Growing up in the seventies with the local drive in the only means of seeing films the majority of the time I was one of those who grew up with the vast number of exploitation films released at the time. These were movies that somehow had fairly good technical values production wise and lacked only in plotlines, acting and writing. It didn’t make them terrible movies and some actually were quite good. It did mean that most were not award worthy and just plain entertainment.
One genre of these films that ran rampant were the women in
prison films. The reason for this is that exploitation films thrived on reasons
to show women naked in films without being overly gratuitous. They left actual
sex scenes to pornography and instead made these movies which teen boys would
flock to instead. Movies like THE BIG BIRD CAGE, THE BIG BIRD HOUSE and CAGED
HEAT played alongside other movies that didn’t draw as much attention. All of
them feature a few common themes: women taking showers together, lesbians, an
innocent thrown in jail, a black prisoner fighting a white one only to join
forces before the end of the film and violence. One more thing they always had
in common was that no matter how dense the jungle or work they did in prison
their hair and makeup was always perfect.
Among these movies was the film SWEET SUGAR. It starred
Phyllis Davis who would star in another similar film, TERMINAL ISLAND, with Tom
Selleck the following year and who later went on to fame in the TV series
VEGA$. It was released by one of those companies who thrived on exploitation
films, Dimension Pictures. This was the same company responsible for films like
THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE, THE DOBERMAN GANG, GATOR BAIT, INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS,
DOLEMITE, DIXIE DYNAMITE, DR BLACK AND MR HYDE and a favorite of mine RUBY.
The film tells the story of Sugar Bowman (Davis), a
prostitute in Costa Rica who is set up on drug charges and arrested. She is
presented with an option, which she takes, to work off her time on cutting cane
on a sugar plantation.
The plantation is owned by Dr. John (Angus Duncan), a mad
scientists who is using the women on the plantation for secret experiments
which are never quite fully explained. For some reason it does involve torture
but he seems far too young to be a Nazi transplant who escaped imprisonment.
Overseeing the workers is Burgos (Cliff Osmond) who rules with an iron fist.
Osmond who plays the part was seen in numerous movies in similar roles.
Sugar does her work but often runs into conflict with
another prisoner, a black woman named Simone (Ellaraino). Their back and forth
banter offers little in acting ability and plenty of conflict. Also a part of
the group is a 17 year old prisoner wrongfully accused. This girl is later raped
by Dr. John which sets in motion the anger and combined efforts of the other
prisoners to seek revenge.
The film doesn’t offer a depth of story here and the acting
matches. Some performances are fluid enough but most have the sound of a line
reading rather than actors performing. But if you’re a fan of this genre then
this film will provide you with the exact things you’re looking for. Nearly
every box on the checklist is marked here.
While Davis went on to show she could actually act in films
she made after the point in her career she made these, her obvious assets are
what are on display here. Well-endowed but not overly so, she made the most of
her looks to take on parts like this. It gave her the opportunity to make a
movie and be noticed which led to greater success on TV later on.
No this is not a perfect movie and no this is not a movie
that would be award winning. It is what it sets out to be, an exploitation
movie that offers plenty of action, a minimal amount of titillation and a few
laughs thrown in for good measure with some comedic touches. Two of the
funniest moments for me were finding Dr. John, this sinister character, taking
a bubble bath and a sequence where the women are trapped in a cage and the
guards throw cats in at them. Not tigers but house cats. Hungry, angry house
cats. The women end up scratched and bloody which is completely ridiculous and
hilarious. Anyone going to see it knew what to expect and they weren’t
disappointed. If you do the same you will have some fun with this release on
disc.
Vinegar Syndrome, whose praises I have sung before, continue
to show they are ready, willing and able to take what most would consider
something left in the trash and presenting it in pristine format with a few
decent extras to boot. To start with this is the cleanest and clearest
presentation you will find for the film with a newly scanned and restored in 2k
from 35mm interpositive. The extras for a movie like this would be hard to
find, more so since star Davis passed away in 2013. But there are a few
including a video interview with Screenwriter Donald Spencer, the original
theatrical trailer, original cover artwork by Derek Gabryszak and reversible
cover artwork.
Fans of exploitation films will want to make sure they add
this one to their collection. And those who support companies like Vinegar
Syndrome will want to do the same. Let’s hope they continue to carry on this
tradition of rescuing long lost titles and presenting them in the best format
possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment