Love him or hate him Jess Franco deserves due credit. Having directed over 180 films, not only is he the veritable king of Euro-sleaze but he has delivered in just about every exploitation genre imaginable.

Although the extent of Franco direction in Eurocine's Diamonds of Kilimandjaro is debatable, the result is a naked re-imagining of Tarzan with German actress Katja Bienert as the vine-swinging lead, Diana.

Diana and her godfather (Daniel White) are passengers in an airplane that crashes in a remote jungle. The local tribesmen accept them as "gods who fell out of the sky," and they live together for many years. Diana grows up happy, and topless, in this setting until a mining expedition discovers she is still alive.

After hearing of her well-being, Diana's dieing mother funds the miners' return expedition to bring Diana home. But as the team returns to the jungle, each member has his or her own personal agenda.

Unfortunately, Diamonds of Kilimandjaro gets bogged down in a lethargic pace caused by seemingly endless shots of animals doing nothing, badly integrated African-safari stock footage and drawn-out scenic panoramas of mostly empty jungle. Add to that a hypnotic bongo-drum score and you have a movie best watched as an afternoon matinee, when you'll still be able to keep your eyes open, rather than an after-midnight exploitation treat.

The film's other major drawback is its absurd dubbing. While not quite bad enough to elevate the movie into an unintentional laugh-riot, the dubbing merely suspends the film in the often dull limbo between serious and ridiculous.

Still there's something about this film, beyond the near-constant nudity, that remains entertaining. Just don't expect too much - especially not the typical Euro-jungle gore and cannibalism which is virtually non-existent - and you might be pleasantly surprised. Minus the skin, this film feels like a goofy old-style Saturday afternoon adventure with barely enough inherent charm to entertain.

Media Blaster's Shriek Show DVD is a pretty impressive package. The 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen image is generally clean and clear, except during the mismatched stock footage. Sound is crisp although there are a couple instances of dropout later in the film.

Extras include an informative interview with Eurocine's Daniel Lasoeur, a French language option, the original French trailer, a photo gallery and Shriek Show trailers for Faceless, Golden Temple Amazons, Man from Deep River and Massacre in Dinosaur Valley.