A psychologically disturbed matriarch presides over her damaged family of bank-robbing misfits.A psychologically disturbed matriarch presides over her damaged family of bank-robbing misfits.A psychologically disturbed matriarch presides over her damaged family of bank-robbing misfits.
- Moses
- (as 'Scatman' Crothers)
- Young Kate
- (as Lisa Jill)
- Bank Customer
- (uncredited)
- Victim
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn one scene where Herman Barker (Don Stroud) punches Ma Barker (Shelley Winters) in the nose, Stroud accidentally punched Winters in the nose for real, and hurt her badly enough that she had to be taken to the hospital.
- GoofsIn the prison cell when Freddie is walking on Dirkman's back, if you look on the cell wall behind him, you'll see graffiti of a Nazi swastika on the wall. The movie takes place circa 1930 and the Nazi symbol didn't even exist (at least in America's consciousness) until the late 1930's-1940's. Correction: The swastika was used as good luck symbol long before the Nazis. It was a common Native American symbol of good fortune and was on the official patch of the 45th Infantry Division of the US Army prior to 1930. So it's use as graffiti is not impossible.
- Quotes
'Ma' Kate Barker: [opens door and walks into boys' room, where Fred and Kevin are lying in bed together] I don't wanna sleep alone tonight.
Fred Barker: Ma, I can't.
'Ma' Kate Barker: Freddie, I don't want to cuddle with you tonight, baby. Kevin, I want you.
Kevin Dirkman: Well, we're all feeling kinda weird tonight, Ma.
'Ma' Kate Barker: ...Kevin, I've been promising myself you for a long time, and I want you tonight
Kevin Dirkman: Well, honey, I'm ready.
[rolls over Freddie, rubbing him sexually as he climbs out of bed. In a subsequent masochistic ecstasy, Fredde burns himself with his cigar]
- Alternate versionsThe film was originally rejected for a UK cinema certificate by the BBFC and then released 8 months later in 1971 with cuts to nudity, violent beatings, a rape scene, the drowning of Rembrandt, Lloyd's injection scenes and the violent shooting of Herman. The 18-rated UK video release of this film was cut by 11 seconds by the BBFC and removes the scene where Bruce Dern drops a tethered piglet into a river to use as alligator bait. The cuts were fully waived for the 2009 Optimum DVD.
- ConnectionsEdited into Frogs (1972)
Leaving her home and husband in Arkansas, Ma Barker and her four sons - the towering brute Herman (Don Stroud), the practical Arthur (Clint Kimbrough), the submissive, bisexual Fred (Robert Walden), and the quiet, drug-addled Lloyd (Robert De Niro) - embark on a petty crime spree on the command of Ma. Herman and Fred find themselves locked away for petty theft, and inside, Fred is dominated by the violent Kevin (Bruce Dern), who joins Ma and her boys when they are released from prison. As their notoriety grows, the family kidnap wealthy businessman Sam (Pat Hingle) and hold him for ransom. When the boys start bonding with the father figure, cracks begin to appear in the gang.
On the surface this is just a cheap exploitation film made the master of the quickie, but it has recently received some acclaim for its unorthodox portrayal of its ugly characters. There's more than a hint of incest that runs throughout the film, conveyed in Ma's hyper-sexual activity and Herman's hesitation to leave his mother's breast. It is also often quite disturbing, as the lengths that Ma will go to in order to protect her sons becomes evident as she drowns an innocent young woman who Lloyd rapes. The performances are noticeably excellent too, especially Winters, who gives Ma a vulnerability in her need to have strong men around her, and Dern, who is creepy as the alpha-male whose sexual preferences is somewhat questionable. This is one of the finest examples of Corman's skill as a director, using limited resources to create a genre film that still stands out in a crowded marketplace, never ashamed to embrace it's exploitation roots, but bold enough to dig that little bit deeper.
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- tomgillespie2002
- Oct 5, 2013
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