Review of Girls In Prison

Introduction

`Girls in Prison` immediately conjures up a whole sub-genre of the classic b-movie, the `women in jail` theme that seems to have universal appeal for some very dubious reasons. Perhaps it is a power-fantasy for men that lies at the heart of this style of exploitation movie. Perhaps it`s just a fascination with the almost taboo thought of `bad women locked up`. Whatever the case, it`s inspired many movies and TV shows over the years both before and after this particular drive-in classic. `Bad Girls` is perhaps the most recent TV outing, though `Prisoner Cell Block H` is probably still playing somewhere. Movies of the genre include `The Big Dolls House`, `Slammer Girls`, and `Black Mama, White Mama`, and there are countless other examples of the genre too. For Producers wanting to invest in low-budget, sure-fire interest it`s irresistible.

The movie poster for this 1958 outing was fairly risqué for the era with it`s salacious hint at possible lesbianism when it asks the question: "What happens to women without men?" In case the public`s imagination couldn`t be stirred by that strap they added another: "The shocking story of one man against 1000 women". Now, those are the kinds of odds that would have had great appeal to teenage boys of the day.

Of course, like all exploitation pix from this era, the reality is much tamer than the promise (though there are hints at a lesbian approach when the new girl arrives, though they`re quickly glossed over and quickly forgotten).

`Girls in Prison` (1958) bears no relation to the 1994 movie of the same name. Sure there are girls, and they`re in prison, but the later film was no re-make.

The 1958 movie starts with an arrest of a young girl, 21 year old Anne Carson (Joan Taylor). She protests her innocence from the outset, though is greeted with cynicism by the prison matron who has heard it all before. However, a lantern-jawed Reverend (Richard Denning) shows faith in her side of the story and begins to do whatever he can to get and that she`s stashed her money gains in some secret location on the outside. When they escape, they persuade her to go with them, though they really only intend to take her money. Only it doesn`t work out that way.

Her father, a lazy scrounger who has been sponging from his daughter for years, becomes involved and the plot thickens when one of the bank-robbers from the original heist turns up for a share of the action too.

Video

Presented in a very standard 4:3 (1:33:1) format, with little effort illustrated with regard to panning and scanning so a little of the action appears to be lost. Overall though this is a surprisingly good print where contrast has held up well and with little sign of wear. It is a low-budget b-movie though so don`t expect miracles from a lighting point of view.

Audio

Presented here in original mono, it all stands up well and is probably far clearer than it ever was in the individual tinny echo chambers that comprised the audio in drive-Ins of the period, this movies natural viewing environment.

Features

In common with other movies in the collection, there is a 50-minute audio only interview with Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff. There are also a number of drive-in style trailers for other drive-in style movies in the collection. Strangely the only subtitles on offer are Dutch.

Conclusion

This is an early addition to a growing sub-genre of `girls in prison movies and TV shows and it contains the blueprints for a format that we`ve all seen replayed ad-infinitum. It`s actually a fairly compelling movie with some really good hard-boiled dialogue and, with the exception of the father (who really lets the side down), it`s a pretty strong cast. There`s no avoiding the fact that this is a low-budget, essentially moralistic movie though it does move at a pace and will provide some period kitsch for those who crave it.

Despite the promise of the original movie poster (see cover), it`s not as risqué as it pretends and the sex, violence and bad language is all carefully implied and disguised.

It represents another in the ever-expanding Arkoff film library and will please collectors of that particular series. But if low-budget, high drama is not your thing then this is most decidedly not for you.