Black Mama, White Mama (1972)

70s' low budget womens prison escape flick at its best

Just as good as Big Bird Cage. This film stars the lovely Pam Grier also Sid Haig doing what they do. Sid Haig comes close to stealing the show from the 2 girls in this movie when he comes on screen to play his parts but,seeing Pam Grier half naked in a sweat box chained up takes the cake. 2 escapees fight with each other then become breast friends. Decent action with the budget they were shooting with. I enjoyed this movie and only paid 6 or 7 bucks for it. April 27, 2008

Low-Class, Low-Budget and Low on Titillation, a Pointless Women-in-Chains Howler Now on DVD

The title pretty much lets you know what you're getting. It's a grade-C howler but not as blatantly funny as I was hoping. Directed by exploitation film specialist Eddie Romero from a story that originally came from Jonathan Demme (long before directing "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia"), this low-budget 1972 action movie was obviously filmed in the Philippines but set in some anonymous third world country. Playing hooker and small-time drug dealer Lee Daniels, blaxploitation superstar Pam Grier plays the first half of the title role, while long-forgotten Margaret Markov is the other half, Karen Brent, an unlikely Patty Hearst-like political revolutionary looking to partner with her comrades to overthrow the oppressive local government. Naturally antagonistic toward each other, they are in a women's prison camp where they wear inexplicably bright yellow mini-skirts as uniforms. Run by a closeted warden and lecherous matron, the prison is just an excuse for a lengthy shower scene and some half-hearted cat-fighting as Lee and Karen are pitted against each other. Of course, they escape but shackled together a la "The Defiant Ones" and continue the cat-fighting until they attack a couple of nuns to steal their habits.

Meanwhile, various groups of unsavory men are in pursuit - the loutish drug lord looking for Lee who stole $40K from him, the rather passive revolutionaries looking for Karen, and the incompetent police (who suffer the humiliation of exposing their privates to the drug lord). Needless to say, everything eventually comes to a head but not before gratuitous nudity by a number of Filipino women, a dog wears Karen's panties and some of the worst of 1970's men's fashion (one beer-bellied revolutionary wears a leather halter top with a straight face). There is a rather sad ending, but what's truly sad is how much of the potential black comedy is missed entirely in this hilariously preposterous exercise. Sadly, Grier is disappointing in this outing because her character is not allowed much to do beyond dealing with all the "jive", while Markov is an Amazonian blonde whom I am convinced is trying desperately to be credible. Since no one displays any talent for acting, the rest of the cast is not worth noting, except balding, bug-eyed Sid Haig, who uses his standard psycho persona as the drug lord. The 2003 DVD contains only the original trailer as an extra. January 2, 2007

[3.5]--"Let's get down to some serious B&tt-kicking business."

I don't understand anyone who says that this is one of the worst exploitation films they have ever seen. Just the title alone gives this cult status and all the ingredients are here for it being an extremely fun film to watch. Yeah I'll admit that women's Prison flicks are terrible. They are all about getting girls naked. BAD action sequences & Horrible acting always plague these movies. They're usually made for teenagers who watch late night SKINemax. Black Mama White Mama on the other hand is fun. It doesn't take it self seriously. It even has drama that is topped off with a dramatic ending.

Cult figure Pam Grier gets her first starring role in this WIP ("Women in Prison"). She plays a convicted hooker who escapes from prison, chained together to another prisoner (a white woman convicted of sedition). The film starts off as any typical 1970s exploitation movie, but it changes gears quickly, becoming a female variation of Kramer's The Defiant Ones (1958). It is a welcome twist to the old formula. Grier is allowed to play a more feminine, gentler role here, and she does a great job with her character. Margaret Markov is effective as Grier's unlikely partner in crime. Fans of Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005) will recognize cult character actor Sid Haig; he is a hoot as Ruben The Cowboy.

Plenty of violence, blood, and sex are combined with a silly subplot about a group of revolutionaries. I thought director Romero did a good job in sustaining the initial momentum, and I liked how the potentially sappy finale remained tough and cruel to the very last second. Morally dubious, but entertaining, and a great showcase for the incomparable Pam Grier. Co-written by Jonathan Demme. This would probably get an NC-17 if released today.

One thing for sure is that you won't ever see a film like this and probably never would. "Black Mama, White Mama" is certainly not a masterpiece but it is worth a look.
September 17, 2006

Whole Lotta Woman!!

Pam Grier is THE dish in this blaxploitation Classic!! Sleazy, campy lesbian undertones and some truly hilarious dialogue make this watchable again and again February 27, 2006

dis movie rox mai sox mahon!!!!!

DIS IS DA PAM GURL MOVIE...........SHE IS DA BEST GURL IN PLANET CAUSE SHJE LOOX HOT WITH GOOD LOOKIN HOTTAS.................DA BOMB MAN DA BOMB!!!!!I LOVE DAT GURLS MOVIE............MARRY ME February 18, 2004

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