Women in Cell Block 7 (1973)

As Good As It Gets

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Although she is totally innocent "Daniela Vinci" (Jenny Tamburi) is sent to prison by the lead inspector on the case with the hope that she might reveal some crucial information concerning 20 pounds of heroin that her mobster boyfriend stole from a rival mob boss. At the same time another woman named "Hilda" (Anita Strindberg) is sent to the same prison as an undercover agent who also wants this information. However, the problem that both of them face is just trying to survive the sadistic guards and the savage female prisoners they are forced to contend with 24 hours a day. Now rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that I found this to be a sub-par European Women-in-Prison (WIP) movie in just about every way. For one thing the story didn't seem to transition well from one scene to another which caused it to feel a bit disjointed. Additionally, the sex scenes lacked passion and eroticism. Put quite bluntly—they were boring. On that same note, except for possibly Anita Strindberg, none of the women were really that attractive. So essentially this was a movie that I thought was badly directed and suffered from poor casting. As such I rate it as below average.

Gutsy and beautiful Hilda (well played by luscious knockout Anita Strindberg) goes undercover as an inmate in a brutal and corrupt women's penitentiary in order to talk to scared incarcerated moll Daniela (lovely Jenny Tamburi) and get the necessary information required to clear her mobster father's name. Writer/director Rino Di Silvestro blends a gritty crime thriller with a scroungy chicks-in-chains romp for a handy dandy combo synthesis that covers all the essential satisfyingly sleazy bases: copious tasty female nudity, profane dialogue, lesbianism, seamy soft-core sex, the inevitable leering shower scenes, fierce catfights, humiliating physical examinations, an unintentionally hilarious riot in which the protesting inmates are sprayed down with fire hoses, a rough, downbeat, nihilistic tone, and a cool bluesy theme song. Better still, Di Silvestro tosses in a rousing protracted car chase for good measure and caps the whole thing off with a perfectly depressing surprise bummer ending. The characters are your standard array of endearing generic stereotypes: the irritating religious kook, the vicious head matron (a pleasingly nasty portrayal by Olga Bisera), the ruthless top con, the ineffectual warden, and the lecherous male doctor who does just what you think with the lusty lady convicts. The funky, syncopated, pulsating score by Franco Bixio and George Craig hits the groovy-rockin' spot. Fausto Rossi's grimy cinematography further enhances the overall squalid atmosphere. Good low-grade fun.

When you have a queue of 500 movies, you sometimes forget why you picked a particular one. I am not a women-in-prison completest, so maybe I just wanted to see Paola Senatore (Eaten Alive, Story of a Cloistered Nun), Jenny Tamburi (The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine) or Anita Strindberg (The Eroticist) again. It simply escapes me. Two WIP movies in the same day may be excessive, but it happened by accident.This one starts with a good car chase through the Italian streets as Hilda (Anita Strindberg) is getting her anal exam by a matron after entering prison to find out where Daniela's (Jenny Tamburi) boyfriend hid the heroin and save her father.It isn't long before we see our first lesbian encounter. Isn't that why we watch WIP movies? Along with the obligatory shower scenes. Of course, the guards (matrons) get their turn, too. Then there are the prison yard fights where the object is to rip the clothes of your opponent.The "riot" in the prison yard was a hoot. They turned the firehouses on the girls, and it was like water hoses. They stripped and got wet.Just another day in prison.

I just watched this movie put out by Paragon Video (usually hit or miss with Paragon, always low budget) and I gave it a 3/10. There are some really amazing car chase scenes where guys are driving through back alleys in Europe full speed with about a foot on either side of the car and they seem to be doing an awesome job at it! I was really impressed.Those Europeans know how to drive!Other than that, the first half hour of the movie is full of "lesbian" scenes", (more like horny guy fantasy lesbian scenes) that seem to go on forever. I got bored. But after the endless lovemaking, the movie KIND OF gets ok.It is about a woman who got framed to carry drugs in the car that she knew nothing about. She gets sent to women's prison and people try to make her "talk" all the time, but she doesn't have the info they want. Then there's another lady there who's father is mixed up in the deal and this lady wants the other girl to talk, too. But she goes about it in a much nicer way.There is, of course, the lesbian prison guard who acts really tough and tries to spy on naked women. There's the tough girl who knows all the stuff that goes down in the prison and tries to be friends with everyone for her benefit. She, also, is very sexually frustrated and wants to get with everyone. There seems to be a lot of sexually frustrated women in this prison. One fakes being sick to go to the male doctor so she can get it on with him.This is not why I sort of liked the movie. I just thought it had an interesting story. I liked the "protest rally" where everyone chanted already-known demands to the warden about how their bathrooms are dirty and the prison guards are mean. There is a really funny scene where some women are eating chicken rather fiercely. The makeup on the girl that was framed ends up looking really gross by the end. Her eyes are totally red and it looks rather disturbing. There is a long gun chase scene that got boring real fast. Bascially this movie is pretty predictable and just good for cheap thrills.If you like exaggerated tough women, you will like this movie. It's your basic "women in prison" movie.