Michael_Elliott Liane, Jungle Goddess (1956)* 1/2 (out of 4)A German expedition through Africa turns up a beautiful blonde girl (Marion Michael) who the locals think is a goddess. The crew kidnap the girl and take her back to the press who has a field day with her and soon it turns out she might be the long lost daughter of a very important man.This is a pretty strange film that I'm sure was loved by teenage boys back in the day. This Tarzan-wannabe was filmed in German but it was sold throughout the world and in many locations it played matinees to where kids could watch it. They would have loved that because of the beautiful blonde in the lead plus the fact that she wasn't very many clothes and at times we see a few slips of nudity. Obviously, it's easy to see why so many teens from this period have such a fondness for the film.As it stands today, the film is pretty weird because it starts off as a Tarzan rip-off but then it quickly turns into some weird drama where people are fighting over who actually owns the title character. I'm really not sure why they decided to leave the jungle because that's where all the fun was. These early scenes contain shots of the wildlife and it was rather fun seeing the young girl in her natural location.All of the fun gets sucked out once we get back to civilization and the girl get taught how to speak English and how to be proper. This stuff is just told in such a boring way that you can't help but wish they were back in the jungle. Michael certainly has the appropriate look for the role and she's certainly fun to watch. Hardy Kruger is fun as the lead male and we also get Reggie Nalder playing a bad guy. LIANA, JUNGLE GODDESS really isn't that good of a film. I'm sure when you watch it in life will determine how much entertainment you actually get out of it. For me personally, the film is harmless fun at the start but it slowly grows more boring as it moves along.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald" is a West German German-language movie from 1956, so this one has its 60th anniversary this year already. But it is really not too accurate to say German-language as all the versions I found of this slightly under 90 minute movie were dubbed in English. This was certainly done to make the film more appealing to foreign (American) audiences. And it must have turned out successful enough as several sequels followed in the years afterward. But for as much as I care, not a single sequel was justified as this film here was extremely mediocre already. It is not a complete failure, but I can really only appreciate it for the unintentional comedy. It does not work as a drama, as an erotic film or as an adventure story. The action is as generic as it gets. For people who prefer brunettes like myself, they brought in Irene Galter as a young stunning scientist. Blonde lovers can go for (the late) Marion Michael playing Liane. The biggest name in the cast, however, is certainly Hardy Krüger. All in all, the writing here was simply too bad to let me recommend it. I am not sure who is the one to blame, the original author or the people who adapted her novel. But it's weak television material at best. Watch something else instead.

dlee2012 "Liane, Jungle Goddess" is a simple German Tarzan clone. Clearly aimed at the Saturday matinée market, it remains a worthwhile family film.It is a straightforward adventure story and was obviously made quite cheaply. There are few twists in the plot and there is a distinct lack of artistry in the storytelling and direction but it remains quite watchable after sixty years.The story tells of how white girl is found living amidst an African tribe and is rehabilitated to her family. As is so often the case in these stories, it emerges she is the granddaughter of a wealthy tycoon so, fairytale-like, she is set to inherit a fortune unless a jealous antagonist's plot is successful.The African tribes-people are initially treated as a marginalised "other" and have no voice in the initial stages of the film. It is only when one of them travels back to Germany with Liane does he gain a voice and he is shown to be an honourable protector. Nevertheless, throughout the black people are shown to be subservient to the white girl who leads them which is interesting given the film was made in a German still coming to terms with the horrific racial policies of its recent past.The early colour in the film is badly faded now. The sets are limited but emphasise the contrast between the rich western world and the jungle life but it condemns neither. Implicitly, though, there is the feeling the white girl belongs with the white people and that a return to civilisation is a better place for her.The initial mystery of Liane's origins is staged in a very rudimentary way, as is the plot at the end. More fun is seeing how she adapts to life in Hamburg and uses her jungle knowledge on her family estate.Marion Michael's acting is passable in a brave performance. Some other reviewers have raised the question of the nudity in the film. It is completely non-sexual in nature so conservative parents need have no concern. Indeed, there is no offensive material in this film at all, apart from possibly the representations of race mentioned above.Overall, this is a very workmanlike film and, on one level, it is sad to see how the German film industry had declined since the heady days of Fritz Land and the Weimar Republic. On the other hand, in its simplicity and wholesomeness, the film is clearly trying to capture something of innocence, an innocence that had been lost in the horrors of the Third Reich. Marion Michael herself was a refugee from Königsberg, evacuated as a child as her city was annihilated around her, so the fact that she was able to survive that absolutely horrific situation and find success in the film industry by personifying a character displaced yet holding onto a hopeful innocence, perhaps gave the German populace and, indeed, all of us a hope for humanity that the civilian victims of war may survive and overcome the trauma to create something so good and so wholesome.

Tom Jeffrey An expedition discovers young topless Liane (Marion Michael) cavorting around the jungle, where she is worshiped by the locals as a goddess. They bring her back to Germany, where her rich grandfather lives. There, she must remain fully clothed, as another relative intrigues and murders to prevent Liane from inheriting the family fortune.I saw this movie at my neighborhood theater around the time it was released in the USA (1959). It was on a double bill with "Plan 9 from Outer Space," which was the only reason I was in the theater that day. Imagine my surprise and fascination when Liane first made her appearance, swinging on that rope flashing her bare breasts! I was eleven years old, and it was the first time I had ever viewed a woman's breasts. I'm guessing that they were only on screen for a few seconds, but to me it seemed like forever. Once removed from its jungle setting, the movie becomes rather pedestrian and uninteresting. Still, because of its promising beginning, "Liane Jungle Goddess" has made a lasting impression on my life. Indeed, it has made me the man I am today. I would rate it "5" for the cinematic experience and "10" for the breasts.