Ilsa: Harem Keeper of The Oil Sheiks

From The Deuce

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Also Known As

• Elza - strazniczka haremu (Poland)
• Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (USA) (promotional title)
• Ilsa - Haremswächterin des Ölscheichs (Germany)
• Ilsa la belva del deserto (Italy)
• Ilsa, Keeper of the Oil Sheik's Harem
• Ilsa, gardienne du harem (France)
• I Thilyki taxiarhia tis kolaseos (Greece)

Tagline

• Ilsa's back! ...More fierce than ever! With brutal fury she enslaved an empire and shocked the world!

Main Details

• Released in 1976
• Color
• Running Time: Australia:87 min | Canada:85 min | USA:85 min | USA:93 min
• Production Co: Mount Everest Enterprises Ltd.
• Distribution Co: Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1976) (Canada) (theatrical) | Cambist Films (1976) (USA) (theatrical)

Cast and Crew

• Directed by Don Edmonds
• Written by Langston Stafford
• Starring Dyanne Thorne, Max Thayer, Jerry Delony, Uschi Digard, Colleen Brennan, Haji
• Produced by Don Edmonds (as William J. Brady)
• Cinematography by Dean Cundey, Glenn Roland
• Film Editing by Idi Yanamar

Film Review

Even though Ilsa is supposedly disposed of in She Wolf, you just can't keep a campy nasty villain down for long in the movies. Welcome to Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks made with a slightly larger budget and slightly longer shooting schedule (I believe it was 14 days instead of 9) the film is not quite as intense, fierce or shocking with it's nudity and torture but there was some interesting and sick ideas in the film.

It starred Thorne and was directed by Edmonds again. It was made during the 70s gas shortage and featured the worst kinds of middle-eastern stereotypes as you can imagine.

The highlights for fans include: when Satin and Velvet Ilsa's two Black Amazon kung fu lesbian enforcers, strip down to kick some serious booty.

Ilsa's demise is pretty horrific as well.

Note: Some insist Spalding Gray (the monologist/actor Killing Fields, Swimming to Cambodia) is in the film. He may be but he does not play the head sheik.

The plot is ridiculous and the film now removed from Nazi prison camps feels more like a pure sleazy exploitation film one can have 'fun' enjoying. It's still sick and brutal, but it's far less grisly and utterly unbelievable.

There's not as much gore as the first film, and although Thorne doesn't have the kind of nude scenes as she did in the first film, several other attractive women appear sans clothes (topless). The producers toned things down a bit in order to receive an "R" rating from the MPAA ratings board.

There is an ambitious, but dull low budget action sequence that ends the movie. For the money it's impressive, but it looks like so many generic low budget action sequences-you won't be impressed with it at all.

Reviewed by Count Graf Orlock - 6/23/07