User reviews

This is a South American women-in-prison (WIP) flick without the narrative drive or camp value of American WIP films (BIG DOLL HOUSE, CHAINED HEAT) of the fever-dream delirium of European WIP films (BARBED WIRE DOLLS, HELLHOLE WOMEN). All the exploitable elements are in place but the excitement is missing as this film is top-heavy (pun intended) with girl/girl sex scenes. The actress who plays the warden looks just like Lisa Kudrow.

In a Brazilian prison for women, where the inmates are subjected to physical and sexual abuse on a daily basis, four girls make a bid for freedom. Aided by the prison's ether-sniffing nurse, the group successfully escape and go on a killing spree.

From the word go, Oswaldo de Oliveira's sleazy WIP movie delivers wall-to-wall scenes of nudity and lesbianism: nearly every female in his film's joint-including the guards, prisoners and even the sexy warden, are lesbians. The ones that aren't are bisexual! This means that viewers can expect a whole shedload of nekkid babes in ill-fitting outfits indulging in all sorts of sexy shenanigans, including oral-sex, mutual masturbation, and strap-on action.

What starts off as a softcore film with simulated sex gradually becomes stronger and stronger in content, until the director gives up all pretences and goes the whole hog, with a couple of (rather crap) hardcore couplings. As well as upping the strength of the sex, de Oliveira also makes the film a whole lot more violent and sleazy in the final half an hour, with the escaped prisoners indulging in a little killing before going their separate ways. In one scene, an entire family is savagely attacked by the girls; the mother and father are shot, the father has his severed penis fed to a barking dog, and then the wanton women proceed to 'rape' the under-aged son!

Now I realise that this sounds like the mother of all exploitation films and an unmissable treat for those who dig more 'unusual' cinematic fare, but, to be honest, it's all rather boring. After a couple of lesbian scenes, the film becomes a blur of boobs, bums and beaver and one soon longs for something remotely resembling a decent plot.

The occasional prison torture scene and a second brutal emasculation help to break up the tedium of endless frottage, but are not enough to make me recommend this ultimately disappointing film.

Do you enjoy violent, sleazy, sexy "Women In Prison" films? If so, then this one shouldn't disappoint, but it's not something just anybody can sit through. There's a lot of t&a and all sorts of depravity on display here, straight out of Brazil. Lesbian prison guards make out with the lady prisoners, perform cavity searches in their most private of areas, etc...

It's not very well directed (though fans may ask "so what?") and it doesn't always make a hell of a lot of sense. But there are a couple of disturbing sequences to be on the lookout for in scenes where a few female inmates escape and run wild in the streets - one of these involves castrating a man, and even a sicker display has the girls raping a pre-teenaged boy in his home as he moans "why? why?" (he may well find out in a few more years). ** out of ****

This a Brazilian WIP film which means several things. First off, it's going to be more graphic than usual (actually crossing into hardcore in several places) if perhaps not quite as sick as some of the 1970's Jess Franco WIP films that were nominally set in South America. Second, while it does contain some reasonably attractive actresses, a lot of the others could be considered female "rough trade" (including a few that looked like they could been REAL prisoners). Third, it was obviously filmed in an actual Brazilian prison and, after the breakout, in actual Brazilian ghettos which gives it a squalid and depressing air (a ridiculous scene where all the prisoner take a VERY exuberant shower is actually kind of understandable--given the squalid conditions of the "set" the actresses probably really were that excited to get into a shower).

The main point of this movie is SEX--sex and more sex. Sex between the inmates, between the inmates and the warden or the prison nurse, solo sex scenes with the prisoners who are thrown into solitary confinement (buck naked, of course)--it's all here, one scene after another. And if you get tired of lesbian sex, after the traditional bust-out there's even more straight sex (you would think these woman would want to take a break from having sex, but no) with the kind of guys that make Ron Jeremy look trim and hairless. There's also a little unpleasantness like with one inmate in solitary who has befriended a dead rat (she doesn't have sex with at least), and another woman who suddenly makes like Lorena Bobbit after performing graphic oral sex on a very ugly guy.

What this movie really DOESN'T have though is a plot. Or real characters--I couldn't figure out WHO the protagonists are supposed to be. Like a hardcore porn film it is just a series of sex scenes thrown together with little or no connective tissue, and (speaking of tissue) while some of the women are attractive enough that I could certainly see some male viewers at home being motivated to "fire one off", I don't why even they would want to watch the rest of the movie. You really CAN have too much of a good thing sometimes, and this is a good example.

