Women in Chains

Illustration : Unknown

Bernard L. Kowalski | USA | 1972

Quickly cashing-in on the then popular ‘Women-in-Prison’ genre, Bernard Kowalski’s 1972 ABC ‘Movie of the Week’ manages to successfully capture the grubby atmosphere of prison life, despite being let down by the neatly parcelled-up finale. Worthy of note is the fine musical score composed by Charles Fox (co-writer of ‘Killing Me Softly’, made popular by Roberta Flack); keep an eye out for Barbara Luna, who went on to play queen bee ‘Cat’ in Tom DeSimone’s The Concrete Jungle ten years later.

Following the suspicious death of female inmate Ginger Stratton, ambitious parole Officer Sandra Parker (TV stalwart Lois Nettleton), dyes her hair and assumes the identity of ‘needle user’ Sally Potter. And, with the assistance of her colleague Helen Anderson (Penny Fuller), gets herself incarcerated into the Women’s State Prison in an attempt to expose the institutional abuse of the female convicts.

Once inside, Sandra witnesses first-hand the abuse and injustice meted out to the prisoners by wing orderly and tyrannical matriarch Miss Tyson (Ida Lupino). Tyson — a strict disciplinarian who never lets an opportunity to inflict sadism or cruelty pass her by — becomes suspicious of the newcomer, and is soon informed that she’s been asking about the dead Stratton girl.

The whistle is blown however when a fellow inmate from another wing recognises the former parole officer and recounts that her colleague Helen has been murdered. Sandra, now stuck inside and completely alone without her contact, hears that Miss Tyson plans to have her killed in an ‘accident’ this coming Sunday….

CIC’s (pronounced “kick” within the trade) 1989 15-rated uncut certificate ‘15’ video release was packaged with an inconspicuous blink-and-you’d-miss-it sleeve design, which certainly didn’t merit the film nor attract any attention; suicidal for any video release within the competitive rental market of the late 1980s. Ironically enough there are no chains featured in the film at all!

Remarkably, the title of Women in Chains has been used for the re-titling of two other prison-related movies: the Australian theatrical and video releases of Eddie Romero’s Black Mama, White Mama and the Academy Video release of Lee Frost’s 1971 Chain Gang Women.

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aka : —

cast : Ida Lupino, Lois Nettleton, Jessica Walter, Belinda Montgomery, Penny Fuller, John Larch, Neile Adams, Hazel Medina, Kathy Cannon, Lucille Benson, Joyce Jameson, Judy Strangis, William Andrews, Alice Backes, Barbara Baldavin, William Bryant, Hollie Hayes, Noah Keen, Barbara Luna, Tracee Lyles, Kathleen O'Malley, June Whitley Taylor