AllMovie

This entry in the mondo documentary cycle offers the usual slickness and sarcasm of a Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi production, but is the least memorable item in their canon. The major reason is that Women of the World is noticeably lacking in focus. Despite the promising titular subject, the filmmakers have no idea or singular theme that they are trying to communicate about women, so the end result is a well-mounted, but often dull, travelogue. Women of the World is also surprisingly lacking in bite: Some of the filmmaker's usual darkly satirical verve pops up occasionally (the most memorable bit is a fashion show put on for rural-dwelling African natives), but most of the bits here drone on without a punch line. The best element of the movie is its technical polish; the Technicolor photography bathes everything in a wash of eye-popping colors and the jaunty musical score is likely to please fans of European lounge sounds. That said, the pretty images and music can't do enough to redeem an experience that is less than the sum of its parts. In the end, Women of the World is best left to mondo film completists.