5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Women's prison tale, with Lina Romay as Maria who is jailed after killing her father, played by director Jess Franco, who tries to rape her. Lesbian wardens, torture, nudity, sex, insanity and conspiracy round out the formula.
Starring: Lina Romay (II), Paul Muller, Monica Swinn, Roger Darton, Ronald WeissHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 70% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.81:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Whether one finds Jesus Franco a film friend or foe, an artist or an exploiter, famous or infamous, it cannot be denied that the Spanish-born filmmaker will be remembered as one of the most prolific of his, or any, time. Known for putting together various Horror and Exploitation films at what must be near-record pace during his peak in the 1970s, known for his unabashed presentation of nudity and sexuality, known for pushing cinematic boundaries of taste, known for films bordering on pornography, known for his handheld and zoom-lens techniques, Franco's name has become synonymous with sleazy cinema and all that comes with that branding. Barbed Wire Dolls, a 1976 film known as Frauengefängnis in its native tongue, stands as one of the most widely recognized of his films, a quintessential example of his work in the greater sexual exploitation arena and the "Women in Prison" sub-genre. Packed with classic Franco filmmaking techniques, nudity, rape, torture, bad acting, and next-to-no story, the film pushes buttons and pushes boundaries from its first scene to its last.
Women (and a guy) in prison.
Barbed Wire Dolls has been "digitally remastered [from a] negative from Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich's vaults." It's certainly not perfect, but considering the film's budget and stylistic constraints, Full Moon's 1080p, slightly window boxed 1.81:1 transfer can be said to be a fairly strong presentation. The image is dotted by random speckles and debris, stray vertical lines and the like. Clean-up was not so thorough as to make the movie spotless, but the light textural wear accentuates the movie's low-budget exploitation stylings very nicely, anyway. Textural details are by-and-large a strong point. The movie is fairly soft, inherently, with some diffuse imagery and a smeary dream/flashback sequence, but core elements like faces and the concrete walls and grounds around the prison present with a pleasing level of textural integrity. Colors are nicely presented as well. The film is fairly bleak, but greens -- natural vegetation seen outside the prison late in the film and army fatigues scattered throughout -- are the main standouts and pleasantly vibrant and well saturated. Skin tones are creamy and accurate. The image is a little noisy, grain a bit sharp, and wobble and wavy fluctuations are present in minimal quantities, but overall fans should be satisfied, particularly considering that the image is a substantial leap forward from the quality of the 480i trailer included on the Blu-ray.
Barbed Wire Dolls features a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It's a bit on the harsh side, particularly considering musical delivery. Notes are crunchy and the low end, rawly potent as it may be in places, is more unkempt than it is tight and precise. Side stretch opens the track a bit, but surround implementation is light at best and essentially nonexistent. Some minor woodland ambience lingers about during the film's final minutes. Screams during torture sequences, moans of pleasure, and other core sound details present with, like the music, imperfect clarity but efficiency and dependability of delivery. Dubbed dialogue is clear and center-focused.
Barbed Wire Dolls contains an audio interview and some trailers.
Full Moon promises that Barbed Wire Dolls is only the first Jesus Franco film coming to Blu-ray under its label. The studio has given the film a worthwhile release, boasting flawed but certainly capable and even enjoyable high definition imagery. Audio lags a bit behind but is effective given the film's dubbed dialogue and dated and low-budget source. Supplements are few but worthwhile. Fans of the movie, the movie maker, and the movie's genre will want to pick this up.
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