Tura (documentary)

 

We stumbled upon this documentary simply by browsing, although I think that we both had heard about it at some point or another and, of course, we are fans of Tura's from way back when we first discovered her, via Russ Meyers' amazing Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill! Of course, Tura has also starred in numerous other fun, wild, and wacky films, but FPKK seems to be the one that everyone knows and references.

This doc gives a bit of her background, from horrific abuse as a 10 year old child (at least partially due to the anti-Asian sentiment at the time, and the film alludes to her later getting revenge, but it's hard to know how truthful that is, as much as we would like to believe it), to her running away as a teenager to become a burlesque dancer, to being discovered and starring in low budget films to her re-emergence in the 80's and 90's as a cult icon. 

Amazingly, she doesn't let the early assault define her or control her life and she learns to love sex and has many famous suitors, including Elvis Presley! She has other well-known lovers as well although she ends up in relationships with jealous, controlling men. She eventually comes into her own and relishes her return to the spotlight.

There are some interviews and footage with Tura herself along with her two daughters, many friends and co-workers (Ted Mikel, Kitten Natividad, etc.) as well as more current fans and followers like Dita Von Teese, Pamela Des Barres, and John Waters.

This is well done and balances the horrible with the fun - Tura led quite a life and is now rightfully thought of as an icon!