OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1981)
aka BLOODSUCKING NAZI ZOMBIES Directed by Jess Franco
Wizard Video VHS
THE FILM
During WWII, a group of Nazis battle fiercely with a squadron of Allied soldiers deep in the African desert. Every soldier is killed with the exception of the Allied leader. He survives for many years harboring a secret. Six million dollars worth of gold is still stashed somewhere at the oasis where the battle took place. When the man dies, his son inherits some papers that mention the gold. The son, with several college pals in tow, goes to the desert to find the gold. But, the gold is guarded -- by Nazi zombies with a taste for organ meat.
WWII Battles. Zombie attacks. Random nudity. Music that goes do-do-dooo-do-do over and over again. Jesus Franco at his zoomiest. Dubbing disconnected from the visuals. Slow, steady pacing. The funniest penultimate lines in movie history. The feeling that no one gives a crap about anything that happens this movie. All of these things make Oasis Of The Zombies one of my favorite Eurocine experiences.
And, it also makes it one of the most boring movies I've ever seen.
The movie is loaded with endless shots of the desert landscape. People seem to spend eternities staring into the distance. Luckily, the zombies are rather creepy so when they shamble along it's a bit scary. Nothing else gets close. (There's a disorienting section during the final attack that intercuts zooming on the sun and zooming in on different zombie faces that I thought was quite impressive.). I watch the film and I watch the film and I can't retain anything from it. My first thought is that it is dream-like. But, if it is, it's like a dream you can't remember. It's not a vivid dream than sits in your mind when you wake up.
In my mind, this movie had no script. Franco assembled a bunch of folks and said something like. "OK, this letter says your Dad is dead. All of you feel bad for him." "How bad should we feel? Did we know his Dad or -- ?" "Knock it off! I've got to finish this by tomorrow and start two more movies by the end of the week!" So, every scene with more than one person has some sort of purpose but it seems to happen in a morass of other vaguely-related elements. When you add the dubbing, it seems like it should be the perfect recipe for Number 1 Movie Fun.
In my mind again, a film that seems to have no script is set to be dubbed into English by a group of folks. "Where's the script?" "No script." "What do we do?" "In this scene, you get a letter that says your Dad is dead. When you look at the letter, mention that. Everyone else console him and mention a vacation coming up." "How bad should we feel? Do we -- ?" "Doesn't matter. When you see lips move, throw in a line." "Gotcha!" And that is exactly how it feels.
During those scenes, it's like watching a family video of a big holiday party. The camera is pointed at one or two people who talk to the camera. But, in the background, if you listen, you can hear Grampa yelling Gramma or Uncle PJ talking about wanting to kill some guy who cut him off on the way there. Watching Oasis during its chatty scenes is amusing when you just focus on trying to catch all the little asides. If the whole film was like this, well, I'd probably run out of interest halfway through. It would probably get mighty tiresome. Luckily most of the film is narration and stock footage and staring off into space. That music and the zooms and the desert send me to sleep every time.
I'm completely disconnected when watching this film. I could be staring at a slide show. I could be watching sand blow across a beach. But, oddly enough, I'm watching a flesh-eating zombie movie made by Jess Franco. And, it never not feels like a Jess Franco movie. There's something to be said for such an individualistic stamp. But, you're going to want to be lying down as you investigate.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
There is a DVD. I bet it's great. I watched the VHS. It was hazy, smeary and too dark. (What sort of "day for night" photography is in this film? They do that thing where the sky is blue and there's sunlight everywhere but the actors are dark and tough to see. Does this technique have a name?) Maybe if it looked better I'd stay awake more. Possibly not.
The audio is fine. The music drones into your brain. The dialogue is hilariously clear.
EXTRAS
Do-do-dooo-do-do! Do-do-dooo-do-do!
FINAL THOUGHTS
In the 1990s, I suffered from bouts of insomnia. If I really wanted to get to sleep fast, I would put on my copy of Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies and I would be asleep within a half hour. This movie is less entertainment and more of a Medical Miracle. I think that's one hell of a recommendation.
— Dan Budnik, 12.13.07 | 
All for Jesus
No-Script Club
Just deserts
The stay awake
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