Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Guilty Parents Blu-ray Movie Review

The Forbidden Fruit series continues...

Guilty Parents is another golden-age-of-exploitation era production. The film comes from producer J.D. Kendis (Wolves of the Sea, Jaws of the Jungle). Guilty Parents isn't too racy compared to some films (and is perhaps most noteworthy as an exploitation era film for a moderately racy silhouetted striptease).

Helen Mason (Jean Lacy) delves into a spiral of darkness when she is put on trial for murder. With only the help of her determined defense attorney (John St. Polis), a picture is painted of a sweet-natured girl who became involved with the wrong crowd and was led astray in to a life of prostitution, drugs, and crime. Helen's attorney argues that the root cause of the problem was poor upbringing by her mother, an overbearing mother, Mrs. Mason (Isabel La Mal).

"Sorry about the bad breath."

The cinematography by Robert Doran (I Demand Payment, The Judgment Book) is one of the better elements of the production. In fact, the visuals are often key to the filmmaking experience in Guilty Parents. The perfect example of this element is the silhouetted striptease – the scene looks perfectly well-lit and seems artistic without being grossly exploitative.

Written and directed by Jack Townley (The Pittsburgh Kid, The Traitor Within), Guilty Parents is certainly a different kind of drama. The piece explores juvenile delinquency in a unique way. The exploitation element is there (to a degree) but the drama at the heart of the story is compelling too. Edited by Ethel Davey (Trails of Danger, The Wyoming Whirlwind), Guilty Parents is never a total chore and it is ultimately worth a watch.

Guilty Parents Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Guilty Parents is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full-frame. The print was in generally good shape overall. The scan looked a bit soft but it still benefited from having a high-definition scanning. There are also some thin scratches visible on the print. While far from being a pristine restoration effort, Guilty Parents looks better than expected.

Guilty Parents Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in uncompressed PCM mono. The sound quality on the presentation is decent. Dialogue is easy to understand. There is some slight hiss and occasional crackle on the track which is never too loud or overbearing but is still noteworthy. The track is in generally decent shape given the age of the sound elements.

Guilty Parents Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Guilty Parents: Alternate Title Sequence (HD, 2:07)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from Kino Lorber: The Devil's Sleep (HD, 2:55), Mom and Dad (HD, 1:08), Street Corner (HD, 2:11), The Wrong Rut (HD, 2:36), and Youth Aflame (HD, 1:38).

Guilty Parents Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Guilty Parents is mostly-a-drama re-branded for the exploitation market circuit. The filmmaking is decent enough and the production was generally well mounted overall. Jean Lacy delivers a decent performance. The Blu-ray features a worthwhile scan of the film. Far from a long-lost classic but still worth checking out. Rent It.