User Reviews

***WARNING! SPOILERS!*** I was kinda looking forward to this film, simply due to the fact that I am a great fan of the ravishing Exploitation goddess Laura Gemser. This is another entry to the popular "Black Emanuelle" series in which Gemser played the part of the nymphomaniac journalist Emanuelle. This is only the second film in the series I've seen so far, the other being the ultra-sleazy and vastly entertaining "Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals". This "Violenza In Un Carcere Femminile" is sadly not nearly as vastly entertaining, and basically a formula WIP (Women In Prison) flick, and not a good one I must say. The film is not really boring, but it lacks anything to make it specifically recommendable, other than Laura Gemser's several nude scenes (which doesn't make the film particularly memorable either, as she did nude scenes in every movie she was in). Emanuelle comes to a Women's prison this time in order to investigate corruption and abuse of the inmates. Not too surprisingly, both things take place at the institution...

I expected the film to be extremely sleazy and exploitative, and it certainly is no Disney flick. It is genre-typically sleazy and full of the usual ingredients (sadistic lesbian wardens, sardonic punishments, catfights,...). There is also one extremely nasty sequence involving rats. It also adds some unnecessary elements (such as some scenes in a men's prison which is right next to the woman's prison) which only make the film longer. What really disappointed me was the ending. In the end WIP flicks the inmates usually take bloody revenge on their tormentors. They partly do here, too, but the two main bad guys (a male and a female warden) only get arrested. Not an adequate ending, in my opinion. This was directed by Bruno Mattei who (along with his protegé and assistant director Claudio Fragasso)is responsible for some of the worst films the generally great Italian Horror/Exploitation cinema has ever brought forth. While this "Violenza In Un Carcere Femminile" is not a terrible film, it is pretty damn tedious at times. Worthwhile for the sleaze and especially for Laura Gemser, but certainly not highly recommendable. Take it or leave it.

(aka: VIOLENCE IN A WOMAN'S PRISON or CAGED WOMAN)

This one looks like it was filmed in Italy, although it's supposed to take place in some unnamed South American country. There's no jungle setting here like you'll find in other woman's prison films.

The first of two woman's prison films Bruno Mattei did with EMANUELLE star Laura Gemser, this one involves a woman journalist who goes undercover inside a woman's prison in order to expose the inhumane treatment of prisoners.

All around her, there's all kinds mechanical soft-core lezbo sex going on. It's really un-erotic and boring. There's also not a lot of blood or gore in this one. Not as much as one would expect from this kind of film.

In a so-so early scene, Gemser throws a bucket of sh#t at two female prison guards after they shove her around and force her to clean it out. For this transgression, she is locked up in solitary confinement and bitten by a large number of rats running around in her cell. Then the female warden finds out Gemser is a journalist and has her beaten with clubs. Next, Gemser is put into a metal cylinder while guards bang on it with metal hammers. This description reads more exciting than it actually is.

Hey, if this is your kind of thing, then you're much better off watching those female prison films Eddie Romero and Roger Corman did back in the 70s. At least they had the Philipino jungle to give it a more savage atmosphere. This one looks like a bunch of ugly women going through the motions for the sake of the motions. It's about as exciting as a flat curve.

The Shriek Video uses a clean, widescreen print with bad dubbing, pops and static in the soundtrack and few extras beyond an interview with Mattei and a movie trailer.

Not much to recommend. 2 out of 10

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.

The seventh film in the Black Emanuelle series - and the first to be directed by Bruno Mattei - finds our heroine, still played by Laura Gemser, investigating the Santa Catarina Women's Penitentiary for Amnesty International.

Wow. You might think that's pretty woke for an Italian exploitation film. I am here to assure you - or upset you - and reveal that it's the very last woke or progressive thing that will happen in this movie.

Released as Caged Women in the U. S., this film has Emanuelle pretending to be a drug dealer as she learns all about the horrific conditions within the prison, which consist of all the tropes of the women in prison genre as filtered through the demented minds of husband and wife writing dup Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi.

Of course, our heroine falls for a kindly prison doctor - it's her husband in real life, Gabriele Tinti - who is there because he euthanized his cancer-stricken wife. What you may not expect are catfights atop mounds of feces or a traumatic scene where Gemser is attacked by numerous rats. If this was an SAT answer it would be: Bruno Mattei is to rats with red glowing eyes as Lucio Fulci is to eyeballs.

Obviously, this movie used the Italian filmmaking trick of shooting two similar films at the same time on the same set with the same crew and actors. The other one would be Women's Prison Massacre, which is just as demented.

Lorraine De Selle plays the brutal warden. If you're like me, you'll recognize her from The House on the Edge of the Park and Cannibal Ferox. Other recognizable performers include Maria Romano (Thor the Conqueror, The Final Executioner) and Franca Stoppi (The Other Hell).

I can't believe that this actually played U. S. theaters and drive-ins, while being unable to fathom the feeling people had when they wandered into the wrong theater and were confronted by the excesses of Bruno Mattei. One doubts they ever could eat popcorn again.

Spoilers ahead....Yes this movie is awesome. One of the better women's prison flicks for sure. A female reporter fakes a criminal record and dives head first into the brutal prison system. She gets raped, bitten bad by rats, beaten, whipped, and just plain tortured!!!Good movie for sure with lots and lots of female on female sex. This movie was also filmed in Rome which makes it unique. If you like female prison exploitation flicks this is a must see. Slasher reviewer, although this is not a slasher movie, gives this masterpiece a big thumbs up!!!!Check it out you won't be disappointed!!

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.

