"Big Doll House" (1971)

The women’s prison movie had a pretty simple formula: shower scenes, threats of rape, a sadistic warden, etc. These films were never going be great works of art, but within this premise a director could do whatever they wanted, so long as they hit the necessary exploitation marks. The best of these films demonstrated surprising craft being snuck through very trashy, extremely lurid plots. Jack Hill’s Big Doll House is one of the best examples of this weird little sub-genre. The film is about a prison break at a corrupt Philippines prison, which for some odd reason has a lot of attractive American women locked away in it. Hill doesn’t hold back on the titillation; he’s not above lingering on a body or aestheticizing violence, almost to an unhealthy extent. And even Hill’s assured directing can’t make up for a number of lukewarm performances (Granted, many of these actors were not chosen for acting chops, but their good looks and willingness to expose themselves). The exception here is Pam Grier playing a prisoner who essentially amounts to a variation on her real life persona. Grier had charisma and a magnetic screen presence that makes even the most inadequate dialogue acceptable. But underneath the sensationalism Hill creates lively power dynamics that give a sense of weight and tension to the narrative. Hill knows this is all in good, tantalizing fun, and he never pretends it’s anything else; he’s light and playful here, embracing the sordid charms that a film like this entails. 

Grade: B-