Olive Films Releases Panther Girl of the Kongo (1954)

Olive Films highlights another under-appreciated serial with release of Panther Girl of the Kongo (1954) Olive Films, a boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, and classic films to DVD and Blu-ray, has announced that February 21stwill be the release date of six new titles, including Republic’s under-appreciated penultimate serial,Panther Girl of the Kongo (1954). “Panther Girl of the Kongo might not be as well remembered as other serials,” said Alex Kopecky ofOlive Films, “but we feel it’s deserving of a place alongside our favorites, because it epitomizes a lot of the elements that we love about classic serials.”

Olive Films will release Panther Girl of the Kongo to DVD and Blu-ray on February 21st.  The second-to-last serial made by Republic Pictures, it came during the dusk of the film-going habits of the 1940s and early 1950s. Still, serial fans will recognize many of their favorite classic tropes: a fiendish land grab plot, exotic jungle locations (by way of the Republic backlot), a near-comical mad scientist character, resourceful repurposing of old footage, and a no-nonsense absence of any dialogue not explicitly driving the plot forward. In addition to that, it echoes popular mutant monster elements of 1950s films by focusing on a giant “claw monster” created by a mad scientist. Even audiences unfamiliar with serials can find plenty to enjoy in Panther Girl of the Kongo, namely the strong performance from Phyllis Coates, best known for her portrayal of Lois Lane several years earlier. In 1951, she played opposite George Reeves in his first Superman performance in the film Superman and the Mole-Men. She then reprised her role for the first season of the television series, Adventures of Superman. Today, she is the last surviving cast member of the iconic series. It is also possible that audiences may recognize Panther Girl of the Kongo from its 1966 television run, in which twenty-six Republic serials aired as television movies.

Other Olive Films February Titles

Blu-ray debut of King Solomon's Mines (1985); directed by J. Lee Thompson; starring Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, and John Rhys-Davies.

Blu-ray debut of Evelyn (2002); directed by Bruce Beresford; starring Pierce Brosnan, Julianna Margulies, Alan Bates, Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn, and Sophie Vavasseur.

Blu-ray debut of The Klansman (1974); directed by Terence Young; starring Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, Cameron Mitchell, Lola Falana, Luciana Paluzzi, David Huddleston, Linda Evans, and O.J. Simpson.

DVD debut of The Last Best Year (1990); directed by John Erman; starring Mary Tyler Moore, Bernadette Peters, Brian Bedford, and Kate Reid. Blu-ray debut of Police (1985); directed by Maurice Pialat; starring Gerard Depardieu, Sophie Marceau, and Sandrine Bonnaire.

About Olive Films

Olive Films is a Chicago-based boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, documentary, and classic films to life. Its catalog boasts over 500 titles ranging from Hollywood classics to contemporary titles. More information about Olive Films may be found at olivefilms.com.