Gutsy reporter Emanuelle (luscious Laura Gemser) goes undercover as an inmate in a women's prison to expose the corruption and brutality going on inside the place. When her identity is revealed, she incurs the vicious wrath of the sadistic staff. Veteran Italian trashmeister Bruno Mattei, working from a suitably seamy script by Olivier Lefait and Ambrogio Molteni, scrupulously covers all the spot-on essential slimy bases: abundant tasty distaff nudity, lurid lesbianism, sizzling soft-core sex scenes, ferocious rape, rough'n'tumble fisticuffs, mean and cruel guards, a grimy location, an exciting last reel break-out, a few lively catfights, a dark and gritty tone, and a simply fantastic sequence with Emanuelle being attacked by nasty red-eyed rats after she's placed in solitary confinement all add up ton provide a quite sleazy and hence most enjoyable piece of low-grade schlock. The sturdy cast of familiar Italian exploitation cinema regulars helps a lot, with stand-out contributions by Gabriele Tinti as the kindly, humane Dr. Moran, Lorainne De Selle as the wicked and depraved warden, Ursula Flores as the fragile Consuelo, Maria Romano as the snippy Kitty, Francoise Perrot as ruthless and predatory snitch Hertha, Jacques Stany as the crooked chief inspector, and Leila Durante as wise old felon Pilar. Luigi Ciccarese's polished cinematography makes all the filthy goings-on look slicker than they probably deserve. Luigi Ceccarelli's bluesy'n'jazzy pounding rock score hits the right-on groovy pulsating spot. Worthwhile viewing for babes-behind-bars buffs.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This Italian made movie must have developed a serious identity crisis by now: over the years, it's been released in various edited versions under at least half a dozen titles, including `Chicks in Chains,' `Women's Penitentiary 4,' and `Caged Women,' a name shared by three other women in prison flicks to date. A couple of the titles, like `Emanuelle in Hell,' reveal what the others obscure: this is in fact another installment in the long running series of `Black Emanuelle' softcore sex flicks, all starring the Indonesian-born exotic beauty Laura Gemser. By the way, the original BLACK EMANUELLE (1975) itself was an attempt to cash in on the legendary adult classic EMMANUELLE (1974), which starred sexy Sylvia Kristel and spawned a string of its own sequels along with a few other racially varied imitations, including YELLOW EMANUELLE (1976).

Once again, Gemser plays our favorite globe-trotting, free-loving journalist, this time writing an expose on the harsh conditions in a notorious women's penitentiary. She deliberately has herself arrested and sentenced on fake drug charges so she can infiltrate the institution and get the inside scoop. She certainly has no problem gathering plenty of dirt for her report. The prison facilities are especially grungy and the kinky warden (lovely Australian actress Lorraine De Selle) gets off on watching the lesbian inmates have sex with one another. When they're not in the mood, she dispatches her guards to rape them. Unfortunately, Emanuelle has neglected to notify the authorities or anybody else of her plans, which isn't exactly the brightest of ideas. With no one to vouch for her innocence, she's left trapped with no way out just like the other pisoners.

In an ill-advised act of defiance, she dumps a bucket of sewage from the toilet on a guard and gets thrown in a dungeon where she's nibbled on by rats that inflict fake looking wounds. Later, the warden torments her with one of the weirdest torture techniques I've ever seen: a huge brass bell is lowered over her body and repeatedly clanged! In a standard cliche of the genre that dates back at least to 1971's THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, she's eventually befriended by the prison doctor (played by Gemser's regular co-star and real life husband, Gabriele Tinti). Oddly, there's also a portion of the prison reserved for men, where a shrill voiced gay prisoner provides stereotypical comic relief.

Throughout the '70, '80s, and '90s, Director Bruno Mattei pumped out a bunch of low rent exploitation quickies ranging from Nazi atrocities such as S.S. EXTERMINATION LOVE CAMP (1977) to splatter flicks like ZOMBIE INFERNO (1981). He had helmed a couple of previous Black Emanuelle sequels dating back to 1978 and was probably running out of steam for the series when he came up with the inspired idea of injecting the popular character into the time-tested women in prison scenario. A familiar heroine in a desperate situation should have been a winning exploitation combination but oddly, the film largely fails to deliver either the violence and suspense of most WIP movies or the eroticism of the typical Black Emanuelle film. Of course Ms. Gemser does show off her pert little body in several nude scenes, including one in which she's raped in the infirmary by the corrupt prison inspector, and De Selle contributes some partial nudity during a voyeuristic sex scene. Somehow, though, the rest of the film is a bit too low key to generate much excitement.

Nevertheless, Mattei apparently liked the approach well enough to repeat it practically verbatim the following year. Emanuelle winds up behind bars again (with Tinti and De Selle once more on hand) in the next installment of the series, WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE (1983). It's more violent than its predecessor but is probably the only film Gemser ever made in which she manages to keep her clothes on from start to finish.

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

I just finished watching this DVD. Shocked! Yes shocked am I by the retching awfulness of it all. Buffoons who can't make a decent women's prison movie need to be sent to movie prison to do hard labor. This movie would have a tough time being any lamer. My head is throbbing in pain.

So Emanuelle goes undercover in a prison to expose corruption. And that's that. So if there's no more plot, why not fill it with the usual breasts and beatings? No, this movie would rather be terrible. There is nudity and there is a lesbian scene. A very lame lesbian scene. The lame far outweighed any exploitative elements in this flick. Any fight scene looked incredibly fake. All of the torture scenes were weak. What I'm saying is, it stinks. Laura Gemser always looks good naked but it's not enough to save this one from the landfill.

This movie is light on the sleaze, heavy on the awful drama. It will start to go down the right road and then hit the brakes. Don't be a gullible sucker like me. Steer clear.