Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 15, 2025

Jean Rollin's "Schoolgirl Hitchhikers" (1973) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic David Flint; new program about the life and career of actress Joelle Coeur; short film; promotional materials; and more. In English or French, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Where are the jewels?

Under Jess Franco’s direction, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers quickly would have evolved into a psychosexual séance, similar to the one Black Boots, Leather Whip is. In fact, for approximately twenty minutes, it looks like Jean Rollin is preparing Schoolgirl Hitchhikers to become such an unusual genre film. The hitchhikers (Joelle Coeur and Gilda Arancio) emerge from a picturesque forest, ‘discover’ a posh mansion, enter it, find a wonderfully decorated room with a giant bed, and take off their clothes. Rollin’s camera then begins observing the hitchhikers as they explore their bodies with unbridled passion. However, the atmosphere here is not right for a film Franco would have done. Shortly after, it is revealed why.

Schoolgirl Hitchhikers is a trashy parody with an ultra-dry sense of humor. However, because this ultra-dry sense of humor can be pretty elusive, what Rollin attempts to accomplish with it becomes difficult to appreciate. For this reason, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers is regularly dismissed as an unfortunate misfire, even by folks who consider Rollin a misunderstood and underappreciated auteur.

Quick pause. I will not be defending Schoolgirl Hitchhikers as a fine genre film, because it is not. It is as bad as advertised. However, it is intentionally made this way, and I would like to clarify why, because the bad in it is the catalyst of everything that makes it wotth seeing.

After the sexual fireworks, one of the hitchhikers falls asleep, while the other goes out to have a smoke and accidentally discovers that there is someone else in the mansion. This event resets Schoolgirl Hitchhikers and activates its ultra-dry sense of humor. In another room on the first floor, Fred (Willy Braque), a gangster who likes to read, hears suspicious noises and, moments later, catches the second hitchhiker. However, instead of a violent confrontation, a new round of sexual fireworks begins, and when the sleepy hitchhiker reappears, their intensity is ramped up. On the morning after, the gangster and the hitchhikers then part ways as best friends would.

But just hours later, the gangster’s sexy female boss (Marie Helene Regne) appears with her assistant (Francois Brincourt), looking for some stolen jewels. When the gangster’s information about the missing jewels fails to please her, the hitchhikers, who have relocated to a tent in the nearby forest, are conviniently framed as thieves. The rest of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers is a mosaic of even more bizarre developments, featuring a loopy detective (Pierre Julien) and his assistant (Reine Thirion) and producing more sexual fireworks interrupted by intense shootouts. A shady dealer pops up to finalize a crooked deal as well.

Like most Rollin films, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers is unapologetically allergic to logic, only this time everyone appears to be fully aware of this crucial detail and enjoying the bad associated with it. It is a lot, and it is trashy, too. Some of the bad appears to be satirizing the serious French crime film, but because it does not do it very well and Rollin further compromises it with the utterly incompatible sexual fireworks, the end product is a pretty amusing, often outrageously funny film.

*This release presents three different versions of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers. The English track that was created for the American market is used on two of them.

Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Indicator/Powerhouse Films' 4K Blu-ray release of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers does not have a Blu-ray copy of the film. If you need one, you should consider acquiring this Blu-ray release.

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-27 are from the Blu-ray release, linked above.
Screencaptures #30-37 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The 4K Blu-ray introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of the film. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR.

In 2013, the Redemption Label produced this Blu-ray release of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers, which I have in my library. However, after viewing the new 4K makeover in native 4K and spending time with its 1080p presentation, I did not feel the need to do any comparisons. The new 4K makeover makes it possible to experience the film in a drastically new, vastly superior way.

Now, the entire film looks strikingly healthy and lush, boasting visuals that reveal far more information of the kind that a film element produces. Color reproduction and balance are dramatically better and much, much more convincing as well. There are completely different new ranges of primaries and supportings nuances that produce completely different contrasts, background nuances, highlights, shadows, etc. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections. The fluidity of the visuals is fantastic too, so the camera movement and various transitions have completely different qualities now. The HDR grade is very nice. It handles darker areas with great precision and accuracy, while the outdoor footage looks wonderfully rich and sharp. The entire film is spotless.

Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release presents three different versions of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers. The English track that was created for the American market is used on two of them. I prefer this English track, which is a dub track, because it is pretty wild. It is presented as DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. A French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track is included as well. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are included.

The English track is not going to impress folks who like to hear a great deal of dynamic variety even when they view older films. The overdubbing is pretty standard, and the music that is added is pretty basic. However, all exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report in our review.

Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic David Flint. The information that is shared in the commentary covers a lot of areas, from the style and construction of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers to Jean Rollin's legacy and the popularity of French softcore films. There are some interesting observations about Rollin's reputation as a director as well.

• Nicolas Stanzick: Territoire mental - in this program, critic Nicolas Stanzick explains why Schoolgirl Hitchhikers marks a turning point in Jean Rollin's career and discusses his image as an auteur. Rollin's relationship with the female characters of his films and the fantastique is analyzed as well. In French, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Christophe Bier: Les Quatre annees de cinema de Joelle Coeur - in this new program, critic and director Christophe Bier takes a closer look at the life and legacy of actress Joëlle Coeur, who plays one of the two hitchhikers in Schoolgirl Hitchhikers. In French, with English subtitles. (30 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original French theatrical trailer for Schoolgirl Hitchhikers. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Image Gallery One - a collection of original promotional materials for Schoolgirl Hitchhikers.

• Sexana (1972) - presented here is a new 4K restoration of Hubert Lacoudre's surreal explicit short film starring Joëlle Cœur. The film can be viewed with a new score by Peninsula, recorded at Karma Studios, London, in 2024. (17 min).

• Nicolas Stanzick: Sexana de minuit a midi - in this program, critic Nicolas Stanzick discusses Sexana. In French, with English subtitles. (11 min).

• Image Gallery Two - a collection of original promotional materials for Sexana.

• Booklet - an 80-page book with a new essay by Lucas Balbo, material from the film's pressbook, an archival article on the French sex film industry featuring an interview with 'Michel Gentil' (Jean Rollin), an archival interview with Willy Braque, new writing on Sexana, and technical credits.

Girls Without Shame 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Because Jean Rollin directed Schoolgirl Hitchhikers under the alias he adopted when he went to shoot his adult films, a lot of people misjudge it. Sort of. Virtually all of them agree that it is a bad film, which is true, but they fail to clarify that it was meant to be. It is a trashy satire, trying and failing to impress as a typical Rollin-esque genre film. I think that parts of it -- the ones where the gangsters appear to recover the jewels and then all hell breaks loose -- are hilarious, mostly because a lot there, while meant to be bad, does not come together as it should. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' 4K Blu-ray release introduces a gorgeous new 4K makeover of Schoolgirl Hitchhikers with a fine selection of bonus features. RECOMMENDED.