Ugo Liberatore is the unsung inventor of the "porn in exotic locales" film sub-genre, of which MAY MORNING is his classic achievement. BORA BORA is merely an assembly-line effort which demonstrates why he didn't make the big time (for that see EMMANUELLE or VANESSA a decade later by more talented pornographers).
Storyline very weakly develops a classic clash of cultures theme, as chauvinist jerk played unsympathetically by Corrado Pani pursues his beautiful wife Haydee Politoff to Bora Bora in hopes of a reconciliation.
She's gone native, with boyfriend Mani (Antoine Coco Puputauki), while Pani dallies with lovely guest star Doris Kuntsmann (like Politoff, an unsung but talented beauty of the period). Why this wasn't a German co-production with Doris aboard is a bit mystifying to me, but she does a nice job, as she did in THE SEX OF ANGELS and other Ugo films in the '60s.
Pani gets a native girl of his own in the shapely form of Rosine Copie as Tehina. Her stubby nipples get brief but evocative closeup attention from Ugo's camera, but she doesn't figure prominently in the film's payoff.
Though there are hints at glasnost and an accommodation, old jealousies and the usual racism cue a contrived and most unsatisfying anti-climax and dull ending. Ugo's attempt at significance is preposterous.
Casting Pani was a big mistake -he's worked for many great directors including Visconti and Bolognini, but can't carry a film like this on his back. With the other roles severely underwritten, there's nobody to root for en route to a ho-hum finish. Lovely location photography (Society Islands shoot) by Leonida Barboni (who shot the classic DIVORCE Italian STYLE) is film's strongest suit.
Storyline very weakly develops a classic clash of cultures theme, as chauvinist jerk played unsympathetically by Corrado Pani pursues his beautiful wife Haydee Politoff to Bora Bora in hopes of a reconciliation.
She's gone native, with boyfriend Mani (Antoine Coco Puputauki), while Pani dallies with lovely guest star Doris Kuntsmann (like Politoff, an unsung but talented beauty of the period). Why this wasn't a German co-production with Doris aboard is a bit mystifying to me, but she does a nice job, as she did in THE SEX OF ANGELS and other Ugo films in the '60s.
Pani gets a native girl of his own in the shapely form of Rosine Copie as Tehina. Her stubby nipples get brief but evocative closeup attention from Ugo's camera, but she doesn't figure prominently in the film's payoff.
Though there are hints at glasnost and an accommodation, old jealousies and the usual racism cue a contrived and most unsatisfying anti-climax and dull ending. Ugo's attempt at significance is preposterous.
Casting Pani was a big mistake -he's worked for many great directors including Visconti and Bolognini, but can't carry a film like this on his back. With the other roles severely underwritten, there's nobody to root for en route to a ho-hum finish. Lovely location photography (Society Islands shoot) by Leonida Barboni (who shot the classic DIVORCE Italian STYLE) is film's strongest suit.