Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Black Mama, White Mama Blu-ray Movie Review

The defiant one-ettes.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 10, 2017

Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones appeared in 1958, just as the Civil Rights movement was, well, moving from the nascent days of Rosa Parks into the more confrontational aspects that would become a regular feature of the sixties. The film literally shackled a white man and a black man together and forced them to rely on each other as they sought to survive after having escaped a chain gang, this despite the fact that they are almost genetically prone to despise each other. It was the same basic concept utilized in a memorable episode from Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 3, where the supposedly “kinder, gentler” future world of the Enterprise had to contend with two men (Frank Gorshin and Lou Antonio) who were more or less shackled within themselves, with one being black on the left side and the other being black on the right, and both vowing to kill the other. That formulation probably only highlighted the absurdity of racial prejudice, as tended to be the case in Gene Roddenberry’s rosy viewpoint of what Mankind had in store in a few hundred more years. Another science fiction tinged treatment of "forced integration" (so to speak) was the patently silly The Thing With Two Heads, where a black man's head was grafted onto a white (bigoted) man's body. Black Mama, White Mama owes more to The Defiant Ones than any later treatment of these same ideas, but it’s interesting to note that the film came out in 1973, when Civil Rights had given way to Black Power, and when not so coincidentally (given this film’s emphasis on women) Feminism was also on the rise. The film is patently silly a lot of the time, but it features generally winning performances from Pam Grier (who hadn’t quite yet become the sensation she would soon create in such films as Coffy and Foxy Brown) and Margaret Markov, a gorgeous blonde with a surprisingly short filmography who is quite reminiscent of another statuesque blonde from my childhood, the equally gorgeous Karen Philipp (who first became known as a singer but who went on to play Nurse Dish in two early episodes of M*A*S*H, and whose willowy blonde tresses can be seen hanging down over a stretcher in the opening credits of the series throughout most of its run).

There’s steaminess galore as Black Mama, White Mama gets underway. The location isn’t ever overly detailed, though the film was shot in the Philippines and the story deals with some kind of tropical island where political intrigue is simmering just beneath the surface (erupting overtly at several key junctures). A busload of women are being transported to a prison, among them “working girl” Lee Daniels (Pam Grier), clad in an elegant red evening gown (as prisoners being remanded so often are), and supposed revolutionary Karen Brent (Margaret Markov), who has the good judgment to dress more sensibly for her imminent imprisonment. The film instantly details the smarmy environment of the prison with a shot of Matron Densmore (Lynn Borden) seemingly salivating over this new crop of “inductees”.

Matron Densmore does more than merely salivate when she spies on the women taking their requisite shower, and there’s absolutely no doubt that Densmore has her lesbian sights set on at least one of this new flock of arrivals. That aspect gives the early part of Black Mama, White Mama its undeniably salacious appeal, but the film soon tips over into a more standard chase drama once Lee and Karen are able to escape when that aforementioned political unrest interrupts yet another bus trip. As with The Defiant Ones, the two inmates are chained together and must learn to forego their personal animuses in order to survive and, hopefully, escape.

There’s no lack of enemies for the women as the film gets into its chase aspect. While the nefarious Matron Densmore appears to be at the least incapacitated, there are two pretty unseemly men after the women, a kind of quasi military-police guy named Cruz (Eddie Garcia) who then enlists creepy crime boss Ruben (Sid Haig) to do his dirty work. Haig provides most of the villainous energy in the film, though there's no deficit in villainous behavior, with another bad guy delighting in seeing women tortured while having a pedicure (in just one of the film’s outré moments). Black Mama, White Mama’s attempts to inject a bit of socioeconomic mechanics into what is otherwise an overheated chase melodrama don’t ever really pay significant dividends, other than providing the film with a spectacular melée at its climax that involves more carnage than is typically seen in films of this ilk.

Black Mama, White Mama Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black Mama, White Mama is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet includes the following information on the transfer:

Black Mama, White Mama is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. The transfer was made from a new 35mm interpositive and an original 35mm mono DME printmaster mag. The HD transfer was completed on a Spirit DataCine at Deluxe Media in Burbank, and the colorist was Tess Walsh. Gary Teetzel managed the project on behalf of MGM.

This is a generally pleasing looking presentation, though there are occasional issues with density and some minor but noticeable age related wear and tear. The palette looks just slightly anemic at times, though elements like the bright yellows the women wear pop quite nicely, and the lush tropical locations offer suitably lush greens. Grain is pretty chunky looking quite a bit of the time, but resolves naturally. The film, obviously not a high budget affair to begin with, has a gritty, lo-fi ambience which this presentation recreates quite convincingly.

Black Mama, White Mama Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Black Mama, White Mama is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet includes the following information on the transfer:

Black Mama, White Mama features a decently boisterous LPCM Mono track, one which offers the era specific but still enjoyable score by Harry Betts winningly, while offering okay if slightly anemic support for effects like gunfire and the like. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly. There's some background hiss that's most noticeable in the quietest moments, but it's a minor distraction at worst.

Black Mama, White Mama Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• White Mama (1080p; 14:01) is an engaging interview with Margaret Markov, who seems to have a good sense of humor about the film.


• Sid Haig's Filipino Adventures (1080p; 15:51) is another fun piece, with Haig detailing how both films he shot in the Phillipines featured roles specifically written for him.


• The Mad Director of Blood Island (1080i; 14:38) is an archival video piece with Andrew Leavold (who also does the nice commentary on this disc) interviewing director Eddie Romero.


• Trailer (1080p; 1:54)


• Gallery (1080p)


• Commentary by Andrew Leavold is full of fantastic information, with Leavold detailing elements like filmographies, background on the shoot and various elements of the storyline.

As usual, the insert booklet has a good essay, and also has a reproduction of the original press book.

Black Mama, White Mama Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The whole women in prison subgenre has some devoted acolytes, and Black Mama, White Mama may appeal most to them, even if the actual "in prison" part is fairly short lived in the film. Grier's character is surprisingly unsympathetic at various points in the film (including the climax), but she has a feisty relationship with Markov's character that gives the film intermittent momentum. Black Mama, White Mama is low grade fare, but it knows it's low grade fare, which may be its ultimate saving grace. Fans of the film will be generally well pleased with the technical presentation here, and as always Arrow has assembled a fine collection of supplements.