Matt Cimber Movies

Veteran filmmaker Matt Cimber returned to the director's chair for the first time in twenty-two years with this dark tale set during World War II. Miriam Schafer (Ariana Savalas) was fourteen years old when war broke out in her native Lithuania; while Miriam came from a Jewish family, her blonde hair and soft features made it easy for the young woman to disguise her ethnic identity, and when a pogrom sweeps through the nation, she's taken in by a family who claims her as one of their own. However, Miriam soon found that part of the price of safety was sexual abuse at the hands of her new "father," and while the end of the war meant safety and freedom for most European Jews, Miriam enjoyed little respite. The Soviet Union soon took control of Lithuania, with Moscow's anti-Semitic policies once again putting the nation's Jews in jeopardy, and as she grew to adulthood Miriam was forced to hide her true identity from everyone she knew -- even her husband (imitri Diatchencko), who was an agent with the KGB. Inspired by a true story, Miriam marked the big screen debut of Ariana Savalas, the daughter of famed character actor Telly Savalas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this routine, violent, and often trite female version of Conan, Hundra (Laurene Landon) is an Amazon whose tribe is slaughtered one day while she is away hunting, now it is up to her to find a suitable mate and begin to create a new tribe of little Hundras. Hundra's search takes her to a walled city, but before she finds the ideal male (he is a doctor), she has a lot of head-bashing and sword brandishing to do. Energetic but not exactly fast-paced, this may be an interesting film for feminists, or it may not. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Just as the singing star Bobbie Warren (Pia Zadora) finishes her act, she is clapped into handcuffs by police lieutenant Thurston (Telly Savalas) and jailed in a woman's prison until she tells them about her mobster boyfriend. Eventually, she gets out, but not unscathed -- she was raped while in prison -- and when she is back in Vegas, her life is in danger from the mob and a few hitmen. Car chases and other action-filled scenes ensue, while a romantic interest begins to develop between the singer and her bodyguard (Desi Arnaz, Jr.). Meanwhile, Lieutenant Thurston is heading for a final round-up with the nefarious mobsters. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Two interesting figures in offbeat cinema -- director Matt Cimber (who was married to Jayne Mansfield and directed her final film before going on to a handful of expressive blaxploitation efforts) and screenwriter Robert Thom (who wrote Wild in the Streets and Bloody Mama) -- teamed up for this unusual portrait of one woman's descent into madness. Molly (Millie Perkins) is a woman who is haunted by vivid memories of abuse and molestation at the hands of her father, who was a ship's captain; now middle-aged, Molly is obsessed by the ocean and images associated with pirates and sailing lore, which fill her with both fascination and loathing. Molly dotes on her young nephews (Jean Pierre Camps and Mark Livingston) and often spins tall tales for them in which her father is a noble hero, but her sister, Cathy (Vanessa Brown), is not comfortable with her presence, and soon the boys are old enough to spend their time elsewhere. Single and lonely, Molly longs for a man, and is openly attracted to strong, burly types, but at the same time she bears a deep hatred for them, and sometimes murders and dismembers the men she lures into her home. However, given Molly's penchant for fantasy, how much of her story is real, and how much is the product of her twisted imagination? Shot in 1971 but not released until 1976, The Witch Who Came From the Sea was one of the first feature films for cinematographer Dean Cundey, who later went on to work with Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Football fans should enjoy this low-budget biker movie starring several of the 1970s' greatest gridiron stars. "Mean" Joe Greene, Carl Eller, Gene Washington, Willie Lanier, and Mercury Morris are among the familiar faces as a gang of Vietnam veterans fights white racists in a Southern town to avenge their dead friend. Rosalind Miles, Mikel Angel, and the Raiders' Ben Davidson (an avid biker in real life) co-star. It's not any better than most of director Matt Cimber's films, but the nostalgia factor compensates for its clumsier moments. Cimber, whose real name is Matteo Ottaviano, went on to direct Pia Zadora in Butterfly. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

In this melodrama, Johnnie (Jayne Mansfield) struggles through a series of relationships and pregnancies only to be repeatedly deserted by her no-good lovers. As she moves from relationship to relationship, Johnnie continues to change her name, each time hoping for a new and better life. This was Jayne Mansfield's last film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi