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Barbed Wire Dolls

Original title: Frauengefängnis
  • 1976
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
4.4/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Barbed Wire Dolls (1976)
FrenchConspiracy ThrillerCrimeDramaHorrorThriller

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.

  • Director
    • Jesús Franco
  • Writers
    • Connie Grau
    • Christine Lembach
    • Jesús Franco
  • Stars
    • Lina Romay
    • Paul Muller
    • Monica Swinn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.4/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jesús Franco
    • Writers
      • Connie Grau
      • Christine Lembach
      • Jesús Franco
    • Stars
      • Lina Romay
      • Paul Muller
      • Monica Swinn
    • 25User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:56
    Trailer

    Photos20

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    Top Cast17

    Edit
    Lina Romay
    Lina Romay
    • Maria
    Paul Muller
    Paul Muller
    • Dr. Moore
    • (as Paul Müller)
    • …
    Monica Swinn
    Monica Swinn
    • Prison Director
    • (as Monika Swinn)
    Roger Darton
    • Governor Milton
    Ronald Weiss
    • Warden
    Martine Stedil
    Martine Stedil
    • Bertha Contrini
    Eric Falk
    Eric Falk
    • Guard Nestor
    • (as Erik Falk)
    Peggy Markoff
    • Ingrid
    • (as Peggy Markhoff)
    • …
    Nathalie Mann
    Denis Torre
    Raymond Hardy
    • Guard José
    • (as Ray Hardy)
    Beni Cardoso
    Beni Cardoso
    • Rosaria Cortina
    Frieda Altstadt
      Madeleine Ammann
        Nathalie Chape
          Jesús Franco
          Jesús Franco
          • Maria's Father
          • (uncredited)
          Lilliane Stollberger
            • Director
              • Jesús Franco
            • Writers
              • Connie Grau
              • Christine Lembach
              • Jesús Franco
            • All cast & crew
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

            User reviews25

            4.41.7K
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            Featured reviews

            8tonopah6

            To all you fellow sick minds of the world: you will like this movie.

            A sick mind, or a million dollars . . . Which is better? Currently I only have the sick mind: and this movie feeds that fairly well! The version I saw was 81 minutes instead of the 90 minute full length film: but still, I would have to inform you to NOT use the comment from, Quebec, Canada. Because, the lack of 9 minutes probably would not have deleted scenes of any loot from a robbery, or some insurance whatever, or information about a woman in prison for killing her lover: none of those statements was correct from what I saw. There was a prisoner who killed her father, and one who killed her brother. But . . . You'll have to watch to find out what really took place about one of those killings. And let me tell you about the female warden, Monica Swinn; she may not have been as sexy as Brigitte Nielsen's portrayal of a warden, but Monica still had appeal, and did very well with being a mean bitch. The eyepiece she wears is a good touch, too, along with the Nazi book she reads. And though her voice was dubbed, that voice was well chosen. The warden loves seeing nude prisoners get mistreated; and when you see the nudity, you're seeing a film much better then your average soft-core movie. You will also see a great looking old prison; or it's a castle by the sea? And finally, you'll see the jungle area between the prison and the sea where an escape takes place. But . . . the ending is not your typical Hollywood bullsh*t.
            10PeteStud

            A Real Sicko's Sickfest...

            This is one for the real deranged sex maniacs out there. There's virtually no plot just one flimsy excuse or another to show helpless women being sexually tortured and degraded. There are plenty of laughs to be had if that sort of thing rocks your boat, though. One outrageous scene has Jess Franco playing in-mate Lina Romay's father who attempts to rape her in slow motion...only trouble is they actually act (very badly) in slow motion live rather than slow down the actual film!!! incredible! Franco's worst? Hardly, It's actually one of his filthy sadistic best as there is no time to get bored for a change (a rarity with his movies!). Fans of that ol' Spanish zoom lens we've come to know and love will not be disappointed. Wild and crazed as only Franco could do..he out viles the ILSA series with ease here.Perfectly putrid!(and I loved every moment!)
            6The_Void

            More sleaze from the master!

