The Big Doll House

Plot synopsis:
Collier (Brown) enters prison, having been found guilty of killing her husband. She is introduced to the beautiful occupants of her cell, in for crimes ranging from political insurgency to heroin addiction. The women often clash, which leads to their torture by sadistic guard Lucian (Kathryn Loder). The torture ceremonies are viewed by an impassive cloaked figure.
Collier's cellmates Alcott and Bodine (Collins and Woodell) plan to escape. Collier and another cellmate Ferina (Gina Stuart) agree to go along. Assisting is their other lesbian cellmate Grear (Pam Grier), though there are doubts Grear's heroin addict girlfriend Harrad (Brooke Mills) will be equipped to escape.
Ferina, Alcott and Bodine break from the solitary confinement sauna and take their revenge on Lucian. The escapees wield guns, attitude, and sexuality to free themselves.
During their escape they round up various personnel from the prison as hostages, taking elegant prison warden Miss Dietrich (Christiane Schmidtmer), sympathetic prison medic Dr Phillips (Jack Davis), and two local men regularly allowed access to the prison to sell market produce, Harry (Sid Haig) and Fred (Jerry Franks).

Tags: blaxploitation, cult, avant garde, murder, sadist

Review:
While this film is not quite as great as the later one; it's still an excellent women in prison flick.
It's not long before the conditions inside the jail force the girls into planning an escape; but not before various rivalries amongst themselves are sorted out.This film is just great fun to watch, and that's what makes it so successful.
The biggest names in the cast belong to Sid Haig and Pam Grier; although neither one of them is the star.
As would be the case with the later film, Sid Haig provides the most memorable role; this time as a pervy bloke that goes round delivers various goodies to the female prisoners.
The Big Doll House is a rather lighter affair than the women in prison films by the likes of Jess Franco et al; but it's all the better for it.
The Big Doll House boils down to an explosive ending and overall I wouldn't hesitate to name this as one of the all time best women in prison films (although The Big Bird Cage is slightly better)..
Roberta Collins, Pam Grier and Sid Haig in particular are real hoots with some great moments and dialogue.
Lots of fun to be had in Jack Hill's Women In Prison exploitation classic.
The prison break attempt and the final gunfight with the authorities are fun and exciting stuff and for me Roberta Collins steals the show.
The ending is a bit rushed, some character's fates are left up in the air and the dialogue that seals Judy Brown's fate was a dub forced on the film but it's still great fun and was a groundbreaking hit for AIP.
Roberta, Pam and Judy had all just been in "Women In Prison" beforehand and Jack Hill later also directed Pam Grier in some of the blaxploitation flicks that made her an icon.
Roberta Collins would of course go onto starring in the masterpiece "Death Race 2000" and the inferior (in my opinion) prison classic "Caged Heat".
As you'd expect from this type of movie, there are chances to see attractive women getting naked or scantily clad and you get amusing foodfights and catfights.
I highly recommend both of these films if you enjoy movies under the heading of "Exploitation." ROGER CORMAN RULES!!!.
What separates - and, in my book, makes better - "The Big Doll House" from most Women-In-Prison films is that the focus here is NOT on the exploitation of the women (though there is some of that, of course), but on their STRENGTH and determination.
The casting is excellent: you know something is right when Pam Grier isn't even the most beautiful woman on the screen!
Contrary to what other people have said, I found the scenes involving Sid Haig and his partner to be the most undesirable: they do provide some form of comic relief but they go on too long and occasionally kill the pace of the movie.
'The Big Doll House' may not be the first women in prison movie of the 1970s but it was one of the most influential, kicking off the short lived but legendary Made-in-the-Philippines-but-set-in-some-nameless-Banana-republic cycle.
Judy Brown is the star and Roberta Collins is equally important as Grier.
But Brown didn't do all that much after this, and Collins is only remembered by exploitation buffs (for 'Caged Heat', 'Death Race 200' and 'Eaten Alive'), while Grier became a blaxploitation icon.
Grier and Haig obviously made a great team, and Hill would exploit this in his even more enjoyable 'The Big Bird Cage', which isn't a sequel to this movie as many seem to think.
