Jul 29, 2020
Jul 27, 2020
The Hot Box (1972)
Written by Jonathan Demme and produced with Roger Corman, this is less a Women In Prison (WIP) movie, and more a jungle action flick. Four nurses working at a medical center in the Republic of San Rosario are abducted by guerrilla rebels, then proceed to commit acts of terrorism and acts of skinny dipping.
Hell Behind the Bars (1984)
An Italian WIP film that is basically the same as Hell Penitentiary (1984) - using the same basic cast, wardrobe and set. Roger Corman did the same with with The Big Doll House (1971) and Women in Cages (1971) but at least had the good sense to use different directors to changes things up a little.
Jul 26, 2020
Women in Cages (1971)
Filmed at basically the same time as The Big Doll House with the same basic cast (Roberta Collins, Pam Grier and Judith Brown) and also produced by Roger Corman. As mentioned in that review, the 1971 Corman films, while not inventing the genre, certainly laid down the playbook which Women In Prison (WIP) films dutifully followed for the next couple decades.
Women In Prison (WIP)
Other than perhaps slasher films, is there another genre of movie which follows the rules and tropes so faithfully? Almost all of them have the requisite wicked warden, shower scene, escape attempt, creative torture methods, a shy girl dying, cat fights, tough lesbian who hates the new girl, and prison riot finales.
Jul 25, 2020
The Police Are Blundering in the Dark (1975)
(Original Title: The Police Are Blundering in the Dark) The title and poster makes this look like a Giallo, but it's really just a standard whodunit.... well, not "standard"; this is a really odd and unique film. It has your standard mystery slasher, but also features an invention that can take a picture of your soul, a condition called "erotomania" and a prominent lettuce patch.
Jul 24, 2020
Jul 23, 2020
Come Make Love With Me (1979)
Jul 22, 2020
Girls Who Come To Munich (1972)
(Original Title: Mädchen, die nach München kommen) Released as "The Swinging Coeds" in the US, this is actually a Schulmädchen-Report spin-off by Walter Boos, who had actually directed some Schulmädchen-Report films. Boos is also the man behind the magnificent Magdalena, vom Teufel besessen (1974) (Magdalena, Possessed by the Devil). The vignettes in this film revolve around the Munich Olympics and the various girls who migrate to the city for jobs. Also, as usual, the American title has absolutely nothing to do with anything - not one coed to be found in this film.
Schulmädchen-Report 12 (1978)
(Full Title: Schulmädchen-Report 12. Teil - Wenn das die Mammi wüßte) This is the last of the Schulmädchen-Report series we'll cover. I understand there are a few more, but this is where we step off. We'll still cover Schulmädchen-Report copycats, but this is where the "official" series ends for us. It's already on the brink of porn, and not-so-recognizable from the start of the series, with the usual group of actresses long gone.
Jul 21, 2020
Schulmädchen-Report 11 (1977)
Schulmädchen-Report 10 (1976)
Schulmädchen-Report 9 (1975)
(Full Title: Schulmädchen-Report 9: Reifeprüfung vor dem Abitur) As we've discussed, these films were always disguised as American made productions in the states. This one was called "Varsity Playthings" in the US, and also released as "Sophomore Sensations". Of course, the German sounding names were with names like "Shelly Gold". This one features the great Gina Janssen. Had I known that, this one would've been watched long ago.
Jul 20, 2020
Schulmädchen-Report 6 (1973)
Schulmädchen-Report 5 (1973)
I feel this is where Schulmädchen-Report finally lives up to its potential. At first, it was a novel idea (mockumentary as excuse to show endless nudity in a vignette format) which struck a chord for whatever reason with European audiences. But let's face it, they weren't particularly good films on their own terms. I suspect the series would have fizzled had it not been bolstered by some strong entries into the "canon", starting with this one. Part 5 avoids being overly dark and weird (as with Part 3 and 4) or lapsing into boring throwaway pieces (as with Part 2). You could argue that Part 4 took it in a better direction by finally bringing in actresses we know and love with Christina Lindberg, Igrid Steeger, and Ulrike Butz. But this is where the stories and the erotic element are done right.
