Frauen im Zuchthaus

It seems a shame to describe any Women In Prison picture as "tedious", but this Italian production just fails to be that interesting for its first half. It takes a while to get to any rioting that's going to be done. Fortunately, along the way there are choice scenes that lovers of cinematic trash will adore. They just have to wade through a lot of talk to get to them. This wouldn't be so bad if the movie weren't so horribly dubbed, though: the dialogue is pretty hard to make out at times (not that aficionados of this sort of thing would really care about dialogue).

Performances are mostly adequate in this tale of French tourist Martine Fresienne (Martine Brochard), vacationing in Italy, who just happens to be present when cops bust a bunch of hippies. As it happens, some drugs are planted on Martine, so she's busted with the rest of them and sent to prison - a typical enough prison for W.I.P. fare. Martine makes the acquaintance of Susan (Marilu Tolo), a loud, aggressive inmate who's the kind of person who makes things happen.

If you've read this far, you'll be pleased to know that the movie delivers what you could expect, including an extended shower scene. There's plenty of bare female flesh to admire, always extremely important for the genre. The highlights of the movie include an inmate pleasuring herself in the shower, Susan doing the same in the yard in order to tease a guard, the supreme embarrassment of a hot young nun (Cristina Galbo), the strip tease performed by Isabelle (Isabelle De Valvert), and a rather poetically done lesbian sex scene. With things like this going on, it's understandable that the viewers aren't going to care a whole lot about the story. The standout among the actresses is striking brunette Tolo, who comes complete with a particularly bad dubbing job.

Running a mere 81 minutes, this obviously pretty obscure movie has been resurrected on DVD by the grindhouse collection started by Charles Bands' Full Moon company. Completists will definitely want to give it a look.

Six out of 10.

Prigione di Donne, or Riot in a Women's Prison, is a 1974 Italian exploitation film directed by Brunello Rondi, famed for his writing collaborations with Fellini. This entry into the women-in-prison (WIP) genre of the 1970s has its moments of trashy fun but ultimately fails to excite, with a tedious pace and underwhelming story.

The film begins with a peaceful group of hippies, including our main character, being arrested by fascists. Guilty by association, she finds herself in a pre-trial jail run by nuns, a seemingly odd but intriguing concept that sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The first half of the movie is a slow burn, taking its time to build up to the eventual riot suggested by the title. Along the way, we're treated to some choice scenes of sleaze and nudity, catfights, and over-the-top moments that fans of the genre will appreciate. However, these moments are few and far between, and the wait may deter all but the most dedicated fans of exploitation cinema.

The story is unengaging, and the acting leaves much to be desired. The film attempts to critique the state oppression and the unjust imprisonment of the women, but this intelligent parable is let down by lackluster performances and a general lack of energy. The much-anticipated riot scene, a fight between guards and prisoners, falls flat and is even embarrassing at times.

Where the film does find some success is in its atmosphere and setting. Rondi and cinematographer Gino Santini create a seedy, oppressive world that feels authentically 70s. The prison setting is effectively utilized, and the nuns add an interesting dynamic, subtly exerting a form of moral and physical control over their charges.

Overall, Prigione di Donne is a passable entry into the WIP genre. While it has some enjoyable moments and a unique setting, it is ultimately let down by its slow pace and forgettable story and performances. Only recommended for die-hard fans of exploitation cinema or those with a particular interest in the era's Italian filmmaking.

For a more satisfying riot, you may want to look elsewhere!

The Italians are famous for jumping on bandwagons, but it took them a little while (really until the 1980's) to jump on the WIP (women in prison) movie bandwagon in earnest. The 1970's Italian-made WIP films were few and far between and didn't really achieve either the action of of US-Filipino versions or the unmitigated sleaze of the Jess Franco ones (they were also overshadowed by the far more sleazy Italian "Nazi sexploitation" films of the era). The 1970's Italian WIP films usually weren't pure WIP films. "Women in Cellblock 7" is more of a Italian crime thriller. "Escape from a Woman's Prison" is more of hostage drama or a "terror" film. And this is partly a "nunsploitation" film since all the jailers here are nuns for some reason.

Martine Brochard is the "new fish". Of course as usual, she is innocent. (In the most ridiculous circumstances ever to befall one of these heroines, she is touring some caves with a girlfriend and they run into a group of dope-smoking hippies just as the police are raiding them). Marilu Tolo is her tough lesbian cellmate. She is pretty miscast here, and the "Guys and Dolls" accent the English-language dubbers give her REALLY doesn't help. Katia Christian and Erna Schurer play some of the other prisoners, here to do what they do best (shower scenes, masturbation scenes, lesbian scenes etc.). Cristina Galbo plays a young nun who gets her habit torn off during a riot in the most hilariously gratuitous scene in this generally gratuitous film.

I saw this on a dub of a Venezuelan videotape. Needless to say it looked awful, but far worse was the atrocious English dubbing (even though it's my second language I finally had to turn the sound down and just read the Spanish subtitles). On the plus side it really has an all-star (at least if you're familiar with 1970's European exploitation starlets)cast. I guess you could also count this as a nunsploitation film if you're a fan of that, uh, genre.

The director Brunello Rondi would go to direct "Velluto Nero" with Laura Gemser and Annie Belle, which really isn't any better than this, but has been released on DVD, so it at least LOOKS a lot better. I can't really recommend this in its current sorry state, but if gets a decent DVD release like "Velluto Nero" (or "Escape from a Woman's Prison" and "woman of Cellblock 7"), you might want to check it out.

Of course I was expecting more and better, as always. But, the story is devoid of any interest, the acting performances are lamentable, nothing vibrates, many even embarrassing moments, especially in the fight scene between guards and prisoners during the revolt.

The premise of this movie is that a woman is falsely accused of dealing in drugs. She encounters a group of people doing drugs and when the police arrive, a stash is placed in her coat. Those drugs are discovered, and she is summarily sent to prison to await trial. It is a prison run by nuns and most of the movie depicts the lives of the women in their environment.

Much of the movie is predictable, with two of the obligatory scenes of such movies present. The first is the shower scene, where the women cavort like schoolgirls under the streams of water. They are having so much fun that the nun supervising them steps in to separate an overexuberant pair. The second obligatory scene is one that strongly hints of lesbian sexual activity.

As was expected, there were several scenes where the sole purpose seemed to be an excuse to include one or more bare female breasts. Other than that, the movie is quite dull, the acting is weak, storyline unremarkable and predictable. The falsely accused woman is somehow exonerated and apparently walks out of the prison a changed person. At least that is what is hinted, there is no definitive justification. It is a typical example of the women in prison genre that was popular drive-in fare for a time.