Rating summary
| Movie |  | 2.0 |
| Video |  | 1.5 |
| Audio |  | 3.5 |
| Extras | | 1.5 |
| Overall | | 2.0 |
The Female Bunch Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 20, 2020
Note: This film is available as part of
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection.
While there are earlier films in The Masterpiece Collection that arguably could have been presented on the first disc of this set (this film
shares Disc One with Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson), in a way The Female Bunch may be the perfect
film for the "uninitiated" to dip their cinematic toes into Adamson's oeuvre (and, yes, the irony of that term is not unnoticed). This is a
typically gonzo Adamson effort that pretends to be about nascent feminists (at least as evidenced by one of the trailers, which mentions "women's
liberation" run amok), but which really serves as an excuse, at least on several occasions, to get as many women as possible as undressed as
possible, while also hinting at various lascivious behaviors.
The Female Bunch begins with a couple driving madly across the desert, only to have their tires shot out by a woman in a biplane. Jim
("Jeoffrey" Land*) and Sandy (Nesa Rennet) attempt to escape on foot, but Jim is shot. The two hightail it to a cave, with several women on
horseback
in pursuit, at which point Jim asks Sandy how she got mixed up in all of this, leading to the bulk of the film being told in flashback. Suffice it to say
there's a gang of women on the loose somewhere in the American southwest (the film was shot in my birth state of Utah, which makes me incredibly
proud) who are involved in drug running as well as harassing various men. Russ Tamblyn is on hand as an unwise interloper who is branded for his
temerity, and a kind of sad Lon Chaney, Jr., whom several people mention made no secret out of the quart of vodka he needed to drink everyday,
makes his last on screen appearance here.
*Land's name is just one of several which is misspelled in the credits.
The Female Bunch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The Female Bunch is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. This presentation comes
with a warning text card describing the issues involved (see screenshot 6). I'm scoring this at 1.5 in order to account for the huge variances in quality
and pretty nonstop damage, as well as to temper expectations, but there are moments here, albeit sometimes very brief moments, where things look
reasonable, with decent saturation and a relatively naturalistic accounting of the palette. But scratches (many bright green) abound in abundance, and
the many prints used all have different color temperatures. Some night or day for night scenes are virtually indecipherable due to damage and
inconsistent contrast.
The Female Bunch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The Female Bunch features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that doesn't have the same levels of damage as the video side of things,
but which still exhibits some inartful edits (perhaps between different source elements), as well as occasional pops and crackles. The film's actually
kind of enjoyable theme music sounds fine, if a bit boxy, and dialogue (such as it is) is rendered cleanly if again a bit on the boxy side at times. English
subtitles are accessible via your remote button.
The Female Bunch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- The Bunch Speaks Out (1080p; 15:26) offers some really fun interviews with Leslie Macray, Russ Tamblyn, Sharyn
Wynters and Bud Cardos, among others.
- Extended Scenes (1080p; 2:02) come with a warning that they're sourced from a VHS tape, but they may arguably have better color
than the main feature.
- Female Bunch Trailers (1080p; 3:56)
The Female Bunch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
The Female Bunch is weirdly entrancing in a typically Adamsonian low rent way, and Tamblyn in particular seems to be having fun, though
Chaney is actually kind of in shockingly bad shape. This has one of the worst looking video presentations in the set, but audio is generally okay, and
the supplementary interview featurette is a lot of fun.