'Bird Cage' is the better movie, but 'Doll House' is still a pretty good movie that any fan of 1970s b-grade movies will get a kick out of..
Beautiful women prisoners are abused in a Philippine prison, until five of them plot an escape by taking the evil female warden hostage with the reluctant help of two male fruit vendors.I have to say this film is an exploitation movie, and therefore has some aspects that many people might find objectionable -- gratuitous nudity, sexual assault and some scenes of torture.
This is not just a fun film to watch with your kids.That being said, director Jack Hill makes the most of the exploitation genre and does it in a stylish, colorful way that sets this movie apart from the scores of others in the same category.
Roger Corman sent out exploitation director Jack Hill to the Banana republic (Philippines) with very little money, but on-hand he had a group of stunning women to work with.
Its been done before, but this old hat Women-In-Prison concept for "Big Doll House" became revolutionary by giving it an ounce of fresh treatment (or maybe it was just great timing) that simply appealed to the drive-in audience to ensure the genre would erupt again.
Hill's film is quite watered-down for a WIP exploitation feature (compared to its European cousins), but there are enough nitty, gritty elements involving random drug abuse, sadistic torture, and sexual antics, pumping gunfights and wild cat fights in a very energetic pattern.
Although, the attractively biting Roberta Collins holds her own quite well and Judy Brown, Pat Woodell and Brooke Mills add to the unique, spicy ensemble.
Plenty of cat fights, shower scenes and other devious going's on, in a well paced 'Women Behind Bars' movie.
I don't know why.It began well enough with opening credits that stylishly zoom in and Pam Grier singing 99 years (which also featured in the film Jackie Brown).For the first hour this Corman produced Women in Prison film was a great slice of exploitation cinema.
Pam Grier and Sid Haig standing out above the rest of the cast.Then after about an hour the film becomes repetitive and boring.
Still its good while it lasts, maybe just turn it off when it starts too get boring.For a better Women in Prison film try maybe Ilsa: She-wolf of the SS..
Big Doll House, The (1971) ** (out of 4) Beautiful women, catfights, food fights, torture, lesbianism, mud wrestling and nudity are the highlights of this cult classic Women in Prison film from Jack Hill.
Judy Brown and Pam Grier star.It should also be noted that I prefer the rougher women in prison films by the likes of Jess Franco.
Franco started this genre with 99 Women but I prefer his darker WIP films like Barbed Wire Dolls, Women in Cell Block 9 and Sadomania..
Right, well you know exactly what to expect from a movie such as this when you sit down to watch "The Big Doll House".
And if you've seen one of the numerous exploitation movies from the same era as "The Big Doll House", then you have essentially seen them all - more or less.
Sure, there may be some deviation in the plot from movie to movie, but roughly said, it is the same standard formula each movie follows.I decided to watch "The Big Doll House" solely because Sid Haig was in the movie.
But I was actually also interested in the movie as it was filmed in the Philippines, though this was merely a backdrop that reared its head from time to time.Sure, you should not expect a particularly well-constructed plotline or script, nor expect overly much from the dialogue.
The genre of women-in-prison movies has never been my favourite type of exploitation movie.
You know the deal: young woman goes to a prison (usually in a jungle somewhere in Asia or South America), she was probably framed and is innocent, there are tough lesbians in the prison and the warden punishes the inmates with devices and techniques inspired by sadomasochism.Oh, and I forgot the main reason anyone watches these: shower scenes.
A lot of events seem isolated because they have no effect on the narrative; another example that just occurred to me is a mudfight between Pam Grier and some other girl.The movie is also pretty badly acted.
The actresses who play the other inmates are all completely forgettable.There is, of course, also Grier's perennial counterpart Sid Haig, playing his usual sleazoid role.
The female inmates at a women's prison suffer severe mistreatment at the brutal hands of wicked warden Miss Dietrich (a nicely icy turn by Christiane Schmidtmer) and sadistic head guard Lucian (a gloriously florid and theatrical portrayal by Kathryn Loder).