Well I've got to say that I do enjoy a good slice of sleaze; but I also like there to be some sort of narrative to keep my interest, and this film lacks that; which leaves it feeling rather shallow and pointless. As the title suggests, Bare Behind Bars is another one of those 'women in prison' films, and the fact that it hails from Brazil means that you can certainly count on gratuitous sex and nudity, which this film features in droves. There's all sorts of stuff going on, from lesbian sex to the use of dildo's and other implements, and everyone in the prison gets involved; from the prisoners to the guards and everyone in-between. The only slight hint of plot revolves around a prison break, which happens towards the end. There's a fair amount of violence to go with the sex and general sleaze, which includes certain male body parts being removed and, on one occasion, being fed to the family dog! However, while this film has everything you could want in terms of sleaze; the lack of any plot at all really does harm it. Obviously this is not a genre that is well known for great stories, but this film is shallow even by genre standards; and while I'm not an expert on sleazy women in prison flicks - Jess Franco has certainly done better.

This may be the worst Women in prison flick i've ever seen. The movie is wall to wall sex and after a while it stops being a Women in prison movie and just becomes a softcore (slightly hardcore) porno.

Now i don't necessarily object to softcore films, but when i watch a WIP movie, i have certain expectations. There are certain genre conventions that should probably be followed. Most of these films have a slightly teasing nature about the sex and most have much denser stories than this one. This is not a genre where plot is all that important, but the story here is weak even when you keep that in mind. There is no story at all. It's just a series of scenes with lots of nudity. The acting is terrible, the characters are all weak and predictable. There is very little humor... The film tries to be funny, but fails utterly. There is very little action, it just meanders from one sex scene to another. It's just pure drudgery once you get bored with all the sex and their's so much of it, that won't take very long.

The director of this film is one of the blandest i have ever seen. There is no sense of visual style, no atmosphere. All the lighting is flat, all the editing utterly conventional. There is nothing interesting about the camera work and most scenes play out in a boring, predictable fashion. The pacing is horrid... It's basically shot with less artistry than most porno films. It's lacks any sense of style at all.

As a softcore film, I suppose it succeeds to some degree but it's almost too mean spirited to be erotic.. As a WIP film, it lacks any pretension of underlying substance or plot, and the film doesn't benefit from the absence.

Watch "The Big Bird Cage" instead to see how these movies are supposed to be made. It's full of fun and interesting characters, has a much more substantial story and while there are fewer sex scenes and less nudity, what's there has a greater impact than anything "Bare behind bars" has to offer. Even a film like "Emmanuelle in prison" which is only a middling effort in the WIP genre, is still ten times better than this one.

My oh my, Oswaldo de Oliveira must have had the time of his life whilst filming this ultimately depraved and sleaze-laden Women In Prison classic. There are almost no men involved in this production and all the female stars – with the notable exception of the nasty lunch-lady – are stunningly ravishing wenches. Easily one of the most shameless and politically incorrect exploitation flicks ever made, "Bare Behind Bars" has absolutely no substantial content (or at least very few), but proudly offers wall-to-wall lesbian action, nudity and even some X-rated hardcore action. Welcome to the Brazilian all-girls exclusive "Prisão", where the inmates seemingly enjoy hiding sharp & pointy objects in their most intimate body parts, the wardens' uniforms only have buttons below the bosom-section, the dumb Marilyn Monroe resembling nurse has a very peculiar interpretation of the term health inspection and fake penis toys are referred to as the Seventh Wonder of the World. Life honestly isn't that bad in this film, as the girls are allowed to play sex games with each other as well as with the wardens and, occasionally, the prettiest ones are sold to rich lesbians for big money. Of course, eventually, a couple of courageous prisoners plan an escape, resulting in violence, torture and death. "Bare Behind Bars" is really the sleaziest and most rancid WIP-movie imaginable. I estimate that maximally five seconds is thee longest period without nudity in this film. There are many extended (and ridiculously overlong) shower sequences and pointless girl-on-girl fondling moments, but it's all shockingly boring & terribly UN-sexy. The last half hour is much more exciting and violent, but it's far too late to save the film unfortunately. As said, the women in this film (inmates as well as wardens, nurses and rich lesbian buyers) are quite beautiful, albeit speaking in terms of 70's exploitation. This means they're definitely not anorexic and their pubic regions are about half the size of the Amazon jungle. "B.B.B." is probably a must-see for all fans of the WIP sub genre, but it could and should have been much better. I very much prefer the Italian outings ("Women's Prison Massacre", "Women in Fury") that are perhaps slightly less sleazy, but feature more action, suspense and better actresses.

