Customer Reviews

Bolero [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

If you have ever seen the movie "10" and not just watched the trailer with the infamous seen of Bo Derek running down the beach with her cornrows bobbing along, then you know that Dudley Moore's fantasy of the perfect woman pops pretty much about the time that Bo's character opens her mouth. That fact pretty much serves as the model for Bo Derek's film career in the early days; she looked great but once she opened her mouth she started losing points. This was amply proven in "Tarzan, the Ape Man," but in case anybody missed the point we have the 1984 film, "Bolero." The film was subtitled "An Adventure in Ecstasy" in an effort to make everyone forget the other part of the title was a take off both on Derek's first name and the music by Ravel revitalized by "10" (fortunately the Olympic Ice Dancing champions Torvill and Dean gave us a much better association).

In "Bolero," Bo plays Lida MacGillivery, a little rich girl graduating from an English boarding school. Her graduation present is going to be the loss of her virginity, so she and her best friend, Catalina (Ana Obregón), go off to the deserts of Arabia, accompanied by her chauffer/bodyguard Cotton (George Kennedy). On the desert sands she meets a sexy sheik (Greg Bensen), who has his chance, but blows it despite all the Valentino references. When Lida has similar problems with a bullfighter in Spain named Angel (Andrea Occhipinti), we get the idea that this girl is going to have to go around the world, so to speak, to get her happy ending. Consequently, "Bolero" is a soft porn flick without the sex. Just think about that for a while and then it should be very clear to you why this is a bomb of major proportions that falls into the "so bad you have to see it to believe it" category instead of the "so bad it is good" column. Maybe director John Derek did this as a way of telling the adolescent males of the world to stop fantazigng about his wife (actually, Olivia d'Abo as Paloma is the sexiest woman in the film).

Today Bo Derek appears on "Seventh Heaven" and she does a nice job of acting while fully dressed (plus I think she is, oh, let's say, 10 times better looking today at 44 than she was at the age of 28). There is redemption in Hollywood and it is good to know that her time in Purgatory for "Bolero" is a thing of the past.

This is pretty much a vehicle to show off Bo Derek, and it accomplishes that. As an added bonus, there's Olivia d'abo in a nice bathing scene......if you're a fan of either of them then the VHS is worthwile, if not - get something modern, you heathen :-)

Bolero

Very entertaining. Bo is such a good looking and erotic woman. I watch this DVD again every couple of months or so.

Okay...so this movie will never win an oscar, but if you ride horses at all you HAVE to appreciate the skill Bo demonstrates in this movie. Her riding ability takes center stage here and it should not be overlooked. It is inspiring!

This movie is mediocre. Not real good, not real bad. I watch it for the hunky Scotsman and the hunky Spaniard. The Scotsman has a very seductive voice, and isn't bad looking; the Spaniard looks like Hugh Jackman. The Arab sheik, forget. One of the characters was right when they said he could pass as 'your sister' - too pretty to be a real man.

The sets were nice, the locations were fabulous. Weak, almost non-existent plot. The best thing for me was seeing the nude male co-stars, and I do wish there had been more emphasis on that, and also the sideline romance between the Scotsman and the Spanish woman. Got a good laugh when the Arab sheik made a kidnapping attempt.

Just my female viewpoint.

In this tale Bo Derek, finally free from her schoolgirl days seeks adventure and romance. She has always been a muse to me that has reminded me to stay in shape and look young and beautiful throughout my life. Any woman wishes she could look as good as Bo Derek does. She is over 50 now and still looks as young and vibrant as a young adult. However, as much as I am a fan for her I think she could have done the world a greater service by making videos and books for women geared toward making themselves look better and younger and keeping their youth and vigor as they age.

John Derek will go down in history as one of the worst directors of all time. One could call him the antipode to Stephen Spielberg. However, Derek did have ONE thing going for him in his movies: showcasing his lovely wife naked!

It is odd that these days many people are too young to remember Bo Derek. Growing up in the 80s, she was the undisputed queen of eroticism, and this film shows why that was so. I just watched it again this morning & I had almost forgotten just how perfect her body is & how her long flowing hair looked while riding a horse.

If it were not for Bo, I doubt if anyone ever would have heard of John. In fact, he is already quickly becoming a footnote in the annals of Hollywood. To be sure, this is a "B" movie and it's not very well done. 90% of the scenes look like they were thrown in as an afterthought. The movie attempts to be comical at times, and fails miserably. For the most part, it is a yawner.

The one factor that just barely elevates it to 4 stars is Bo Derek shedding her clothes @ will. If you're a Bo Derek fan, this movie is a can't miss! When it comes to John Derek movies, this is as good as they get.