Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 24, 2025

Don Edmonds' "Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks" (1976) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Dyanne Thorne, director Don Edmonds, actor Howard Maurer, and critic Martin Lewis; new audio commentary by Kat Ellinger and Evgueni Mlodik; archival program with Don Edmonds; vintage promotional materials; and original trailer. In English or French, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

How do I look now?

It is incredibly naïve to assume that the people who bought tickets to see Don Edmonds’ Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks did so expecting it to offer more than just skin. Like its notorious predecessor, Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks is a skin flick first and then everything else it has been accused of, which is not much. Unsurprisingly, the main magnet in it is again the busty Dyanne Thorne. Adult stars Uschi Digard and Colleen Brennan are back, too, and have slightly more time in front of the camera, but they are not in the same league with Thorne. In other words, when it opened theatrically Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks was simply selling more of what Thorne was willing to show.

A writer named Langston Stafford apparently handed Edmonds an original screenplay, which turned out to be the one and only he was trusted to pen. However, it is difficult to imagine that Edmonds did much with this screenplay because more than two-thirds of Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks looks like quickly improvised material. At best, the screenplay must have described a few of the key scenes, which Edmonds then shot as best as he could.

The narrative mixes two types of material. Predictably, the best is the one where Thorne takes off her uniform and several other girls reveal a lot more. The least effective material is the one where Edmonds attempts to shoot conventional action footage and various actors, most obviously amateurs, fire off rifles and guns that bring down targets in some genuinely surreal ways. A portion of this material is also reserved for a range of disgusting punishments, tortures, and executions.

The chatter that glues all of this material and makes it somewhat coherent is very, very silly. It reveals that a deranged Arab sheik (Jerry Delony) is expecting two high-profile American visitors to make him a lucrative offer so that they can gain access to his oil fields. However, one of the American visitors (Max Thayer) is also a secret agent, receiving information from a girl inside the sheik’s harem, and planning a regime change. After the girl is captured by Ilsa (Thorne) and her trusted assistants, Satin (Tanya Boyd) and Velvet (Marilyn Joi), the sheik decides to outmaneuver the secret agent. Ilsa is then ordered to seduce the secret agent and extract as much information about his employers and plans as possible, but, much to the sheik’s surprise, while playing her part in bed, she unexpectedly falls in love. Annoyed by her failure and questioning her loyalty, the sheik promptly arrests Ilsa and instructs his henchmen to prepare her lover to meet his maker. However, at the same time, a violent uprising threatens to tear apart the sheik’s kingdom.

As strange as it may sound, the most intelligent bits of the chatter hurt Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks the most because they bring in logic that is incompatible with it. There are not that many, but they do plenty of damage because they make Ilsa, Harem of the Oil Sheiks less surreal. To be a better, more effective film, Edmonds should have avoided all logic and supersized the ridiculous, which would have been pretty easy. (See the shootouts in the final act).

The other serious flaw is the lack of great material with Thorne. It takes her a long time to step out of her uniform, plus, despite claiming the opposite, she does not look excited to be with her lover. Also, the sheik’s supposedly notorious harem looks pretty underwhelming.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-29 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks does not look as impressive as Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. I viewed it in its entirety in native 4K, with HDR, and then, several days later, in its entirety again, in 1080p on the Blu-ray. I definitely prefer how the film looks on Blu-ray.

In native 4K, plenty of the unevenness, grain fluctuations, and occasional tiny surface imperfections become much more prominent, leaving the impression that some additional work should have been done to bring the film to 4K Blu-ray. No, there is nothing troubling to report, and the entire film boasts a very fine organic appearance, but it is easy to tell that the master used to produce this combo pack release was sourced from a rougher source. In 1080p on the Blu-ray, the visuals have a more consistent, more even appearance, and I found it significantly more pleasing. The HDR grade is extremely gentle, so indoor and darker material tends to look very, very good in native 4K. However, the outdoor footage and especially the bits from the desert reveal plenty of source limitations. Color reproduction and balance are very good. I have an old R1 DVD copy of the film in my library, and I did not feel the need to do any comparisons because everywhere I looked, everything looked significantly better and more convincing. Perhaps a few supporting nuances could have been set slightly better, but color temperature and the overall balance are perfectly fine. Image stability is good. In summary, while there is room for some minor cosmetic improvements, this release will probably be the end of the line for Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The English track is very healthy. However, it is very easy to tell that the party that finalized it did so as cheaply as possible. Indeed, while the dialogue is clear and easy to follow, it is often uneven, and the music does not produce any meaningful dynamic contrasts. Additionally, all of the action material from the final act is very underwhelming. I turned up the volume quite a bit, and the upper register remained stable everywhere I checked.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Dyanne Thorne, director Don Edmonds, actor Howard Maurer, and critic Martin Lewis. This commentary is very similar to the one Thorne and Edmonds recorded for Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS, offering plenty of very interesting, and occasionally hilarious, information. The commentators reveal that Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks was shot during a serious heatwave in Glendale, California, and the writer who delivered the screenplay for it is a mysterious figure. Also, the commentators explain that Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks did very well at the box office, as well as internationally, where its predecessor had already acquired quite a reputation. When Ilsa is tied and tortured, there are some hilarious comments as well.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kat Ellinger and Evgueni Mlodik.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Dyanne Thorne, director Don Edmonds, actor Howard Maurer, and critic Martin Lewis. This commentary is very similar to the one Thorne and Edmonds recorded for Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS, offering plenty of very interesting, and occasionally hilarious, information. The commentators reveal that Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks was shot during a serious heatwave in Glendale, California, and the writer who delivered the screenplay for it is a mysterious figure. Also, the commentators explain that Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks did very well at the box office, as well as internationally, where its predecessor had already acquired quite a reputation. When Ilsa is tied and tortured, there are some hilarious comments as well.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kat Ellinger and Evgueni Mlodik.

• Don Edmonds - presented here is part two of the same program with Don Edmonds that was introduced on Kino Lorber's recent combo pack release of Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS. (The title of this program there is She Wolf of the SS). Edmonds discusses the awful shooting conditions in Glendale, California, which was used as a substitute for the exotic kingdom where Ilsa is employed in Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. The program was filmed on April 26, 2007, in Pasadena, CA. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of archival production stills, film stills, and publicity materials for Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks from around the world. VHS and DVD jackects are included as well. Presented with music. (6 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don Edmonds reveals that the people who funded Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks wanted less violent visuals, which is perfectly fine because, contrary to what has been argued over the years, violence is not what made its notorious predecessor a hit. It was Dyanne Thorne, and specifically the material where she does not wear a uniform. In this sequel, Thorne is again the biggest star and does what everyone expected from her, but there is also a lot of silly chatter about oil, secret agents, and freedom fighters that just isn't right for a skin flick. On the other hand, the sheik's antics inside the harem and all of the ridiculous action in the final act are, somewhat surprisingly, a decent excuse to book a date with Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. Kino Lorber's combo pack brings good organic presentations of it on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED to the fans.