Jess Franco may have had high hopes for this women-in-prison (WIP) film. The cast which includes Herbert Lom, Luciana Paluzzi, Maria Schell and Mercedes McCambridge certainly suggests that Franco meant business. The end result though, falls short. Made in 1969, perhaps Franco was hampered by censorship constraints. Compared to his later films, this one is rather tame.
Herbert Lom gives it his all as the corrupt and lascivious Governor Santos but the rest of the cast could have done better. There is not much of the sleaze factor in this film. Nudity, hot Sapphic action and lathering-up in the showers are in short supply, as are torture and whippings, surely the mainstays of WIP films. Franco seems to have gone for the mainstream cinema, with attention to the new warden, the attempts to get rid of her and the escape of three inmates which all goes horribly wrong.
There is a so-called notorious French edition which includes some hard core action but these clips have been clumsily spliced in. In one scene, the inmate with short red hair is replaced by a blonde with long hair for the hard core action. How crass is that? In my opinion, the one to go for is the Director's Cut. If you want hard core sex action get a proper porn film.
Herbert Lom gives it his all as the corrupt and lascivious Governor Santos but the rest of the cast could have done better. There is not much of the sleaze factor in this film. Nudity, hot Sapphic action and lathering-up in the showers are in short supply, as are torture and whippings, surely the mainstays of WIP films. Franco seems to have gone for the mainstream cinema, with attention to the new warden, the attempts to get rid of her and the escape of three inmates which all goes horribly wrong.
There is a so-called notorious French edition which includes some hard core action but these clips have been clumsily spliced in. In one scene, the inmate with short red hair is replaced by a blonde with long hair for the hard core action. How crass is that? In my opinion, the one to go for is the Director's Cut. If you want hard core sex action get a proper porn film.