Bolero

Lovely Bo Derek embarks on an awkward, sensual quest to lose her virginity in the roaring 20's. Armed with a huge inheritence, her trusty chauffer (George Kennedy), an adventurous college friend (Ana Obregon), an extravagant wardrobe and a seemingly endless supply of black eyeliner, Mac (Bo) travels around Europe looking for a sheik like Rudolph Valentino. Director John Derek, once again, focuses more on his wife's magnificent beauty than the outrageous story. By this point in her career (1984) we've already seen Bo exhaust the "innocent virgin" role (Fantasies 1974 and Tarzan, the Ape Man 1981). The script is completely ridiculous (which is really o.k. because most of the actors have thick accents that are incomprehensable) but the scenery is gorgeous! Bo tangles with an opium-addicted sheik, a jealous gypsy, and a handsome bullfighter (Andrea Ochinpinti) who wins her heart and her virginity. After he is gored by bull in the privates(!), Bo becomes a bullfighter on horseback and eventually proves that "love conquers all" when it comes to mending a broken, er..heart! Despite the raging controversy that followed this film, the love scenes are all beautifully photographed and not the least bit pornographic. But this IS a Bo Derek film, which means lots of nudity(!!!). For me, the best scene is when Bo fights the bull in the film's slo-motion climax. Her skill as an equestrian and "humane" approach to bullfighting are the most interesting part of this film. Campy and unintentionally funny in some parts, BOLERO is a great choice for a cheesy midnight movie at home. Bo didn't score a "10" with this silly film, but she seems like she had fun making it. You'll never look at "milk and honey" the same way again...

Forget that there's a movie going on - the plot is completely supported by Bo Derek's amazing body. All these years later and she's still hot to look at. And this movie doesn't tease - it's all please to a viewing audience. And with the wonders of DVD controls, you get to fully appreciate what she meant to a lot of guys who stole their uncle's Playboys.

Bo Derek plays Lida "Mac" MacGillivery, a virginal, nicely-bronzed, buff blonde in the roaring 1920s who's desperate to lose her virginity. Fortified with bags of cash, her trusty chauffer (George Kennedy), her best friend (Ana Obregon), a skimpy wardrobe and a healthy libido, Mac sets off for the hot desert nights of Arabia where she begins her erotic odyssey. She meets an opium-soaked sheik, a gyrating gypsy, and a lovely Latino bullfighter, but it's horses that win her heart as she rides bareback (in every sense of the word) on some of the most stunning Spanish horses you will ever see on film.

Staci Layne Wilson