Released in the year 1977, and part of the series of films Franco made with Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich. Slaves(aka Swedish Nympho Slaves, or Die Sklavinnen)  is a 75 minute shot of  70’s softcore exploitation, with elements of mystery, gangster action, prostitution, torture, and imprisonment. The film's title is somewhat misleading really, as there is only one slave- and that is brainwashed rich girl Martine Radeck, who is been held in sexual capture by Madame Arminda( played by longtime Franco collaborator/ actress Lina Romay).

The film's plot finds  Amos the overweight father of Martine - played by  Portuguese actor Vítor Mendes, and his sadistic henchman- played in wonderful nasty glee by Franco himself, trying to track down his daughter. And if your familiar with Franco’s work of this period with Dietrich, you’ll know pretty know what to expect- i.e. lots fleshy action from Romay & others, mild torture, quirky & perverse characters, and some cheesy lines.

On the whole, the film is a fairly pacey & eventful enough- with a good balance between sleazy & plot. You also get some varied locations, going from some great bleak & moody shots of Belem Tower in Lisbon, a green & rainy jungle, a Portuguese castle, a ruined temple, and a few hotel rooms. The acting is fairly typical exploitation standard, i.e. bad to bearable- though both Franco & Romay are good in their chosen roles.

There is something oddly comforting about Mr. Franco’s brand of euro-exploitation, and as his 1970’s output goes this isn’t half bad- as it managers to stay focused & interesting through-out, with some nice touches of Franco oddness along the way, and of course a bucket full of sleaze.

As for this new DVD- the picture quality is good enough, and we get nice clear subtitles for this original German language film. Extras wise- it’s a little poor/ disappointing, as we just get a repeat of what’s on the other discs in the series- a Franco trailer reel, and a forty minute audio interview with Franco in French with English subtitles- sadly there's no original trailer.

On the whole, Slaves will be a welcome addition to any fan of Franco’s work or 70’s sleaze in general. I think it could also work as a good introduction to  those new to Franco’s work too- as it’s eventful & pacey enough, but it also has a lot of fairly characteristic Franco traits too.