The cast have a grand time with the sordid material: Pam Grier as the sassy Grear, Judy Brown as the feisty Collier, Roberta Collins as the hard-boiled Alcott, ravishing redhead Brooke Mills as pathetic strung-out smack addict Harrad (Mills' crazed and sensuous little stoner dance rates as a definite highlight), Pat Woodell as the formidable Bodine, Gina Stuart as slinky minx Ferina, and Jerry Franks as the amiable Fred.
Of course, this film covers all the satisfyingly sleazy grindhouse bases: a generous amount of tasty distaff nudity, a group shower scene, a fierce catfight (in the mud, no less!), rape, torture, a messy cafeteria food fight, and an exciting last reel breakout.
This has to be the sexiest female cast I've seen in one of these movies..Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Milles(..my girl of the film), and Pat Woodell all preparing for a great escape just so they can be free of the sweaty, trashy confines of their Banana Republic prison cell.
Christiane Schmidtmer is Miss Dietrich, the tyrannical ruler over the prison and Kathryn Loder is her ruthless head guard with an affinity for acquiring jungle snakes as a torture(..or murdering)method to extract information regarding possible illegal activities or plotting(..she likes to let her hair down when it's time to whip or pummel a girl).
Sid Haig, a prominent Jack Hill regular, has a field day as a food(..among other items of interest)supplier, assisted by Jerry Franks(..who is actually accosted by Collins, who forces him to sex with a knife she confiscated from the kitchen area!).I will admit that I love beautiful women.
I feel like the 70's featured some of the most stunning women, often barely starring in anything other than a few movies within the exploitation genre, before moving on to other things.
After having to sit through film after film.with a fantastically ridiculous premise that mostly features 90 minutes of people wandering around doing nothing, it's nice to go back to a legend of the genre and know that I can still trust.The Big Doll House was my third Women in Prison film, after the infamous Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS and the Defiant Ones-inspired Black Mama, White Mama, but where both of those films seemingly ran out of inspiration fairly quickly (Ilsa grows wearying quickly, and Black Mama stagnates as most of the film is uninspired wandering.While I grew restless with both of those films, Jack Hill and The Big Doll House seemingly has it all covered, and surprisingly, the film draws its strength from restraint and respect towards its characters.
Where Black Mama had plentiful amounts of gratuitous nudity, the standards were quite low and, for the most part, it wasn't PLEASANT nudity, while in Doll House, there is nudity, but more usually, they're dressed in these sort of adorably tiny dresses, like over-sized wifebeaters, and it makes them look far more attractive and pleasing to the eye than if they had been naked the entire time.The other unique thing for this film of the three is that the prisoner women seem to be constantly in power.
They're never weak-willed, they may get tortured a bit, but they're always feisty, always defiant, and although you definitely get a sense of sexualized satisfaction (it's a Women in Prison movie for f-ck's sake, there's shower scenes, groping scenes, even a scene scantily-clad mud wrestling), you never get any of the uncomfortable, misogynist sleaze you most definitely get from Ilsa.
That's a film that delights in the torture so much that it neglects story for much of its runtime.The acting is actually fairly solid save for our hero, Pam Grier (amusingly playing a character named "Grear").
But Judy Brown, Robert Collins, Brooke Mills, Pat Woodell, Kathryn Loder, Gine Stuart and Christiana Schmidter as the warden Miss Dietrich all acquit themselves admirably.
A crazy heroin addict who lights people on fire, a lesbian prison guard who threatens people with cobras, the aforementioned mud wrestling, threats of castration, people getting stabbed (including Pam Grier, who unexpectedly doesn't even survive the film!), the shower scenes, and just the basic gratuitous nudity just seems to be at a higher standard than subsequent films.
I do look forward to seeing more of them to be able to compare, and although being an "expert in Women in Prison films" is not going to be something to put on the 'ol resume, if any of them are as well-composed as The Big Doll House, it'll sure be a lot of fun.{Grade: 8.25/10 (B+/B) / #12 (of 26) of 1971}.
A WIP film with Pam Grier and Sid Haig with Jack Hill directing  what could go wrong?
Pam Grier may be one of my favorite actresses of all time, but it's easy to see that this was one of her first movies.
The groundbreaking Women in Prison film!.
