Violence in a Women's Prison (1984)

Simply Perfect

Great Film overall

Beautiful, moving film.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is a Bruno Mattei take on the women-in-prison genre. The director of the infamous ZOMBIE CREEPING FLESH, Mattei is much derided by fans of Italian trash because of his inability to direct a decent movie. This is pretty poor stuff, but actually better than some I've seen, so any film that shows Mattei in a good light has to have something going for it. As well as being a stand alone WIP/exploitation movie in itself, Mattei ties this into the BLACK EMANUELLE saga by casting Laura Gemser and her real-life lover Gabriele Tinti as the flick's two main stars.For the most part, this is business as usual, and it's notable that the stars are more attractive than you'll find in a film like this. Gemser is sent to a hellhole of a prison, but wait, there's a twist: she's actually working undercover for Amnesty International to look at prison standards. The usual elements are here, rather undistinguished: there's a sympathetic prison doctor; rape scenes; a sadistic warden; butch inmates; plenty of lesbianism; and an inevitable jail break come the climax. Mattei is no stranger to sleaze and the nude shenanigans are what you'd expect from this particular genre. Gemser is great value for money, as is Gabriele Tinti, but there's nothing or no one else here who stands out from the crowd. Cat fights, torture, nudity, sex and violence (although not as much of the latter as you'd expect from the title) and there you have it.

Violence in a Women's Prison provides a worthy entry in the women's prison genre. It offers all the T&A you would expect, though it is nowhere near as gruesome as the title would suggest. It also benefits from better than average use of lighting and camera work from Bruno Mattei.The plot is the usual. Laura Gemser, in her usual role as Emanuelle (no, not that Emmanuelle) goes undercover in a women's prison in order to reveal abuses taking place there. She encounters the usual mix of lesbianism, sadistic guards, and a corrupt yet sexy warden played by Lorraine de Selle.In spite of its title, Violence in a Women's Prison is not really all that brutal, with much more emphasis on nudity than gore. There is a rather infamous scene involving rats, although even that won't be all that shocking to the people who gravitate to this type of film. This is especially clear when compared to the film's companion piece, Women's Prison Massacre, made at the same time with the same cast and crew.This film is definitely worth a look.

I enjoyed this way too much considering who was responsible for it (the lamentable team of Fragrasso and Mattei). It's certainly a superior WIP flick- plenty of funny stuff, camp dialogue, ludicrous stereotypes and sleazy exploitation. The production is surprisingly polished though, and actually manages to maintain a plausible narrative throughout, which is quite an achievement in the circumstances!Although Gemser appears as "Emanuelle", the character is considerably toned-down from her previous outings. In fact, she only has consensual sex once in the whole film! The "Emanuelle" thing seems to be more a commercial, tacked-on after-thought than an indication of what this film is actually going to be like.Anyway, it's fun, check it out.

Violenza in un carcere femminile (Caged Women) is your typical women in prison flick. Laura Gemster, the star of the popular "Emanuelle" series, poses as an undercover journalist trying to find out how hideous the conditions are inside. This film is a bit sleazy and dark at times. Laura Gemster is well known for the sleazy roles she playes in the (Italian) "Emanuelle" films. There are a couple of lesbian scenes but, nothing to shout about. These scenes do not include Laura Gemster. All being said, this film is just average in my opinion.