These VHS's (and later DVD's) were all available in the bargain/discount bins (Rent 3 for a week for 5.99) of my local video store back in the late 90s/early 2000s! I rented them all!!
It's always fun when people in wheelchairs have names like "Steele". It's a bit like "Ironside". I don't think I managed to get the whole way through this one during "Women in Prison month" so I'm glad you filled in the blanks.
Hi Rob, I am really digging these reviews. We lost a treasure when Mister Corman passed away. Speaking of lost treasures, Roberta Collins had one of the most angelic faces in film. Also, she could express herself with a look far better than most actresses. The next time you watch Death Race 2000 (my all-time favourite movie), fast-forward to the 45 minute and 46 second mark. Then watch the following second and a half worth of footage in slow-motion. This is the moment in the film when Roberta Collins' character, Matilda The Hun, drives off a cliff to her death. We get to see a very short closeup of Roberta Collins' face through the windshield in this moment. Miss Collins' expression (or mix of expressions) within this very short closeup is beautiful to watch. In less than a second and a half she goes from a look of surprise and sudden awareness of her fate, to an almost orgasmic acceptance of her own mortality. Through her eyes and her breathing, it's like watching Matilda The Hun skip most of the 5 stages of death and go straight to laying herself on a bed of roses for the Grim Reaper himself - an erotic surrender to death. No joke. Check out the 45 minute, 46 second mark of Death Race 2000 for one of the most amazing closeups in film history. Keep the reviews comin', man. S #NationalFilmBoardofChinada
I've seen so many women in prison films that I was sure I'd seen this one as well but apparently not. It's disappointing to hear it fell flat but I'm glad your review didn't. Seeing Juanita Brown reminded me that I recently watched her in Willie Dynamite (1974). That would be a great one for you to review. Initially I was expecting to just laugh at the outrageous acting but by the end I was really impressed. It's packed with Black character actors of the time. Maybe the biggest shocker to me was when I realized that the actor playing Willie Dynamite also began his very long career as Gordon on Sesame Street that same year. I grew up watching him as a kid so that blew my mind. Anyway, I highly recommend it for one of your reviews.
It's weird seeing wholesome people in those blaxploitation films. "Mac" from Night Court was in The Black Gestapo and Nichelle Nichols played a pimp in Truck Turner :)
@@jeffcoat1959 Lots of these films also have similar titles -- Women in Cages, Chained Heat, Caged Women, Caged!, etc. These are niche genre films and the titles let the audience know exactly what kind of movie it is (or at least should be).
Erica Gavin is featured a LOT in "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"! She's great! (i still want you to watch it, you don't even have to review it! prettyplease with chocolate and sprinkles and whipped cream and a cherry on top?
Great video. Obviously you put a lot of work in to these videos. Much respect 🙏 I just never understood the term "exploitation" in reference to films. Were the actors not paid? How were they exploited? Were they forced or coerced to be in the film? Yeah... don't get it 🤷♂️
Exploitation in cinema just means that the film makers don't have big budgets or (usually) famous actors, so they have to find other ways to attract audiences. A common way to do this is to exploit the audience's interest in things Hollywood does not normally show, like more violence or more nudity. Other types of exploitation films exploit the audience's interest in niche topics not usually covered by mainstream cinema.
There's a not-so-uncommon problem that comes up when a movie tries to parody a thing. The movie follows the conventions of the thing too closely and ends up being a lukewarm version of the thing it is parodying. My favorite canonical example is 1998's "Mafia!" aka "Jane Austen's Mafia". The movie is parodying The Godfather 1&2 with some of Goodfellas and Casino. By the end, the film is following the plot arc of The Godfather so closely it feels like the comedy is out of obligation. The counterpoint is from the same director, "Airplane!", which follows the plot of "Zero Hour" so closely it's generally considered a remake. The difference is if the jokes fit. Mafia cared about plot and had forced jokes. Airplane was able to fit all the jokes it used on the plot without ever feeling forced. Caged Heat has this but worse; it tries to be a parody without being an actual parody. Women in Prison is obligation for the movie and Demme did not have the heart of an exploitation director. The nature of the film means he won't have the toolkit to go off the wall like Abrahams or the Zuckers; the film must be actual Women in Prison with added snickering. When the light comedy doesn't land, all you have is a talented director meeting the minimum standards to complete the film. "Plot" elements that exist because they must with jokes pasted in between.