The Big Doll House stars Judy Brown, who is taken to a prison on some remote island where she is accompanied by other jailbirds: Pam Grier, Brooke Mills, and Roberta Collins.
Sid Haig is the dominating warden who uses poisonous local snakes to torture the prisoners.
The movie ends with Grier, Mills, and Collins dying and Brown being captured and taken back to prison.
Classic Women-In-Prison action from director Jack Hill..
The Big Doll House pretty much sets the template for the whole WIP genre, with the introduction of several new prisoners to a banana republic womens' jail where the head warder abuses trouble-makers for the amusement of the wicked governess.
After experiencing the suffering first-hand, the (ridiculously attractive) inmates of one cell decide to make a break for freedom.Director Jack Hill's film treads a fine line between straight up exploitation and tongue in cheek fun: it's nowhere near as harsh as the average European WIP flick, but not quite as camp as Hill's follow up, The Big Bird Cage, which emphasised the absurdity of the genre in a more playful manner.
Hence, we get an assortment of relatively light torture scenes (including that WIP favourite, electrodes on the breasts) and some bloody violence (the sudden death of one central character is particularly harrowing), all of which is mixed in with such lighter nonsense as a mess hall food fight, a spot of mud-wrestling, and the exploits of a pair of randy male fruit-sellers who dream of scoring with the banged-up birds.With plenty of gratuitous nudity from the gorgeous gals (whose numbers include blaxploitation legend Pam Grier and Death Race 2000 babe Roberta Collins), another fun turn from Hill regular Sid Haig, and a surprisingly down-beat ending that sees all of the escapees either shot or recaptured, this is a very enjoyable slice of exploitation from one of the genre's most dependable film-makers (Hill also gave us the excellent offbeat black-comedy/horror Spider Baby, and Grier blaxploitation classics Coffy and Foxy Brown).7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb..
An Interesting Low-Budget "Women-in-Prison" Film.
After killing her rich husband a woman by the name of "Collier" (Judith Brown) is sentenced to 99 years at hard labor at a women's prison somewhere deep in the Philippine jungle.
She is put in a cell with 5 other beautiful women who go by the names of "Alcott" (Roberta Collins), "Bodine" (Pat Woodell), "Grear" (Pam Greer), "Harrad" (Brooke Mills) and "Ferina"(Gina Stuart).
While each of them have their own story to tell they all share one particular view which is that the head guard, "Lucian" (Kathryn Loder) is extremely sadistic and the attractive warden "Miss Dietrich"(Christiane Schmidtmer) is either incompetent or ambivalent to the torture and abuse within the prison.
Now, rather than detailing all of the events that transpire and risk spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was an interesting low-budget "Women-in-Prison" film which covered most of the main aspects associated with movies of this type.
TITLE: THE BIG DOLL HOUSE was release in theaters in the United States on January 1, 1971 and it will take you 101 minutes to watch this movie.
The Big Doll House is a 1971 women in prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell.
Later the same year the film Women in Cages featured a similar story and setting, much the same cast, and was shot in the same abandoned prison buildings.
A non-sequel follow-up, titled The Big Bird Cage, was released in 1972.SUMMARY: Collier (Brown) enters prison, having been found guilty of killing her husband.
Assisting is their other cellmate Grear (Pam Grier); though there are doubts, Grear's heroin addict girlfriend Harrad (Brooke Mills) will be equipped to escape.QUESTIONS: Who was the person in the chair while the girls were tortured?
However, the star of this movie to me was Judy Brown.
Brown role as Collier was excellent and she the reason I give this movie 10 weasel stars..
So says one of the denizens of the "big doll house" to a man from the outside who has come to make deliveries but gets more than he bargained for....The Big Doll House is exploitation with a capital X, made in the peak period for such stuff by the redoubtable Jack Hill and starring future cult blaxploitation actress Pam Grier.
Shot in the Phillipines, clearly on next-to-no-budget, this is good cheesy fun, women in prison with a lesbian/Nazi guard and a couple of fumbling good ol' hippie-boys (one of them played by cult actor Sid Haig, in an early performance back when he was thin, had hair and came off as an oily ladies' man) who help them out at the most opportune moment.