Glamour Girls is a two-part

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

film about independent single women embarking on their independence within Nigeria's traditionally

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

society through escorting. The film gained widespread popularity in Nigeria, and starred

Liz Benson Elizabeth 'Liz' Benson (born 5 April 1966) is a veteran Nigerian actress, television personality and philanthropist. Early life and education Liz was born in Etinan, Akwa Ibom State in southern Nigeria. She attended Sylvania State College in ...

, Ngozi Ikpelue,

Eucharia Anunobi Eucharia Anunobi, (born 27 May 1965) is a veteran Nigerian actress, producer, and pastor. She is best known for her role in the movie '' Abuja Connection''. She was nominated at 2020 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actre ...

, Pat Attah, Ernest Obi,

Zack Orji Zachee Ama Orji (born 1960) is a Gabon born Nigerian actor, director, producer and filmmaker known for his role in Nollywood movies Glamour Girls (1994 film), Glamour Girls, and Blood Money. Aside from acting, Orji is a preacher. He is an indig ...

, and others.

Plot

Part I - ''Glamour Girls''

Frustrated with her limited achievements and an inability to hold down a stable relationship with eligible suitors, penniless

call girl A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who (unlike a street prostitution, street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by ...

Sandra (

Jennifer Okere Jennifer Okere (30 August 1968 – 28 June 1999) was a Nigerian actress and one of the pioneers of the Nigerian film industry (Nollywood) in the 1990s. Her two ground-breaking Nollywood blockbuster movies, ''Living in Bondage'' and '' Glamour ...

) moves to Lagos after her close friend Doris ( Gloria Anozie) offers to help her find her footing as a 'senior girl'. With the help of Doris and the latter's other friend Thelma ( Ngozi Ikpelue), Sandra meets the wealthy Esiri (Peter Bunor) who instantly proposes marriage and offers her a job with his bank, but this new status is threatened when Dennis (Pat Attah), a struggling job-seeker several years younger than Sandra, takes an interest in her. Sandra is torn between the two men but eventually chooses Dennis, to the chagrin of the scorned Esiri who vows to ruin Sandra. Doris, who has since fallen out with her old friend following an argument, approves of his decision. Jane (

), another Lagos 'senior girl' who attended school with Doris and Thelma, is set to marry Desmond (Sola Fosudo), a wealthy businessman who remains devoted to his fiancée despite receiving a warning from her scheming stepmother who reveals sordid details of Jane's promiscuous past. After Desmond is involved in an automobile accident that leaves him disabled, Jane catches the eye of presidential aspirant Alex (Raymond Johnson) who urges her to leave Desmond for himself. She soon discovers her new lover's presidential aspirations are a fraud to con her out of her money after she divorces Desmond who is still recovering in hospital. Jane regrets meeting Alex, and plots revenge. In a nod to ''

Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and written by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), ...

'', high-class hooker Helen (Barbara Odoh) agrees to spend a week with a software entrepreneur (JT Tom West) after he hires her for the night and is mesmerised by her beauty and background. Before their meeting she had entered prostitution as a means of acquiring materialism, accused innocent men of refusing to pay for her services, blackmailed regular customer Esiri with scandalous photos, and nearly slept with her brother ( Keppy Ekpenyoung-Bassey).

Part II - ''Glamour Girls: The Italian Connection''

The second part of the film—''Glamour Girls: The Italian Connection''—focuses mainly on prostitution. Thelma has since married and moved abroad, but Sandra finds herself in dire straits after Esiri terminates their arrangement. She once again approaches Doris, now a procurer trafficking young girls exploited as sex workers in Italy. Sandra travels there where she works as a prostitute, distraught to discover her new boss Maureen (Dolly Unachukwu) receives her fees. Maureen is a ruthless pimp who has tricked families in Nigeria into sending their daughters abroad for a better life when in reality they are forced to work as prostitutes or face dire consequences.

Cast

- Jane *

- Sandra * Gloria Anozie - Doris *

Ngozi Ezeonu Ngozi Ezeonu (born Ngozi Ikpelue, May 23, 1965) is a veteran Nigerian actress and former journalist notable for her portrayal of archetypal matriarchs in Nollywood movies. In 2012, she starred in '' Adesuwa'', a role that earned her the Best Su ...

''(Credited as Ngozi Ikpelue) - ''Thelma *Barbara Odoh - Helen *Raymond Johnson - Alex *

''(Credited as Zachee Orji)'' - Fred *

- Anita *Tina Amuziam - Jessica *

Clarion Chukwura Chief Clarion Chukwurah (born Clara Nneka Oluwatoyin Folashade Chukwurah; 24 July 1964) is a Nigerian actress and humanitarian. Early life and education Chukwurah was born as the only daughter in a family of four on 24 July 1964. She is from ...

''(Credited as Clarion Abiola)'' - Vera * Dolly Unachukwu - Maureen *Remi Abiola - Party Girl *Kingsley Ahizu - Jude *Emmanuel France - Native Doctor *Uduak Johnson - Cecil *Thelma Nwosu - Laura *Jide Olajuwon - Alhaji *Voltron Tony - Bruce

Reception

Commenting on the film, Jonathan Haynes opines that: “... nebue’sinventive formal strategies permit surveying of an extensive social space. "Glamour Girls" (or "senior girls") are professional women living outside of patriarchal control—scandalous figures in the Nigerian social imagination, associated with prostitution and danger.”

Production

The film was produced and written by

Kenneth Nnebue Kenneth Nnebue is a Nigerian film producer and director known for pioneering the use of VHS in producing films. He produced and co-directed Nigeria's first feature film, ''Living in Bondage'' (1992). The film was shot straight-to-video, and star ...

, and directed by Chika Onukwufor.

Remake

''Glamour Girls'' would inspire the similarly-named but unrelated male version ''Glamour Boys'', directed by

Jeta Amata Jeta Amata is a Nigerian filmmaker, born on August 21, 1974, to popular Nigerian actor Zack Amata. He comes from a family of veteran filmmakers including Ifoghale Amata, Zack Amata and Fred Amata. Growing up in the film industry, following his ...

and released in 1996, which garnered less recognition. On 12 December 2019, it was announced that filmmaker Charles Okpaleke had acquired the lifetime copyrights of the 1994 blockbuster for a modern remake under his production company, Play Network Africa. The

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

was released via Netflix in June 2022, opening to negative reviews.

References

{{Reflist 1994 films Nigerian drama films English-language Nigerian films Nigerian coming-of-age films 1990s English-language films