99 Women
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| 99 Women | |
|---|---|
 U.S. theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Jesús Franco[1] |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Manuel Merino |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Bruno Nicolai[1] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries |
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99 Women (German: Der heiße Tod, lit. 'The Hot Death') is a 1969 women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Luciana Paluzzi and Herbert Lom. One of the earliest and most financially successful examples of the genre,[2] it was produced by Harry Alan Towers as an international co-production.
The script was purchased from Robert L. Lippert.[5]
Plot
[edit]New inmate Marie arrives at an island prison in the women's sector and receives the number 99. The inmates are controlled by the sadistic lesbian warden Thelma Diaz and Governor Santos and submitted to torture, rape, sexual harassment and abuse. When the Justice minister replaces Diaz, Marie believes that her life will improve and her case will be reopened. Marie's disappointed with the new warden and plans to escape. But their scheme fails and the abuse they've undergone had been but a paltry hint of the torture in store.
Cast
[edit]- Herbert Lom as Governor Santos
- Mercedes McCambridge as Thelma Diaz
- Maria Schell as Leonie Caroll
- Maria Rohm as Marie, #99
- Rosalba Neri as Zoie, #76
- Elisa Montes as Helga, #97
- Luciana Paluzzi as Natalie Mendoza, #98
- Valentina Godoy as Rosalie, #81
- José Maria Blanco as Doctor
Release
[edit]99 Women was released in San Francisco on March 5, 1969 with a runtime of 84 minutes. This was followed by screenings in West Germany on March 14, 1969 as Der heiße Tod (transl. Hot Death) at 108 minutes, Madrid on June 16, 1969 as 99 mujeres at 78 minutes and then Rome on July 18, 1969 as 99 donne at 108 minutes.[1]
On February 22, 2005, Blue Underground released an unrated DVD of the English-language director's cut featuring an interview and talent biography with Franco, deleted and alternate scenes, a poster and still gallery and the film's trailer. Alongside this, an X-rated release of the French version, featuring eight minutes of hardcore shots featuring actors not part of the film's main production was also made available.[6][7]
Reception
[edit]From contemporary reviews, an anonymous reviewer in the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed a 70-minute version.[8] The reviewer found it to be a "Crude women's prison melodrama" with a "turgid script that rambles coyly on about lesbianism, flogging and the kinky pleasures of the Governor of a men's prison", concluding that the film was "all very tame and unremittingly tedious”.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Thrower 2015, p. 164.
- ^ a b c Mann 2014, pp. 78–79.
- ^ Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line.
- ^ Blue Underground 1969.
- ^ Martin 1967.
- ^ Blue Underground 2016.
- ^ Blue Underground.
- ^ a b "99 Mujeres (99 Women)". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 37, no. 435. British Film Institute. April 1970. p. 83.
Sources
[edit]- "99 mujeres [99 donne] (1969)". Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line (in Italian).
- "99 WOMEN (UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT)". Blue Underground. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- "99 WOMEN (X-RATED FRENCH VERSION)". Blue Underground. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- 99 Women (X-Rated Hardcore Version) (DVD). Los Angeles, California: Blue Underground. 1969.
- Mann, Dave (2014). Harry Alan Towers: The Transnational Career of a Cinematic Contrarian. McFarland. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-7864-7982-5.
- Martin, B. (Mar 8, 1967). "Young to Direct 'Mayerling'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 155641701.
- Thrower, Stephen (2015). Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco: Volume 1:1959-1974. Strange Attractor Press. ISBN 978-1-907222-31-3.
External links
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