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Released by: Arrow Video
Released on: 1/31/2011
Director: Oswaldo De Oliveira
Cast: Maria Stella Splendore, Marta Anderson, Danielle Ferrite, Sonia Regina
Year: 1980
The Movie:
In some hell hole of a prison in the remote jungles of South America, a group of foxy female inmates are routinely abused in all manner of creative and sadistic ways by their captors, lead by a female warden (of course) played by sexy scenery chewer, Maria Stelle Splendore. After countless different acts of degradation are forced upon the poor inmates, the warden decides to sell off one of the better looking inmates to a perverted rich lady who wants a sex slave. Eventually, three of the girls get fed up. They've been forced into doing things no one should ever be forced to endure, they've been beaten, raped, and robbed of whatever shreds of dignity they had left. They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore!
So when it comes time for the annual carnival celebration, they decide to make their escape under cover of the darkness and ensuing chaos that the massive party will bring to the area. Things seem to be all set and they've certainly got their hopes up, but second guessing the warden just might prove to be a very fatal mistake that they won't soon forget….
Trash, pure and simple. Bar Behind Bars is complete and utter trash. Nothing more, nothing less, the film is completely devoid of any socially redeeming quality whatsoever and it's pretty much impossible to defend the film in any sort of artistic or meaningful way. This movie exists solely to titillate and to provoke by showing one degrading scene of abuse after another and by throwing in hardcore inserts as well, bringing this one out of the realm of exploitation and into the realm of roughie porno. And you know what? It's a whole lot of fun and it works. This isn't a well made film, nor is it well acted but if you dig sleaze and nudity and no small amount of on screen sadism then this one fits the bill. It's a grindhouse film of the highest order, putting entertainment value and easily sold bare skin and violence above anything else, including logic or plot development (as evidenced by the fact that the subplot about the girl sold to the rich pervert is never developed any further).
Plenty of girl on girl action of the highest order is shown running the range from nudie bubble bath fun to a harder and smuttier rendezvous between prisoners (some of which even involves a strap-on!), the warden, and even a lucky delivery man who shows up just in time to satisfy a needy vixen who is starved for the touch of a man. That said, this UK release is trimmed of over a minute's worth of footage when compared to the uncut release from Blue Underground. Arrow's not especially at fault here, as being a British label they're subject to the censorial whims of the BBFC, but it is nevertheless a disappoint to see that the film's been trimmed of hardcore content (and some of the grizzlier violence) previously included on the US release.
Sure, the story is completely predictable and pretty much one hundred percent by the numbers, the acting isn't very good, the sets are cheap and tawdry and the cinematography is nothing to write home about, but that takes nothing away from the dirty pleasures that the movie offers. Simply put, this film is pure garbage, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Note: This review is based on a test disc.
Arrow's 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is very similar to the Blue Underground transfer from a few years back. The image is generally sharp and quite colorful. There's some mild to moderate grain present, noticeable mostly during the darker scenes, but fine detail looks good and black levels remain strong. Skin tones are lifelike and natural and while there is some softness to a few scenes, for the most part things look very good on this disc.
Audio chores are handled by a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track, in English, without any optional subtitles or dubbed tracks provided. The track is a bit on the flat side at times but this is likely due to the quality of the dubbing itself rather than the authoring of the DVD. Dialogue is clean and clear and the score comes through nicely. Levels are properly balanced and there are no issues with hiss or distortion.
Sadly, the disc was sent without final packaging and the only extra it contains, aside from a simple menu and chapter selection, is the film's original trailer. Arrow usually includes nice booklets and cover art (by Robin Bougie of Cinema Sewer) and does a great job with their packaging, but we can't comment on what wasn't included.
The Final Word:
It's always tough to really recommend an unfinished disc when, as is often the case with Arrow, the packaging and presentation plays a very important part in its overall value. With that said, the audio and video presentation is pretty good and on par with the Blue Underground disc. If the film is noticeably cut (some jumps are a dead giveaway even if you're not familiar with the missing naughty bits), it's still an entertaining and remarkably sleazy affair. Worth seeing for WIP fans.