            Well, I didn't go into this film expecting anything over and above the usual sleaze from prolific director Jess Franco, and while I've certainly seen worse films from the director; this isn't exactly a highlight for him either. Barbed Wire Dolls is another one of those sleazy 'women in prison' in films, and aside from the obvious implications of this sort of film; Franco has seen fit to make things even sleazier by way of things such as a lesbian warden and a whole host of sadistic torture sequences. There's basically no plot in this film, although there is a little slither involving a young woman and her father, whom she is believed to have murdered. This plot never takes centre focus, however, and Franco seems keener to continually show filth, which is no bad thing if you ask me. However, there's only really so far a film like this can go with no plot to speak of, and the fact that Franco didn't care at all about telling a story is shown best at the end, when it just 'ends' without any resolution. Still, sleaze fans are likely to get a lot out of this film as there's naked chicks, violence, lesbians, sadism etc, and while I don't rate this too highly; I can at least say I enjoyed watching it. What?
            9HumanoidOfFlesh

            Sexploitation at its sleaziest!

            "Barbed Wire Dolls" has to be one of the sleaziest Women in Prison epics ever created.This is Franco's first film for Swiss producer Erwin C.Dietrich and it offers tons of nudity and sleaze.A beautiful Maria(Lina Romay)is imprisoned in a penitentiary run by a cruel lesbian warden(Monica Swinn).She is accused of murdering her father(played by Jesus Franco himself)but the wardress actually did the deed.Once in prison,Maria is tortured by being tied nude to metal bed-frame which is hooked up to electrical current."Barbed Wire Dolls" is as sleazy as they get.The film features incredible amount of sleaze including whippings,masturbation with a cigarette,lesbian sex scenes,rape and a close up of one of the inmate's private parts being penetrated by a guard's fingers.The acting is actually not bad and the film is never boring.So if you're a fan of European exploitation give this dirty classic a look.9 out of 10.
            Michael_Elliott

            Barbed Wire Dolls

            Barbed Wire Dolls (1975)

            *** 1/2 (out of 4)

            A young woman (Lina Romay) is sent to prison after accidentally killing her father (Franco himself) who was trying to rape her. Inside the prison she must deal with an evil warden (Monica Swinn), a mixed up doctor (Paul Muller) and all sorts of sexually hungry lesbians. As far as WIP (Women in Prison) films go then this is without question the best one I've seen as it has no limits to the amount of trash it will go to whether it be violence, torture, nudity or sexual abuse. The film never takes itself overly serious and instead is just a good time if you can stand this type of thing. Romay has the perfect look for the good girl and really delivers on that level. Her sexuality certainly shine through as does the rest of the girls. I've said quite often that no one knows how to film women better than Franco and his camera is constantly looking over all the beautiful women and picking up everything he can. Swinn is also in good form as the lesbian warden who love to torture and rape. Franco keeps the action moving through the rather short 80-minute running time, which is a great thing as the film never slows down or gets boring. All of the women makes for good characters to root for and all he bad guys are great villains including the Governor who gets his kick watching his assistant do the women. The highlight of the film however belongs to a flashback sequence where we see Romay kill her father being played by Franco. This scene, shot in slow motion, is just so incredibly silly that you can't help but laugh out loud.

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            Related interests

            Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)
            French
            Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
            Conspiracy Thriller
            James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
            Crime
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            Drama
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            Thriller

            Storyline

            Edit

            Did you know

            Edit
            • 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
              (at around 40 mins) 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)

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            FAQ13

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            Details

            Edit
            • Release date
              • 1977 (United States)
            • Country of origin
              • Switzerland
            • Language
              • French
            • Also known as
              • El reformatorio de las perdidas
            • Filming locations
              • Castillo de San Fernando, Omoa, Honduras(Main exteriors location.)
            • Production company
              • Elite Film
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Tech specs

            Edit
            • Runtime
              • 1h 30m(90 min)
            • Sound mix
              • Mono
            • Aspect ratio
              • 1.85 : 1

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