It would seem that director Jess Franco has flourished over the past few years since he began associating with the American production company One Shot Productions. They have attempted to tighten his film productions without taming his unusual flair for crackpot cinema. In “Broken Dolls” Franco has his characters populating a one-time island paradise that is being slowly decayed by encroaching civilization (personified rather simply as approaching oil tankers). The island’s clan is headed by doddy old Don Martin (Paul Lapidus in a wonderful performance) who once was a vaudeville performer and who may or may not have buried a treasure somewhere on the island. With their days on the island obviously numbered, Martin’s slapdash family tries to race against his onsetting insanity to find the treasure and perhaps escape from paradise to someplace that at least has TV reception.
Actress Lina Romay names “Broken Dolls” as her favorite film performance and credits One Shot and producer Kevin Collins for bringing this film to life. “Broken Dolls” is one of Jess Franco’s very best films ever and certainly a film to be recommended to Franco’s fans and to his detractors as well – it might change everybody’s mind about him.
