Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Savage Sisters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 17, 2023

Eddie Romero's "Savage Sisters" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics James G. Chandler and Ash Hamilton as well as remastered vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Remove the politically incorrect sense of humor that permeates Eddie Romero’s Savage Sisters and you will be left with a strikingly dull, almost certainly unwatchable film. But doing so would be a seriously complicated task. In fact, it would be an impossible task because the politically incorrect sense of humor fuels sixty to seventy percent of the dialog. The main characters have their attitudes tuned up to match it, too.

In its current form Savage Sisters is something of a period mockery gone rogue in a typically ‘70s Italian fashion. However, Romero shot in the Philippines, his home country, which means that Savage Sisters turned out looser than the conventional Italian genre films were during the same period. Why exactly? Despite an abundance of action material, Romero shot Savage Sisters as a girls-in-prison sexploitation film but without any explicit footage. Also, despite all the talk about an imminent revolution and the people that are in favor or against it, Savage Sisters is unmistakably immune to politics. So, compare Romero’s approach to that of cult Italian directors like Umberto Lenzi, Fernando Di Leo, and Enzo G. Castellari. Even the wildest genre films that these directors shot welcomed some sort of social commentary so that they can justify their excess. More importantly, much of this excess was carefully crafted to provoke a reaction, a positive one from their fans, and a negative one from the mainstream critics, both of which were a great form of publicity. What this means is that these films were not conceived and shot as free-spirited kamikazes. They were expected to capitalize on very particular market trends, like a demand for more violent action, a demand for more explicit erotic content, a demand for modernized western adventures, etc. Obviously, Romero shot Savage Sisters to meet some market expectations too, but this film was part of a different trend that produced some genuine free-spirited kamikazes. In the 1970s but well into the 1980s as well, the Philippines was the Mecca for adventurous directors and producers that did all kinds of ‘different’ films that could not be made anywhere else. (Roger Corman did plenty of films there for this very reason). Savage Sisters is one such ‘different’ film, though the most extreme aspect of it is its politically incorrect sense of humor.

A suitcase with one million dollars turns an already strange Banana Republic into a giant indescribably bizarre circus when a corrupt general and a group of revolutionaries clash to claim ownership of it. In the middle of the fireworks, three women with different goals -- Cherri Caffaro, Rosanna Ortiz, and Gloria Hendry -- become unlikely partners and confront the two rival parties. Initially, the fights are uneven and the women appear doomed, but with a bit of luck, they manage to outsmart everyone that dares to cross their path.

While the evolution of the relationships is not meaningless, it is not indicative of the quality of Savage Sisters. It is the cracking dialog and the attitudes on display that make Savage Sisters a special genre film.

The humor is of the type that now feels like an ancient art. It highlights and exploits the flaws that define the two sexes in such a casual manner that at times it is impossible not to admire. This is odd, to say the least, because the quality of the writing that produced it is hardly spectacular, and yet the lack of filters creates the opposite impression.

While mocking at will Romero hits a wide range of targets, from the characterizations and male/female stereotypes that serious action films produce to the top-quality choreography big action film demand. Admittedly, some of these hits could have been much better, but the adult humor more than makes up for them. A very enjoyable genre film, indeed.

Savage Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Savage Sisters arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that is quite good. The majority of the film's visuals have the type of appearance you would expect from an interpositive, which means that in certain areas fine nuances could be even better. In darker areas, there is a bit of black crush as well, though usually balance is very good. Clarity is consistently pleasing. Depth does fluctuate a bit but most of the unevenness you will notice is inherited. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Grain is well exposed. However, it could be healthier and tighter, and if it is, density levels would have been superior, too. Color balance is very good. Some of the primaries could have been slightly better saturated but there is absolutely nothing to be unhappy with. Image stability is good. Various blemishes, some small marks, and nicks can be spotted, so digital tools could have been used to do meaningful cosmetic work. All in all, while there is room for minor improvements, this release offers a very fine organic presentation of Savage Sisters. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Savage Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are clear and very easy to follow. From time to time some unevenness can be noticed, but I am quite certain that this is how the original soundtrack was finalized. (After all, Savage Sisters was not a big-budget production). Dynamic intensity is good but hardly impressive. Even during the mass shootouts from the second half of the film, there isn't any material that would impress viewers that appreciate the dynamic potency of contemporary big-budget action films. The upper register is healthy. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Savage Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a newly remastered trailer for Savage Sisters. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics James G. Chandler and Ash Hamilton from Horror-Fix.com. The commentators have plenty of comments about the production and shooting of Savaged Sisters in the Philippines and the exact period in which genre films like it were being done there by various American and international companies, and the type of wild entertainment that was trendy then. It is a good commentary with a lot of extra information about genre films and notable trends.

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Savage Sisters.

Savage Sisters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is impossible not to be impressed with the deliciously unforgiving sense of humor that permeates Savage Sisters because contemporary films, including genre films, no longer tolerate it. I laughed so hard while viewing Savage Sisters that at the end of it my stomach was hurting a bit. Some of its characters, like the one Sid Haig plays, for instance, are simply brilliant, so they could and probably should have been revived elsewhere. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a very nice exclusive new 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.