Barbed Wire Dolls

Original title: Frauengefängnis

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Conspiracy Thriller Crime Drama Horror Thriller

Women's prison tale, with Lina Romay as Maria who is jailed after killing her father, played by director Jess Franco, who tries to rape her. Lesbian wardens, torture, nudity, sex, insanity a... Read allWomen's prison tale, with Lina Romay as Maria who is jailed after killing her father, played by director Jess Franco, who tries to rape her. Lesbian wardens, torture, nudity, sex, insanity and conspiracy round out the formula.Women's prison tale, with Lina Romay as Maria who is jailed after killing her father, played by director Jess Franco, who tries to rape her. Lesbian wardens, torture, nudity, sex, insanity and conspiracy round out the formula.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.5/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Dr. Moore
(as Paul Müller)
…

Monica Swinn

Prison Director
(as Monika Swinn)

Roger Darton

Governor Milton

Ronald Weiss

Warden

Martine Stedil

Bertha Contrini

Eric Falk

Guard Nestor

Peggy Markoff

Ingrid
(as Peggy Markhoff)
…

Nathalie Mann

Denis Torre

Raymond Hardy

Guard José
(as Ray Hardy)

Beni Cardoso

Rosaria Cortina

Maria's Father
(uncredited)

Lilliane Stollberger

Director
- Jesús Franco
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Producer Erwin C. Dietrich put his faith in director Jesús Franco and left him to make the film in peace, he did not see any footage until the film was finished. When Franco screened the completed film to him, he was horrified by the quality. The shots were too blurry and no movie lighting was used, it was rough and raw. Franco defended the film and explained it was the style he was going for. Still dissatisfied, Dietrich told Franco it was a terrible film and wasn't sure if he would be able to sell it to theaters. However, much to Dietrich's surprise, he managed to sell it to numerous European cinemas and the film was a decent success at the box office and received several good reviews at the time. Many years later, in an interview, Dietrich thought more highly of the film and said it was the first film to use the Dogme 95 style before Lars von Trier. Franco went on to make 16 more films for Dietrich over a three year period, and he told Dietrich they were the best years of his life.

Goofs
When Dr. Moore gives an injection to Bertha, He jabs the syringe into her buttock and quickly removes the needle without depressing the plunger.

Quotes
[Maria finds a dead mouse under the food on her plate]
Maria da Guerra: Ah! A mouse!
Guard: What's wrong?
Maria da Guerra: I found a mouse here on my plate. Look at it!
Guard: So what? It adds protein to your diet.
[Guard pushes Maria's face onto the plate]

Alternate versions
The film was rejected for cinema (as "Caged Women") by the BBFC in 1976 and then passed with heavy cuts under the same title the following year. The 2004 Anchor Bay DVD release (as "Barbed Wire Dolls") was cut by 41 secs to remove shots of explicit sexual penetration.

Connections
Edited into Jailhouse Wardress (1981)

User reviews24

Review

Featured review

8/10

I'll die like a queen, even though i never lived like one

Women in Prison movies come in several styles, ranging from tongue-in-cheek camp to disturbingly sadistic shockfests. Barbed Wire Dolls is a Jess Franco flick, so, as expected, it doesn't really fit into any pigeonhole. Overall, it feels like watching a repressed old man's secret fantasies, reenacted half-assedly over the course of a three-day weekend by Franco's friends in exchange for a free flight ticket. The extremely low budget is clearly visible in every aspect of the movie, including the film quality, which is barely a step above that of a Mexican soap opera or 80s late-night infomercial.

Watching Frauengefangnis is like performing an experiment on yourself. The painfully slow pace, downbeat soundtrack, eternal scenes of pointless verbal abuse, mock torture, and idiotic dialog gradually turn your brain into glue. The movie is so sleazy, depressing, and confusing, that it's almost unwatchable in one sitting.

The creepy effect of this movie doesn't come from graphic violence, as there is none. What's disturbing is how tame and lifeless everything feels, given what's supposed to be taking place. For example, it's unnerving to watch a woman laugh while she gets tortured. The laughing isn't part of the script, but on more than one occasion, actresses in this movie unintentionally crack up throughout what's supposed to be a torture or a rape scene. The effect it at once comical, disorienting and depressing. Highly recommended.