Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

writers_reign Not one but two distinguished filmmakers would no doubt love to erase this turkey from their respective CVs. Both screenwriter (later writer-director) Richard Brooks and director Robert Siodmak would make lasting contributions to cinema (for good measure Brooks wrote two fine novels; The Brick Foxhole, which was filmed as Crossfire, and The Producer)but this wasn't one of them. After a one-reel introduction in which a cardboard cutout speaks of the dreaded Cobra Island, Tollea (Maria Montez) is kidnapped and taken there hours before marrying Jon Hall, who promptly sets sail to rescue her accompanied by stowaway Sabu (later, Sabu's pet monk, a cheetah lookalike also turns up on the island but don't ask how he got there). The island is one of those backwaters with no shortage of architects to design sumptuous palaces, masons to build them, gold and silversmiths to provide ornate cobra motifs, modistes to design exotic costumes, seamstresses to run the;m up and, of course, a plentiful supply of silks and satins to work with. The plot, and I use the word loosely has Montez - she took her stage name from Lola Montez an Irish-born colleen who reinvented herself as a 'Spanish' dancer - as twin sisters one good and the other ... Gee! you're ahead of me here; one Naja, 'high priestess' of the island and one, Tollea, who wouldn't know a cobra from a decent screenplay. In terms of expanding waistline there's little to choose between Hall and Montez, in terms of wooden acting even less. See it if you must but don't say I didn't warn you.

ToleaCCook My parents went to see this movie when they were first married.(1944) The name Tollea was selected for me when I was born. And after all these years I finally got to see part of the movie COBRA WOMAN. I would like to purchase a good copy of this movie from some where. Of what I have got to see It was very interesting.I liked Maria Montez a lot a very exciting woman. Lon Chaney was a very young man at this time. I didn't think they could do double takes back at that time. Must have been the first time or close to the first time. I have read that Maria Montez was only 34 when she died. To bad she was around to give us lots more movies to share. Although she starred in many, I think I would have liked to have seen more resent movies. Thanks

foxfyreangel I saw this movie over 30 years ago, when they used to play movies all the time on broadcast television. I enjoyed it very much.It was a treat to see 2 Maria's. Her acting had actually improved some over time!I wish someday that it would come to video, so everyone can see what a nice movie it was.

owenrussell This, for me at age 9, was not so much a film as an absolutely terrifying experience, the memory of which kept me awake at nights for weeks afterwards (seen on Tuesday 13 February 1945 at the Empire Cinema, Glossop). The jungle, the volcano with its flames reflecting on the faces of the actors, the snakes, the extraordinary and frightening costumes, the sinister drumming music, the bright colour with green costumes and orange flames, the terrifying and evil expression on the face of the Queen, Kado's blowpipe - all these made up a cocktail of complete terror, and I stayed in the cinema only because I was with friends and was ashamed to show my feelings. I was far too young to be aware of any niceties in the way of crudities of dialogue or acting technique, and the whole thing was simply an unbelievable cinema experience, which can never, never be forgotten. What a shame if this remarkable creation is lost to us for ever!