Jul 19, 2020
Schulmädchen-Report 2 (1971)
(Full Title: Schulmädchen-Report 2. Teil - Was Eltern den Schlaf raubt) The sequel to the smash success of Part 1.
Schulmädchen-Report 1 (1970)
(Full title: Schulmädchen-Report 1. Teil - Was Eltern nicht für möglich halten) Here it is - the first in the Schulmädchen-Report series. This was a huge success in Germany, topping the box office for several weeks, and spawning about a dozen sequels, and legions of imitators. They all follow the same shtick: Framed as a documentary on sex in today's youth, featuring a series of stories/vignettes tied to the theme. Let's check out the one that started it all...
Greetings from Lederhose II (1974)
(Full Title: Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose II. Teil: Zwei Kumpel auf der Alm) Sequel to the 1973 film, and there would be at least five more to come.
Jul 18, 2020
Greetings From Lederhose (1973)
(Original Title: Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose) We simply can't go on covering Bavarian sex comedies and Lederhosen films without covering the grand poobah of them all. This film spawned at least six sequels and an untold number of imitators. It launched the career of then little-known folk singer, Peter Steiner, and supposedly increased tourism to the area.
The Manipulated Man (1972)
(AKA Dressurakt für wilde Mädchen) The title is an allusion to the highly popular book Der dressierte Mann (The Manipulated Man) by German author Esther Vilar, that was published in 1971 and argued that women were dominating men. Another Schulmädchen-Report style film, which means we're served several episodes/vignettes around a certain theme, some mildly amusing, some tragic, all a bit odd.
Jul 16, 2020
The Day of the Masons III (1987)
(Original Title: El día de los Albañiles) And so we've reached the third in the epic Albañiles trilogy (Part 1 and Part 2). There was at least one more, but it wasn't the same. The first two featured Angélica Chain and Alfonso Zayas and this one adds Maribel "La Pelangocha" Fernández to the all-star lineup. And yes, there's more Tun Tun.
Jul 12, 2020
The Day of the Masons 2 (1985)
(Original Title: El día de los Albañiles 2) Sequel to El día de los albañiles (1984) and there would be a few more. These could be considered vecindad films, which we've discussed before. This one also stars the prolific Angélica Chain. (My goal is to have as many Angélica Chain and Rebecca Silva movies on VZ1 as we do Rene Bond and Michelle Bauer films.)
La portera ardiente (1989)
There was a type of Mexican film called a "vecindad", of which we've covered several already on VZ1. [Examples: El vecindario (1982) and El día de los albañiles (1984)]. The films would center on a poor neighborhood and follow the thin plot-lines of the various characters which would range from overly tragic to silly comedy. Everybody knows everybody, and there's always lots of bed swapping.
Jul 11, 2020
Emanuelo (1984)
A Mexican comedy starring Rafael Inclán and Rebeca Silva. Basically, he's an electronics repairman who is also a professional pick-up artist. He's banging every girl in the neighborhood, until he meets his match with Silva.
La Taquera Picante (1990)
Yeah, I know. It's yet another Mexican sex comedy. All I can say is, when it comes to this genre, Latin America did it right. It will be a while before the well runs dry too - as they produced a shit ton of these films throughout the eighties. Let's have a look at another Sasha Montenegro sex comedy "classic" - this one featuring Maribel Fernández, AKA "La Pelangocha" who absolutely killed it in Muerto al hoyo... y el vivo tambien (1990), demanding us to look at more of her work.
The Plumbers and the Ficheras (1988)
(Original Title: Los plomeros y las ficheras) The usual gang of Mexican comedic actors (Alfonso Zayas, Andres Garcia Rafael Inclán) and the usual gang of Mexican actresses who constantly get naked, including Sasha Montenegro and Rosario Escobar. The story is crazy, all-over-the-place and largely irrelevant, as it just serves as a template to play out silly gags and gratuitous nudity. (Note that "Ficheras" refers to the Mexican sex comedy genre).
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