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JESSI is a charming SF Fantasy that is too little seen. JESSI stands as one of the most successful fusions of Comic Books, Sci-Fi and Cinema ever. Similar in some ways to THE PROJECTIONIST, JESSI is about a man's comic book dreams becoming a reality thru a serum invented by his wife. The heroine of the comic, JESSI, fleshed out (literally!) by the gorgeous Olga Schoberová (her looks alone should end all the jokes about babushkas named Olga!), is chased by two...uh...Terminators. The Terminators are comic book stereotypes - a "Superman" and a Cowboy.
Certainly, some of the "Eastern Bloc" humor of the piece may be obscure for Western audiences, but this isn't the kind of turgid Pro-Communist tract that scare away many. No, JESSI was part of the brief Czech artistic freedom era that produced Milos Forman and Ivan Passer among others. The recently restored DAISIES (also 1966) is another terrific example.
Before Jane Fonda/BARBARELLA, Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman or the TV & Film trios of Charlie's Angels - there was JESSI! Jessi looks great, wears the sexiest of clothes, eludes her would-be captors, and sports a super-strength pair of Gloves! Much charm and genuine wit develop as the trio of comic book characters invade the "real world" - complete with Comic Book Dialogue Balloons instead of actual speech! To give away too many particulars might spoil the fun of this brief 80 minute fantasy. There are the requisite mildly anti-government jibes (in particular, a police guard who doggedly guards his post - a sewer opening!), some disarmingly simple Special Effects and every Comic Book geek's fantasy ending.
Jessi is one of my favorite Superhero films.
JESSIE is available on DVD. You can also find it on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7w_7BmfkeU
Certainly, some of the "Eastern Bloc" humor of the piece may be obscure for Western audiences, but this isn't the kind of turgid Pro-Communist tract that scare away many. No, JESSI was part of the brief Czech artistic freedom era that produced Milos Forman and Ivan Passer among others. The recently restored DAISIES (also 1966) is another terrific example.
Before Jane Fonda/BARBARELLA, Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman or the TV & Film trios of Charlie's Angels - there was JESSI! Jessi looks great, wears the sexiest of clothes, eludes her would-be captors, and sports a super-strength pair of Gloves! Much charm and genuine wit develop as the trio of comic book characters invade the "real world" - complete with Comic Book Dialogue Balloons instead of actual speech! To give away too many particulars might spoil the fun of this brief 80 minute fantasy. There are the requisite mildly anti-government jibes (in particular, a police guard who doggedly guards his post - a sewer opening!), some disarmingly simple Special Effects and every Comic Book geek's fantasy ending.
Jessi is one of my favorite Superhero films.
JESSIE is available on DVD. You can also find it on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7w_7BmfkeU
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