With Hundra (1983) B-Movie auteur Matt Cimber brought to the sword and sorcery genre the same quasi-feminist ideologies that he brought to the blaxploitation genre with his film Lady Cocoa (1975). Unlike Cimber’s earlier films Hundra is an international co-production that features more complex cinematography, higher production values and an original score by Ennio Morricone.
The premise is a simple knock off of the hugely popular Conan The Barbarian (1982) though this time the roles are re-gendered. Hundra (Laurene Landon) is the sole survivor of a massacre who journeys through a fantasy world to a southern kingdom with her faithful dog and horse in order to find a suitable mate. Once she has stumbled upon a kingdom she begins to dismantle its patriarchal society. First by instilling a sense of independence and some fighting techniques into other women and then by her sheer brute force.
For what is ostensibly an exploitation picture Hundra boasts some of the most epic fight scenes and rousing music of any eighties fantasy film. Where the intent of all of these spectacles of Hundra slaying evil men is undoubtedly noble and feminist, the film cannot escape certain patriarchal notions concerning marriage, sexuality, and the nuclear family. However the mixed bag of liberal politics that drive the film are still far more progressive than those of your typical exploitation film of 1983.
Hundra is a real treat for fans of this genre. Not only does Cimber deliver in the fantasy department, but the film looks and sounds gorgeous. Currently there is just the Subversive DVD release on home video that comes with a CD of Morricone’s score. The picture on this disc is solid for its age, but there is some blurring of the image when in motion. I definitely would love to see this same package but in an upgraded video format.
