For fans of '70s exploitation and women-in-prison flicks, Shout Factory's "Women in Cages" collection is a fun diversion that is well-assembled. We get three Roger Corman films from 1971-72 all shot in the Phillipines starring Pam Grier and other nubile honeys."The Big Doll House" features lots of torture scenes, fun performances from slimy Sid Haig (his scenes with Grier are priceless), and an almost unrecognizable Pat Woodell (the original Bobbie-Jo from the black-and-white "Petticoat Junction").
The best of the trilogy is "The Big Bird Cage" which throws more humor into the mix and the result is even more entertaining. The gay Phillipino prison guards are hysterical, as is the way the women shamelessly proclaim their sexual frustration (When they finally do get their hands on a man, he's forced at knifepoint to "Get it up, or I'll cut it off!"). The dialogue in this one just gets better with lines like ""You can't rape me, I love sex" and "Never mind the crotch cooties...they have to eat too!". And when an inmate slathers chicken fat all over her naked body so she can literally slip past the guards, "The Big Bird Cage" soars into camp movie heaven!
"Women In Cages" has Pam Grier in Sybil Danning-mode as the evil prison matron, rather than an inmate, and the results are not as good. The film seems to suffer from a smaller budget too, and despite encore performances from Roberta Collins and Judy Brown, isn't as fun as the first two flicks. I'd recommend watching "Women in Cages" first and saving the earlier but superior flicks til last.
There's a lengthy documentary about all three films featuring interviews with many of the actors and actresses that is worthwhile viewing as well as original trailers and TV spots. The picture quality is very good. They've done as best as possible with the original elements, but there are a few blotches on the prints here and there.
If you love bad movies from the early '70s with lots of poisonous snakes, catfights, mud wrestling and pre-silicone boobies, this collection is for you!
All three films are presented in anamorphic widescreen. A note in an insert says that "Two separate film elements were used to put together a complete version of THE BIG BIRD CAGE--a CRI and the original negative, which had been cut at some point." Both DOLL HOUSE and BIRD CAGE look and sound sensational.
On the other hand, WOMEN IN CAGES (which reunited three of DOLL HOUSE's cast members--Grier, Judy Brown and Roberta Collins, but appears to have been shot with an even smaller budget and without any of the style Jack Hill brought to his two films) has muddy sound. The same booklet warns, "We used the only available source material for the audio on WOMEN IN CAGES, which was not in pristine condition. Much of the audio for these films shot in the Philippines was done later in post production, as you'll find that not all lip movements match the dialogue." WOMEN is the least fun of the trio. It does boast an over-the-top, nasty-as-hell villain performance by Pam Grier (in just her second role), but while the two Hill productions are beautiful to look at and take full advantage of shooting in the tropical paradise, WOMEN keeps its shots claustrophobic and close. The few outdoor shots are usually shot at night or nearing dawn (with smoke effects to further mask the cheap budget). One whole action sequence on the beach near the end is shot in silhouette, which makes it impossible to even see which of the women is being chased and shot at. There's such a lack of location footage that you'd almost think it was shot on a NY backlot! WOMEN plays almost like a horror film with Pam's torture chamber almost like out of a German S/M porn film.
But the reason to buy this set is the beautiful prints of BIG DOLL HOUSE and BIG BIRD CAGE and Jack Hill's informative commentaries (did you know that DOLL HOUSE's delicious villain, Barbara Loder, became ill and lapsed into a coma while making the film? She was finally diagnosed as being diabetic and was treated and came out of her coma to finish the film. She looks scary-thin in the film, but she's a wonderful villain--just as she would be a couple years later in FOXY BROWN). Both films are action-packed and have a sense of humor about themselves (especially BIRD CAGE, which is really a parody of DOLL HOUSE). These are not "so bad that they're good" movies...these are actually well-made, action-packed adventures with strong female characters. And they all show just how quickly Pam Grier was able to turn herself into a star with vibrant screen presence. Enjoy!All I can say is "this is exploitation heaven!". To me these Roger Corman drive-in classics are what prison flicks are all about! Shout has done one terrific job on this two disc triple feature. The three films are finally anamorphic widescreen and look great (especially Big Doll House) and this is a fantastic package! Always have enjoyed low budget drive in classics from the 70s, but these are the icing on the cake!! Women in Prison flicks from early 70s have always been my guilty pleasure.
