The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 10, 2021

“The Big Bust-Out” is a 1972 Italian production that found its way into the hands of Roger Corman. Sensing an opportunity to make a quick buck, Corman chopped over 20 minutes out of the movie and oversaw a marketing campaign that emphasized the film’s displays of nudity, sexual assault, and action, attempting to lure exploitation fanatics into theaters. The idea was to add another “women in prison” picture to his growing roster of hits (joining titles such as “The Big Bird Cage” and “The Big Doll House”) but Corman isn’t working with homegrown material here. He’s trying to transform “The Big Bust-Out” into a perfectly sleazy romp when the actual feature is more of a depressing viewing experience, highlighting all kinds of suffering and death, keeping things quite grim while the new edit gradually mangles the story.

Somewhere near Istanbul, an international line-up of criminals is doing hard time in a merciless prison, struggling with the pressures of confinement. There’s Gail (Margaret Rose Keil), Inga (Nuccia Cardinali), Carmen (Felicita Fanny), Claire (Linda Fox), Lolita (Christin Thorn), and Liane (Ivana Novak), and they want out of the joint, happily agreeing to join Sister Maria (Monica Teuber) at her convent, tasked with cleaning up the building. When the opportunity arises, the felons decide to escape, taking Maria along as they hope to meet with Nada (Vonetta McGee), a connection capable of providing freedom. However, instead of liberation, the women are sold into slavery, with Bob (William Berger) looking to make big bucks transferring ownership to local madman El Kadir (Gordon Mitchell). Standing in the way of this transaction is Jeff (Tony Kendall), a kindly boat captain who decides to free the prisoners, helping them find a new life on the other side of a mountain range populated with dangerous types and peppered with survival challenges.

Prison life in “The Big Bust-Out” doesn’t actually seem all that rough, with the production providing an introduction to the characters that details their spacious cells and slightly awkward sexual adventures. Sure, the staff is wicked, but things could be a lot worse for the women, who are eager to find their freedom again after living lives of crime, eagerly accepting a chance to work at the convent. With Sister Maria looking out for them, the prisoners are exposed to new kinds of torment, facing stern nuns who don’t trust them, while armed guards love to ogle, giving viewers their first taste of the creepy sexploitation that carries throughout most of the film. Convent life is short-lived, with the gang making a break for it, trusting in Nada’s help to get them out of the country, while Sister Maria tags along, trying to fulfill her heavenly contract to keep an eye on the ladies.

Instead of an elaborate prison break feature, “The Big Bust-Out” becomes an outdoor adventure, with the escapees encountering the wrath of Bob, a seemingly nice guy who’s looking to sell the females to a local gangster. Of course, before such a betrayal occurs, the production works in the first of two bathing scenes, making sure nudity requirements are fulfilled before Jeff enters the story, with the studly, compassionate boat captain apparently willing to throw his entire life away to save the prisoners, agreeing to escort them over the mountains after denying Bob his business opportunity. “The Big Bust-Out” transforms into a strange tale of endurance, with the women encountering extreme temperature changes in the desert, and there’s the occasional threat posed by outsiders, giving the feature its elements of sexual assault. There’s not any brightness of spirit in the endeavor, which eventually graduates to an attempted stoning(!) and torture, as poor Nada is subjected to the perverted needs of a demented little person with a whip fetish. “The Big Bust-Out” would be more approachable with the campy atmosphere it initially offers, but director Ernst Ritter von Theumer tries to enjoy the roughness, looking to satisfy those who’ve come to the picture to watch hard characters commit brutal acts of defiance.

The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Listed as a "New 2K scan from the negative," "The Big Bust-Out" comes to Blu-ray via an AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio, with main titles 1.85:1) presentation. The feature looks as good as new during the viewing experience, with some mild discolorations and scratches. Grain is fine and film-like, and delineation is satisfactory. Detail comes through clearly, offering dimensional distances as the action heads into wide open spaces. Facial surfaces are intact, along with textured costuming and stone halls. Colors are precise, offering deep blues skies and natural desertscapes. More varied primaries emerge with hair color and clothing.

The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is as basic as possible, leading with dialogue exchanges. Dubbed voices are acceptably clear, with a few inherently muddled conversations. Scoring supports with clarity and decent instrumentation, adding a jazzy mood to the endeavor. A few brief audio dropouts are encountered, and loud popping is periodic.

The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:13, HD) is included.

The Big Bust-Out Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of course, there are more than 20 minutes missing from this cut of "The Big Bust-Out," which may be a blessing in disguise. The picture isn't dramatically satisfying, and the overall tone is bleak, with the story leading to a climatic slaughter and a dark ending. The Corman edit is messy, with the bad guys becoming good for a few brief moments, and there's the introduction of an unnamed lunatic who gets off on digging a knife into Sister Maria's legs. I'm sure Corman saw all the nudity and shoot-outs and thought he had a winner, but "The Big Bust-Out" isn't an approachable endeavor, lacking style to sell hard action, and this version doesn't make much sense at times, becoming random scenes of anguish and frolicking. However, there's a good chance the original cut isn't more advanced (I can't imagine having to sit through a longer version of this thing), as the filmmaking on display doesn't appear to care for storytelling details, just the basics in B-movie misery.