*** THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***
Joe D'amato's forray into X-rated features during the 90s is well know to adult film fans as well as those who recall the film-maker's numerous ventures into various different motion picture territories. To the fans of the horror and exploitation genre, D'amato's XXX selection may seem more like a side track, or a distraction/diversion more than the continued exploration of... ahem... well, who knows why for certain, but for those who were introduced to D'amato's "art" via his more hardcore explicit filmography, "Tarzan", or "Jungle Heat" as it was called upon it's original release in Canada on VHS, is also a very divisive work, as is most of his repertoire.
For some, his style of mixing medium shots and slow motion, fading into different positions without showcasing the actual change, and the rather very formulaic format of his scènes (you can almost time your watch to them) is a definite "turn off". His style, if you will, seems more akin to the "couples-friendly" demographic rather than the strictly "raincoater" crowd, although some of the action depicted in his explicit scènes may proove to be too "typical p0rn" rather than being accessible to those who are simply curious.
"Jungle Heat" was edited into different versions for distribution to different markets. The Canadian CHS version, now long discontinued as well as the DVD re-release, does come off as the standard fare of D'amato's shot-on-film smut (which offered quite a diversion to the now post-gonzo introduction shot on video only P.O.V. styles which were starting to flood the american market), which features an attention to detail such as location, costumes, lighting, and an abundance of sex scènes.
Where "Jungle Heat" succeeds is probably also where it failes, depending on who you ask. Fans of later-day Rocco material (i.e. when he started producing and directing his own lines for distribution via Evil Angel in the american continent) found his earlier (sic) D'amato collaborations to being too "soft" and rather contrived. I do recall one guy in particular who claimed this was one of the worst sex flicks he had ever seen, whereas myself found it to be extremelly effective - as I mentioned, the careful eye and attention to detail coupled with the shot-on-film quality and the attractive cast are a definite change of pace to what most US-based productions were doing at the time,
Ah yes, the cast... Many discovered Rocco's real life wife Rosa Caracciolo (who worked exclusively with her hubby during her all-too-short stint in smut) in this film, and yes she is "all that": gorgeous simply doesn't cut it, and her ease and ability to take on Rocco's brute force should be commended. Together they share no less than 3, of not 4 scènes in this film, and Rocco easily provides 2 or 3 additional scènes with other performers. In fact, Rocco appears in ALL the scènes in this movie save for the very first one, which features a yet-not-seen-in-the-USA Nikita Gross in one of her first on-screen appearances.
All in all, like my review of the D'Amato "Marquis De Sade", this is not a film for everyone and may quite possibly be disapointing to some, especially considering all the "hype" it has received. But if you are a fan of Rosa, you owe it to yourself to see this film... if you can find ot of course!