In 1900's France, Gaston Leblanc is traveling by stage coach, along with life long friend Julien Couvier and his cousin Blanche. Couvier owns the estate next door to Dr. Maillard's mental institution. Leblanc has returned to France after spending many years in America. His mother was murdered by his father after the two went through a nasty divorce. His father spent his remaining days inside the institution . Working for a newspaper, Leblanc takes on the assignment to investigate the institution.
Upon arriving at the front gates they are greeted by armed guards dressed in military regalia, but lack the discipline and training of a soldier. When it appears that a higher ranking officer has arrived they are permitted to enter the institution grounds. When Blanche becomes ill, Couvier leaves Gaston there alone so he can return his cousin back to his estate. On their way, the stage coach is ambushed by Maillard's guards. The strong coachman, Henri is overtaken in a display of roughhousing, Couvier is captured and hog tied. Blanche escapes but is pursued by a guard , she is eventually caught, her dress ripped from her body and possibly raped. If she was it happens off screen. Mean while having finally met Dr. Maillard, Leblanc becomes smitten with Maillard's niece Eugenie who is strumming on a harp.
The following morning Maillard begins his tour of the institution. Director Moctezuma has many strange, fascinating and erotic images to show us, but even with the abundance of beautiful naked breasts, unless you must see every obscure Mexican exploitation film. I can not commend this slice of offbeat cinema. I believe if one could travel back in time and watch it,in it's era, the 1970's it would have been much more appreciated.
The tone of the film turned me off, mostly the slapstick humour and the chase scenes as well, which reminded me of a Benny Hill skit.The story takes place in the 1900's, but Moctezuma forgets or perhaps purposely shows many references of the 1960/70's drug and hippie cultures. There is a very psychedelic vibe emitting from this adaptation of an Edgar Allen Poe story. During a very seductive dance Eugenie performs,her accompanying musicians are sitting cross legged, playing sitars, bongos and wearing long, loose, flowing robes.
Maillard is a nice enough person, but has an odd disposition about him, like something is not quite right. The methods he applies to his patients are questionable. The doctor also seems to display a sick sense of humour as discovered after Leblanc is introduced to Mr. Chicken. A man who literally believes himself to be a chicken, covered in feathers, clucking and pecking as Maillard tosses chicken feed at his feet. Soon after Leblanc and Maillard are struck by a hail of falling chickens, as some patients are throwing live chickens down upon them. ( Surely , you couldn't get away with this today, not with PETA and everything ). Dr. Maillard picks up a dead chicken, with an obvious broken neck and non- chalantly says " I hope it's not Mr. Chicken ",he lets out a menacing cackle and discards the chicken corpse into the corner. Another time after touring an elevated part of the institution, Maillard decides to use a rope ladder to descend instead of the stairs. Maillard climbs down safely, but when it is Leblanc's turn the guards deliberately try to topple Leblanc from the ladder as Maillard has a menacing laugh at his friend's expense. Deep in the dungeons the cruelest punishments are utilized as one poor man is shackled to a wall, having been starved to the extent of becoming a living skeleton.
Retiring to his room that night, Leblanc( which translates to The white in English, white means pure, naive, innocent ) has an awakening of a sort. He suddenly has a realization, he has been caught like a fly in a web of deceit and lies. . Maybe it's just me but I thought it even looked like an overgrown spider had spun it's silky thread in his room. The real Dr. Maillard has been kept prisoner,as a patient had taken over his identity and the institution. Leblanc and Eugenie who turns out to be the real Dr. Maillard's daughter is reunited with Couvier and Blanche as they are tormented by the madman's unorthodox methods, including a bizarre chicken dance. ( What's up with the chickens ? )
My Thoughts: Like I said earlier, there is plenty of weird, surreal and exotic images to take in. But as a whole, meh.
My Rating: 2 Go Go Girls out of 5
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