The biggest surprise about this movie, is the fact it was not made by Jess Franco. This is infact a brazilian movie, and a standard women in prison one as well. Three bad girls are thrown in jail. Naturally, they are submitted to all kind of degredations. They escape, and are captured again. Even though they are the heroes of this movie, justice must be done, and the girls are thrown back behind bars. This "twist" is the only thing slightly surprising about the movie. The copy I have seen, contains several brief hardcore sexscenes, that seems to have been left in the movie by mistake. The scenes are, however, performed by the leads themselves, leading to the conclution, that this movie (like many Jess Franco movies that it resembles) also excists somewhere as a hardcore movie. The movie also, unwisely, combines humour and torturescenes. A bad movie alltogether. For WIP completeists only.

This has been called the "Mother of all WIP" flicks. In a sense I can see why. It has all the essential ingredients of the genre- in abundance if not excess.

Wall to wall nudity (indeed being nude is the default dress code), shower scenes, some (tame) torture, lesbianism (indeed no men really), and a so-called moral ending.

Trouble is that it is so atrociously compiled by De Oliveira, the director, that all sense of the erotic is lost. Jess Franco so much does it better. The scenes flit from one to the next with little or no continuity of plot, sexual encounters are chucked in for no good reason, plot lines start and then run into the sand.....Well- whatever.. And the women are not that cute either.

So sadly this flick flatters to deceive. You will probably watch it given its reputation- and emerge mildly disappointed like the rest of us. Brazil creates better football than WIP thrills..

The action starts hot and heavy after a murder in the prison yard. The fire hoses are tuned on, and soon the skimpy prison uniforms look like a wet T shirt contest at Bike Week, with boobs flying out in some cases.

This isn't your ordinary prison. The warden and guards don't bother with bras and only button the bottom button of their uniforms. Maybe it is just too warm in Brazil.

The warden (Maria Stella Splendore) makes a little on the side selling prisoners to wealthy women (Meiry Vieira), and the prison nurse (Marta Anderson) gives massages, focusing on the breasts before she brings out her toys.

The prisoners manage to amuse themselves in the showers and in their cells. I have never thought a shower could be so much fun.

Every tussle with guards results in clothes being torn off. They should be more careful.

Three of the girls eventually break out, and that's when some really hot and heavy action occurs as they don't just have girls to play with.

If you are a fan of endless lesbian orgies this film may be exactly the right stuff for you: see naked chicks having sex in their prison cells, under the shower, with the female attendants... here and there even some short hardcore sequences are brought on. There are some quite tame torture scenes and a subplot about the trade with female slaves, which is not further developed..!

"Bare behind bars" is probably the best WIP (stands for "Women-In-Prison")-flick ever made, because it doesn´t take itself too serious and it´s often full of unconscious humor! The best scenes has this weird Marilyn Monroe-like nurse, who uses an ananas as her dildo and exploits the female prisoners as their sex-bunnies.

If you want to know why this film is banned in countries like the U.K. or Germany check out the last third, which is the grossest part of this movie! Three outlaws are able to escape and on their run they murder a family, just for drinks and food. The climax of this crime is when one of the girls castrates the dead husband and feeds the cut off dick to his pesky barking dog..! Another castration-scene is featured some minutes later... However, there´s no happy ending for the girls: two of them return to prison, the third one becomes a prostitute and gets shot by her pimp..!

"Bare behind bars" belongs to those movies you may need a shower after watching it. Nevertheless it can be pretty entertaining if you have a sense for such films. If you like WIP-flicks try to find Jess Franco´s "Sadomania", too!!

OK! I'm being a touch too rude with my heading, but really this is absolutely awful film making. Some may try to tell us that it's fun and not meant to be taken seriously, yet how are you meant to take it? As an extraction of the urine? Some sort of caustic Brazillian piece that is misunderstood, that it's cunning in how it sends up the Women In Prison sub-genre of sexploitation?

