The documentary "Tura!' had its world premiere at the San Diego Asian Film Festival last November, and it was fabulous. Now you can see the film streaming on various platforms, and it is a must-see!
Tura Satana was the best role model a young woman could have — not a traditional one, but one that boldly proclaimed you didn’t have to obey any rules. When I saw her as Varla in Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!" I knew she was dangerous. Not just to the characters in the film, but to a society that feared strong women it could not control.
If you are not familiar with Varla, she burst on the screen in 1965, dressed in black with a plunging neckline that revealed awe-inspiring cleavage. She was sexual but never a sex object. She had black boots and black leather gloves that announced she was ready for any kind of action that might come her way. She had long black hair with severe bangs that framed her face in a dramatic, hard way. She was simply riveting because she oozed danger, and you never knew what she might do.
Check out this scene from "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"
"Varla was an authentic female badass when that really did not exist," explained Cody Jarrett, director of "Tura!" "It's like 1966. In Hollywood, for the most part, every role for Asian American females was either a hooker or a geisha. So then you've got Tura coming along as Varla, in 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,' who is the leader of a girl gang, and they murder, they're looking for money, they don't take shit from anybody. She was just a badass. But the thing about Tura that made the character of Varla so indelible came from authenticity. Tura had a very, very hard life, and being able to bring all of her experiences to the camera as Varla, that's what really made the magic. That was like lightning in a bottle."
Jarrett cast Satana in his 2009 film "Sugar Boxx," and that eventually led him to work on the documentary "Tura!" He manages to capture some of that lightning in the documentary, which plays out like a thriller full of trauma, triumphs, plot twists and deep appreciation for this amazing woman.
Satana has always been someone I loved and admired, and the documentary only made me love and admire her more. I was more aware of her onscreen presence than for who she was off screen, and this documentary reveals how her life and art reflected each other in compelling ways.
The documentary begins with a shocking incident that impacted a 3-year-old Satana and essentially plotted a course for her life. Since the film plays out like a narrative full of mysteries, I don't want to spoil anything. But just know that an act of violence that would have probably destroyed most people became the fuel that burned fiercely in Satana, driving her to achieve success and even attain revenge that rivals what's depicted in "Kill Bill" and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
The documentary takes us through Satana's life from being subjected to racism for her Asian American ethnicity, to working in burlesque as a teenager (and discovering her power over men), to her cinematic successes.
The film interviews her two daughters, as well as famous admirers such as John Waters and Dita Von Teese, and colleagues and friends such as director Ted V. Mikels. They reveal the impact Satana had on pop culture but also the person she was off screen. Her daughters hold her in high esteem but also admit that she was not always home when they needed her. The film also delves into her romantic exploits, which included a marriage proposal from Elvis Presley.
Although the film points out that Satana was known to lie in some of her interviews, most of the revelations that come in the film are from her unpublished memoir, read by Margaret Cho. Although some things sound incredible and hard to believe, Jarrett does his best to corroborate her claims. But as he paints this portrait of Satana, we come to see her as someone who was capable of anything.
No one has ever matched Satana's ferocious vitality and sexuality. She was like a force of nature, breathtaking to behold, and this documentary does her justice.
You can order the film on Apple TV.