The special features are numerous (love the from Manila with love doc.) for Big Doll House. Big Bird Cage has audio commentary from Jack Hill, trailers. Women in Cages only has trailer. But all in all, this is worth picking up if you enjoy these Pam Grier classics. Can't wait for the blu rays!Shout Factory continues to release the works from Director Roger Corman's New World Pictures where young directors were able to refine and mature their talents working in low budget conditions but receiving expert training to go on to the major studios. Because of hearing about the success of Director Jesus Franco's '99 WOMEN'-1969, writer/director Jack Hill pitched an idea to Roger Corman to do a woman in prison film of their own. Corman arranged to have the film made in the Phillipines where at that time they could get away with much more than by shooting it in the states. The rest was legend: 'THE BIG DOLL HOUSE' -1971 went on to incredible business making a star our of newcomer Pam Grier and elevated Jack Hill to cult action director status. The film , however ,was not the first to show tough women on the screen. Countless teenage fifties girl gang films leading up to Director Russ Meyer's classic 'FASTER, PUSSYCAT, KILL KILL'1965 is proof of that. 'DOLL HOUSE' was the first to show a gang of women struggling to survive within the prison system. Nine times out of ten, the main actress was incarcerated by accident or deliberately and spends the films running time revealing her innocence and taking the other girls with her. It was responsible for countless imitations from Director Don Edmond's 'ILSASHE WOLF OF THE SS'-1974 and it sequels plus may have influenced the Nazi Exploitation films which came from Italy in the late seventies. It also showed the underrated acting ability of Sid Haig who would be resurrected in the Rob Zombie duet 'HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES'-2003 and 'THE DEVIL'S REJECTS'-2005 and Roberta Collins who's matter of fact acting styles elevated the films to classic status . This collection contains the first three films which came out of the box office explosion of 'DOLL HOUSE'S' success. Each film has been released before in box sets and individually. I have not yet seen this release but I do have the box set that New World released in 2004 'PAM GRIER: UNLEASHED' which contains these three films along with her 1973 Roman epic guilty pleasure, Director Steve Carver's 'ARENA'-1973. The transfers are full screen and beautiful so Shout Factory may have the same transfers or may have improved on them. Hopefully, they also will retain the excellent audio commentary tracks by Director Jack Hill on both 'DOLL HOUSE' and its sequel 'THE BIG BIRD CAGE'-1972. The commentaries really give you an excellent behind the scenes look at location filmmaking and working and surviving in primitive conditions. 'WOMEN IN CAGES'-1971 was released immediately after the success of 'DOLL HOUSE' where actresses from the film decided to stay on in the Phillipines and you'll notice that Pam Grier goes from heroine to villain as the prison commandant. It is directed by Gerry De Leon who made some great cult classics such as 'TERROR IS A MAN'-1959 and was behind the scenes on the infamous 'BLOOD ISLAND' trilogy all made in the Phillipines. 'THE BIG BIRD CAGE' was made to continue the success of the first one and utilizes model Anitra Ford in the lead along with Pam. It contains more over the top sequences such as the simulated sex and rape scene of the gay prison guard which was incredibly daring for its time and just shows what liberties the filmmakers took with the genre. Director Hill directs so excellently that both films could easily be seen as a 3 hour epic. Where 'WOMEN IN CAGES' lacks humor and has more grisly moments in the torture department, its Jack Hill's stamp of humor and innovative direction that made his films groundbreaking in portraying women in tough situations and paved the way for female vigilante and super buffed babe films to come including 'SWITCHBLADE SISTERS'-1975. There was also a women in prison revival in the early eighties utilizing actresses Linda Blair and Sybil Danning but they never reached the exploitive heights of these three classics. Those films will have a future release. Knowing Shout Factory's past releases, this box set comes highly recommended if you have not yet seen these wonderful time capsules of low budget filmmaking. Watch Pam in her prime before she made 'COFFY'1973,'FOXY BROWN'-1974 both by Jack Hill and Director Quentin Tarrantino's 'JACKIE BROWN'-1997 and makes you see what all the fuss was about. Pambo Rules!!!The machete maidens are indeed unleashed in this triple feature of philippine bamboo cage women in prison flicks, all staring a very young and captive-vating Pam Grier, 2 of the films also star Sid Haig who seems to pop up in every 70's movie I watch lately, but you may know as the menacing clown from House of 1000 Corpses and the Devil's Rejects. These are really more women empowerment movies then anything else, sure there are shower scenes and abusive prison guards, but these broads are tough and don't take no guff, there are lots of cat fights, mostly in the mud, and the films despite being low budget keep your interest and are well written and directed, not that this is exactly cinema verité, but if you like WIP, Grindhouse, Drive-in, Exploitation and or Pam Grier this is a must have.
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