400th BLOG!!! Blaxploitation Week: Black Mama, White Mama

Howdy boys and girls and welcome back to Blaxploitation Week and boy did I find a winner to some, an abomination to others and folks undecided on it as well.    Our film has prison riots, corrupt, abusive guards, revolutionaries fighting with the existing government and more than a few sultry ladies.  Sadly, it is a less than flattering scenario that seems to have more than 400 incarnations.  Yes kids, this is a women in prison film so brace yourself.  This is Black Mama, White Mama.

Waking me up before the sun....grr...

Lee Daniels: Some jive-ass revolution don't mean spoiler to me!








Straight from the Phillippines our prisoners are brought to the gulag in this tropical country.  Our leads Lee Daniels (Pam Grier of The Big Doll House, Women in Cages, Coffy, Scream Blacula Scream, The Arena, Foxy Brown, Bucktown and Jackie Brown) a former harem girl and Karen Brent (Margaret Markov of Run, Angel, Run!, Pretty Maids All in a Row, The Hot Box, The Arena and There Is No 13)  a wide eyed revolutionary are dragged into crooked system leading to a world of utter disdain.  No sooner have the ladies have been delivered for a 5 minute shower scene.  The warden (Laurie Burton of My Friends Need Killing, My Breakfast with Blassie, Perfect and Our House) slaps Lee around with a leather glove. Yeah that was clearly needed to progress the storyline.  

Vas is "Spin the Bottle"?

Lee and Karen end up getting into a riot fight and literally were back to back wailing on these gals.  Both women are tossed in lock boxes to broil in the merciless sun.  Feeling these two troublemakers will ruffle more feathers they are shackled together and sent to the maximum security which involves a long drive into the jungles when revolutionaries hit the truck and takes off with the girls.

Lee is in hotter water than Karen with her former pimp/boyfriend being the biggest drug dealer lifting 40 large off him and hid it.  With their attempts to find her bearing no fruit and looking foolish, a rival gang lead by Ruben (Sid Haig of The Big Bird Cage, The No Mercy Man, Coffy, Foxy Brown, Jason of Star Command and House of 1000 Corpses) who wants the trades of drugs and human trafficking and gun-running under his thumb and his thumb alone.

I had just a few comments to make with this film.   Once again this film is shot in 35 mm Spherical and its cinematography is glorious to be had, the multiple units offering coverage from tri-pod mounted, vehicle mounted and some decent crane work and up pans.    So if you feel you need scantily clad or nude women running about, cat fights,  love the women in prison or just a big Pam Grier fan you might get some enjoyment out of this.  I will say that the pace and speed of the film does keep steady and means to keep the audience guessing and gripped.  Not a bad script but the content just feels juvenile to watch.

Oh stop arching.  You got the movie deal.