I agree with all of that! Another thing that can help is a certain amount of love -- or at least respect -- for what is being parodied. The Editor by Astron 6 follows the giallo conventions quite closely but still works as both a parody and a decent giallo in its own right. You can tell Astron 6 are also fans of the genre.
@@XploitationRR Absolutely. I think there's something to be said about the fact the movie leaves prison half-way through. It makes me think Corman and Demme were trying to move to normal New World Pictures territory of car chases and bandits on the run.
Rob, have you seen "Caged" from 1950? It's got stars - Eleanor Parker (the new fish) , Agnes Moorehead (the sympathetic warden) Lee Patrick (the "queenpin"), and Hope Emerson (the sadistic guard). But it is most definitely an exploitation film; plus, it's in black & white.
Not gonna happen :) These vids are already 1000+ word scripts that I write every week. That's basically me writing a short novel every year -- and that's just the writing. Then there's filming and editing and sourcing clips and fighting with copyright claims and, and, and... Considering how little I make off these vids, I'm stupid for doing this much :)
You like what you see? Then why not tuck a few bills into my virtual waistband?
ko-fi.com/xploitation_randr
The soundtrack was performed by John Cale from the Velvet Underground and the legendary Mike Bloomfield.
Barbara Steele! The Queen of All Scream Queens" - and she is still alive at the age of 86.
These VHS's (and later DVD's) were all available in the bargain/discount bins (Rent 3 for a week for 5.99) of my local video store back in the late 90s/early 2000s! I rented them all!!
My local video store had a similar deal: 5 for 5 for 5. 5 movies for 5 days for 5 dollars. Took advantage of that offer many times :)
@XploitationRR DAMN! That was a better deal than MY local stores!! God how I miss the Golden Age of small mom & pop owned video stores!!
It's always fun when people in wheelchairs have names like "Steele". It's a bit like "Ironside".
I don't think I managed to get the whole way through this one during "Women in Prison month" so I'm glad you filled in the blanks.
Hi Rob,
I am really digging these reviews. We lost a treasure when Mister Corman passed away.
Speaking of lost treasures, Roberta Collins had one of the most angelic faces in film. Also, she could express herself with a look far better than most actresses.
The next time you watch Death Race 2000 (my all-time favourite movie), fast-forward to the 45 minute and 46 second mark. Then watch the following second and a half worth of footage in slow-motion. This is the moment in the film when Roberta Collins' character, Matilda The Hun, drives off a cliff to her death.
We get to see a very short closeup of Roberta Collins' face through the windshield in this moment. Miss Collins' expression (or mix of expressions) within this very short closeup is beautiful to watch. In less than a second and a half she goes from a look of surprise and sudden awareness of her fate, to an almost orgasmic acceptance of her own mortality. Through her eyes and her breathing, it's like watching Matilda The Hun skip most of the 5 stages of death and go straight to laying herself on a bed of roses for the Grim Reaper himself - an erotic surrender to death.
No joke. Check out the 45 minute, 46 second mark of Death Race 2000 for one of the most amazing closeups in film history.
Keep the reviews comin', man.
S
#NationalFilmBoardofChinada
Really Rob, Juanita Brown takes the cake!
I've seen so many women in prison films that I was sure I'd seen this one as well but apparently not. It's disappointing to hear it fell flat but I'm glad your review didn't.
Seeing Juanita Brown reminded me that I recently watched her in Willie Dynamite (1974). That would be a great one for you to review. Initially I was expecting to just laugh at the outrageous acting but by the end I was really impressed. It's packed with Black character actors of the time. Maybe the biggest shocker to me was when I realized that the actor playing Willie Dynamite also began his very long career as Gordon on Sesame Street that same year. I grew up watching him as a kid so that blew my mind. Anyway, I highly recommend it for one of your reviews.
It's weird seeing wholesome people in those blaxploitation films. "Mac" from Night Court was in The Black Gestapo and Nichelle Nichols played a pimp in Truck Turner :)
@@XploitationRR Cool info. I will add those 2 to my watch list.
Interesting - there is a 1995 film called "Caged Hearts" with a similar plot.
Almost all women in prison films have the same plot, so that's not very surprising :)
@@XploitationRR Looks like they even tried to copy the title...
@@jeffcoat1959 Lots of these films also have similar titles -- Women in Cages, Chained Heat, Caged Women, Caged!, etc. These are niche genre films and the titles let the audience know exactly what kind of movie it is (or at least should be).
Erica Gavin is featured a LOT in "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"! She's great! (i still want you to watch it, you don't even have to review it! prettyplease with chocolate and sprinkles and whipped cream and a cherry on top?
I've seen Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I'll review it eventually. My long-term goal is to review every Russ Meyer film.
@@XploitationRR ALL right! Thanks!
Great video. Obviously you put a lot of work in to these videos. Much respect 🙏
I just never understood the term "exploitation" in reference to films. Were the actors not paid? How were they exploited? Were they forced or coerced to be in the film? Yeah... don't get it 🤷♂️
Exploitation in cinema just means that the film makers don't have big budgets or (usually) famous actors, so they have to find other ways to attract audiences. A common way to do this is to exploit the audience's interest in things Hollywood does not normally show, like more violence or more nudity. Other types of exploitation films exploit the audience's interest in niche topics not usually covered by mainstream cinema.
There's a not-so-uncommon problem that comes up when a movie tries to parody a thing. The movie follows the conventions of the thing too closely and ends up being a lukewarm version of the thing it is parodying.
My favorite canonical example is 1998's "Mafia!" aka "Jane Austen's Mafia". The movie is parodying The Godfather 1&2 with some of Goodfellas and Casino. By the end, the film is following the plot arc of The Godfather so closely it feels like the comedy is out of obligation. The counterpoint is from the same director, "Airplane!", which follows the plot of "Zero Hour" so closely it's generally considered a remake.
The difference is if the jokes fit. Mafia cared about plot and had forced jokes. Airplane was able to fit all the jokes it used on the plot without ever feeling forced.
Caged Heat has this but worse; it tries to be a parody without being an actual parody.
Women in Prison is obligation for the movie and Demme did not have the heart of an exploitation director. The nature of the film means he won't have the toolkit to go off the wall like Abrahams or the Zuckers; the film must be actual Women in Prison with added snickering. When the light comedy doesn't land, all you have is a talented director meeting the minimum standards to complete the film.
"Plot" elements that exist because they must with jokes pasted in between.
I agree with all of that!
Another thing that can help is a certain amount of love -- or at least respect -- for what is being parodied. The Editor by Astron 6 follows the giallo conventions quite closely but still works as both a parody and a decent giallo in its own right. You can tell Astron 6 are also fans of the genre.
@@XploitationRR Absolutely.
I think there's something to be said about the fact the movie leaves prison half-way through. It makes me think Corman and Demme were trying to move to normal New World Pictures territory of car chases and bandits on the run.
I love Roberta Collins. The end.
Barbara Steele dances? I'm a big fan of hers. I should check this out. 10/10 fricheks
This must be a spin off band from Canned Heat JK 😆
Rob, have you seen "Caged" from 1950? It's got stars - Eleanor Parker (the new fish) , Agnes Moorehead (the sympathetic warden) Lee Patrick (the "queenpin"), and Hope Emerson (the sadistic guard). But it is most definitely an exploitation film; plus, it's in black & white.
No, i don't think I've seen that one. I'll check it out.
Check out Bare Behind Bars if you like this.
Wasn’t Desiree Cousteau in this? She was in some prison film I’m sure
Name doesn't ring a bell...
Have you reviewed Firecracker/Naked Fist yet?
Nope, not yet.
Longer vids please! 😂
Not gonna happen :)
These vids are already 1000+ word scripts that I write every week. That's basically me writing a short novel every year -- and that's just the writing. Then there's filming and editing and sourcing clips and fighting with copyright claims and, and, and...
Considering how little I make off these vids, I'm stupid for doing this much :)