Lets strip it down to its very basic fundamental appeal, that of a "film" that strings a number of lesbian sex scenes together every ten minutes or so in the hope of gaining a reputation from the horny hordes that this may be a picture well worth seeking out. Oh don't get me wrong, this is one prison populated by lady wardens straight out of my teenage fantasies. If I had seen this when I was 14 years old then this soft porn rubbish would have definitely held my undivided attention, but look at it with mature eyes and it's absolutely cringe worthy.

There comes a time when constant sex scenes become boring, especially when played out by bad actors who in turn are dubbed by women who usually voice advertisements for constipation medicine. There's a couple of scenes that might pass as an observation on sexual empowerment, and just maybe there's a wee thread that suggests you should think about the abuse of power in the world's correctional facilities? But really it's a cheap skin flick that wants its audience to do something other than think about the perils of prison... 1/10

"Bare Behind the Bars" is a sleazy,seldom seen WIP movie that features nudity galore,lesbian sex,violence,mutilations and a little bit of hard-core porn.Brutal beatings and torture are the order of the day in a South American women's penitentiary.The hapless inmates can avoid the torture chamber only by bartering their bodies for the warden's white slavery trade or submitting to the depraved desires of the prison's lesbian nurse.Three prisoners escape to wreak their vengeance on men by castrating them.This absolutely sleazy Brazilian flick reminded me some Jesus Franco's WIP movies.The editing is sloppy and the minimal porn footage is rather dull and unexciting.Still some of the women,especially wardens,are quite beautiful and look hot naked.In conclusion,I'd only recommend this sleazefest for an undemanding connoisseurs of exploitation trash.

A whole lotta naked going on, going on, going on, going on!

There's so much nakedness that inserts of horses dumping manure would be welcomed as an alternative.

What you see here are imbecile women who need to be gagged: all the time they are yapping away like kindergarten children - frolicking outside in the courtyard and in the shower - not shutting up even when they're in their cells.

The guards are always finding an extraordinary amount of weapons in the prisoner's bodies. When discipline is implemented: beatings don't seem to change the convicts attitudes; which maybe because they know that their bodies will endure the punishment, and not give any part of them (especially their clean shaved legs) any bruising.

The guards and warden are probably better looking … if you (like me) prefer mature women. The warden: a blonde, (above and below) shedding her clothes several times like the prisoners.

Drama and a plot … Sorry, I missed any particular reason; although, the prisoners relentless show of defiance might be the story. They do come up with an idea to escape, and when some get away; those women turn out to be scumbag killers instead of imbeciles. They each find a man to hideout with, and that's when mild nudity turns into some hardcore action. But their stupidity takes over when it comes to managing their freedom.

Bare Behind Bars (1980)

** (out of 4)

Extremely graphic WIP (women in prison) flick from Brazil has an evil, lesbian warden torturing, sexually assaulting, whipping, biting, attacking and doing just about anything imaginable to her female prisoners. Eventually the prisoners get tired of it and try to escape. This infamous WIP flick certainly has everything you could possibly imagine from non-stop lesbian sex to prison fights to several graphic violent scenes. This is one of the most outrageous WIP films I've seen but the direction is flat throughout and after the first hour things really start to get tiresome so the final thirty minutes really drag.

Really bizarre Brazilian 'W.I.P' film that obviously rips-off Jess Franco (who almost owns the genre). Standard women behind bars fare, that contains tamer, comic book violence, coupled with almost hardcore sex. Gets more interesting after a breakout finale and sort of picks up the dreary pace.

Bare is one of those definitive 80's Brazillian prison movies that really makes you squirm to watch it. The movie revolves around a crooked prison run b y the equally crooked Sylvia,and her straight counterpart,Sandra,who works to put an end to the trachery. An incompetent and sex-crazed nurse stirs the plot,what littl there is of it. Overall,the movie is just sex all around and eventually leads to a great breakout into the streets of Brazil,where the refugee women continue their lives of violence by raping a young boy,killing his parents,and committing numerous sexual murders throughout the city. A young woman who is beat with a whip by Sylvia(Towanda Neal)adds to the dark and twisted plot.Generally,this film was hard to watch and is full to the brim with graphic nudity and sex. All hardcore sex film fans will love this one! Happy viewing!