The Girl Who Returned
Encyclopedia
The Girl Who Returned is a 1969
American comedy film
, notable as the directorial debut of Lloyd Kaufman
, future co-founder and president of Troma Entertainment
. It was made during his sophomore year at Yale University
.
The story is set in an alternate reality in which the world is made up of just two countries: Luxembourg
and Mongolia
. Luxembourg is inhabited only by women and Mongolia
only by men. Every four years, the two countries hold an Olympics competition to determine the supremacy of the world.
camera which did not have a sound sync and could only record forty seconds at a time. The film features a rare cameo from Troma co-founder Michael Herz
and his wife Maris.
What the film lacked in a coherent plot, it made up for in endless gratuitous shots of scantily clad women exercising. The film received negative reviews from campus newspapers and Lloyd Kaufman himself described the film as "boring" going so far as to say that, like the infinite monkey theorem
, "if you put two monkeys in a room with movie cameras they will make The Girl Who Returned in twelve days."
Filmed on a budget of $2,000, The Girl Who Returned actually made a profit from dollar screenings at Yale and other colleges. Other than these showings, the film was not released commercially until 2009, as an Easter Egg
on The Sexy Box, a DVD boxset of Squeeze Play!
, Waitress!
, Stuck on You! and The First Turn-On!
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
American comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, notable as the directorial debut of Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
, future co-founder and president of Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974.The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce...
. It was made during his sophomore year at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
The story is set in an alternate reality in which the world is made up of just two countries: Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. Luxembourg is inhabited only by women and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
only by men. Every four years, the two countries hold an Olympics competition to determine the supremacy of the world.
Overview
The film was shot on a BolexBolex
Bolex is a Swiss company that manufactures motion picture cameras and lenses, the most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. The Bolex company was initially founded by Jacques Bogopolsky in 1927. Bolex is derived from his name. He had previously designed cameras for...
camera which did not have a sound sync and could only record forty seconds at a time. The film features a rare cameo from Troma co-founder Michael Herz
Michael Herz (producer)
Michael Herz is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. With Lloyd Kaufman, the two are the co-founders of Troma Entertainment, the world's longest running independent film studio, known for their comedic horror films, including the cult favorite Toxic Avenger series and the...
and his wife Maris.
What the film lacked in a coherent plot, it made up for in endless gratuitous shots of scantily clad women exercising. The film received negative reviews from campus newspapers and Lloyd Kaufman himself described the film as "boring" going so far as to say that, like the infinite monkey theorem
Infinite monkey theorem
The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare....
, "if you put two monkeys in a room with movie cameras they will make The Girl Who Returned in twelve days."
Filmed on a budget of $2,000, The Girl Who Returned actually made a profit from dollar screenings at Yale and other colleges. Other than these showings, the film was not released commercially until 2009, as an Easter Egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
on The Sexy Box, a DVD boxset of Squeeze Play!
Squeeze Play!
Squeeze Play! is a 1979 comedy film from Troma Entertainment directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. It was Troma’s first major hit before The Toxic Avenger, and the first in a line of four "sexy comedies", followed by Waitress!, Stuck on You!, and The First Turn-On!.-Plot:A group of New Jersey...
, Waitress!
Waitress!
Waitress! is a 1981 comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. It was the second in Troma's line of "sexy comedies", preceded by the 1979's Squeeze Play! and followed by 1982's Stuck on You! and 1983's The First Turn-On!.-Premise:The film follows an aspiring...
, Stuck on You! and The First Turn-On!
The First Turn-On!
The First Turn-On! is a 1983 comedy film directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. It was the last in a series of four "sexy comedies" that helped establish Troma as a film studio, starting with 1979's Squeeze Play!, 1981's Waitress! and 1982's Stuck on You!.The First...