scene writing, costume design, hair and makeup, props, effects, direction, music, and of course, acting. It is, in fact, a good time! But, my, what a ride.
Nothing in this picture is accidental. I can't say I'm familiar with everyone involved, but Jess Franco's is certainly a name that's known to me, and for all the pizzazz that dominates the screen, he demonstrates all the skill we know he possesses, and has shown elsewhere. He has a keen eye for arranging and orchestrating shots and scenes, and a nigh-whimsical practiced hand for guiding his cast and overseeing the production. These are very well suited for a nonsensical romp of such highfalutin tomfoolery as much as for a tongue-in-cheek horror flick like 'Vampyros lesbos,' or even more serious fare. The cinematography looks great, meanwhile, as does the editing, and the sound design is solid. Overt as the flavors are in Daniel J. White's score, all the same I quite enjoy the bombastic chords and their undeniably fun slant. So it is, too, for all those aspects that on the surface are so unquestionably cheesy - it's all by design, and I earnestly enjoy the work put in, including the contributions of the cast as they so enthusiastically lean into the absurdity. Even as the story feels like a thin, loose excuse to play up nudity, sensuality, and every possibly provocative or stimulating element, I can't say it isn't sufficiently complete and coherent - though it is at once also indifferent to being so, accentuated by the lack of concrete exposition or explanation at any time of the full circumstances of the scenario.
What we have, then, is an outlandish, chintzy, rather carefree and free-wheeling slice of purposeful balderdash that carries airs of, say, James Bond spy thrillers, but with an utmost emphasis on far-fetched pomposity. This holds true even as some particulars were conceived and realized on such an apparently shoestring budget that it's not hard to imagine, for example, that a stiff breeze could have knocked over some set pieces. Yet through it all, 'The girl from Rio' is unexpectedly entertaining, and honestly looks good, for what it is (and is notably better than some sincere productions playing in the same space, including some of Eon's 007 features). It would take a rather open-minded viewer to best appreciate it, I think, or one who is especially attuned to the second-tier B-movie approach it adopts toward... well, everything. A film for broad general audiences this is not. For anyone ready and willing to engage with the ridiculousness, though - what more can I say, except that this is roundly amusing from start to finish.
I can scarcely even think of any specific criticism to level, because all the most garish and over the top facets herein are themselves conscious inclusions, and all that's left is for one to decide whether or not this matches their tastes. The one abject critique that does come to mind is simply that the film regrettably feels overlong. It seems almost as though one entire plot is set to resolve at the conclusion of the first hour - yet then another begins, for the last third of the length. As fine as it all looks and sounds, there's a sense that the second thread isn't given an opportunity to be all it could have been, and the picture overall seems overfull. It's an unfortunate lack of totally mindful writing that most restricts the potential before us. However, even with that in mind, the movie remains such a weird blast from beginning to end, hitting just the right spot between "smart" and "tawdry," that I can forgive the indelicacies. Far from essential, 'The girl from Rio' is still a terrifically frivolous, irreverent title, and it's hard not to walk away bearing a cheeky smile. Though definitely not for everyone, I'm pleased to say this actually earns my recommendation as a wild, peculiar slice of sci-fi thriller bluster. Cheers!