LE EVASE - STORE DI SESSO E DI VIOLENZE (1978)
(aka. ESCAPE FROM WOMEN'S PRISON, WOMEN AGAINST WOMEN - A TALE OF SEX AND
VIOLENCE, JAILBIRDS)

Reviewed By-Devin Kelly

CAST: Lilli Carati, Ines Pellegrini, Marina Daunia, Zora Kerova, Dirce
Funari, Filippo De Gara, Ada Pometti, Artemia Terenziani, Franco Ferrer,
Angela Doria

DIRECTOR: Giovanni Brusadori
PRODUCER: Aldo Maglietti and Bruno Fontana
Cinema 13 Cooperativa
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes
VIDEO SOURCE: Videoline Productions Inc.

Nothing like a dose of European sexploitation to perk up your day,
especially when it comes from behind bars - women in prison style! Always
full of uncomfortable situations, gritty violence, and hot lesbian action,
as with most things on film, the Italians pour it on a little heavier. This
film is definitely no exception. With a familiar sleaze cast line-up of
favorites and a director in Giovanni Brusadori, who's no stranger to these
things having acted in a good number of them, it was bound to be a guilty
pleasure. And folks, it sure was!

We open with a gaggle of giggling female tennis players boarding a bus for a
big tournament. Acting like kids at heart, straggling behind, the ladies
care-free, fun attitudes, little do they know, are set to be short lived.
Aboard with rackets in hand are a host of tempting beauties, including the
wonderful and always watchable Zora Kerova (ANTROPOPHAGUS '80, CANNIBAL
FEROX '81), baby face black actress Ines Pellegrini (EYEBALL '75, SALO O LE
120 GIORNATE DI SODOMA '75), naughty D'Amato regular Dirce Funari (EROTIC
NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD '80, PORNO HOLOCAUST '81), and spunky little
blonde, Angela Doria (MR. MEAN '77, L'UOMO LA DONNA E LA BESTIA '77). For
this group of sexy athletes though, tennis will surely be the last thing on
their minds. Wrong place, wrong time girls.

Not far from the magical tennis tour, four female deviants have scaled their
way over a large wall and escaped from the confines of their bar-lined
holdings. Women or not, don't let the lighter sex fool you, these are
vicious criminals with little regard for anything but their own freedom.
Allow me to introduce you. We have Monica Hadler (Lilli Carati), the sexy
terrorist determined to overthrow the government and take her own rebellious
stand. Diana (Marina Daunia), the lesbian junkie out to stick her fingers in
anything that squirms. Betty (Artemia Terenziani), the butch tough guy of
the group, an experienced thief and ass kicker who's never owned a dress in
her life. And last but not least, the wild and kinky Erica (Ada Pometti), an
overly horny hustler who doesn't mind raping men, but does mind shaving her
pits. Ah yes, a nice quartet of ladies perfect for bringing home to mom.
 

A short way from the obviously not so maximum security prison they bolted
from, awaits Monica's brother Pierre (Filippo De Gara) with a getaway car
waiting to take them to parts unknown. Things don't always work out, as they
quickly learn when a small police ambush results in Pierre getting wounded.
The four femme fatales manage to shoot their way out of the situation and
kill a couple of cops in the process. This early streak of bad luck doesn't
stop there either, but at the same time bad luck can turn into good...well,
in a bad sort of way. When Pierre, semi-conscious from the chest wound,
drives off the road causing an accident, it just so happens that this little
twist of fate occurs as he tried to pass a bus. A bus full of vulnerable,
curvy tennis players that is. You got it right, sure enough concern falls
over the girls, even somehow being convinced that Pierre's gunshot wound was
a result of the crash, and they allow the four women and their wounded
accomplice aboard. Let the good times roll!

>From here on, things pick up and the bad girls get badder, not taking long
to show their nasty mean streaks. Monica Hadler in particular already has a
well documented reputation for her radical ways, and in a sort of sick
irony, one of the ladies on the tennis team, a black lady named Terri (Ines
Pellegrini), shares the same views and has looked up to Hadler's ideals.
When there seems to be nowhere to hideout, Terri pipes up about a couple who
are friends of hers having a home nearby. With some hesitation, Monica and
her band of merciless maidens agree to go there, with even more contempt now
knowing the owner is a judge. With Terri showing the way, his honor is
startled by a gun in the face from Monica and it's not long after that the
girls are taken off the bus by their captors and locked down in the cellar
while the ex-cons figure out a game plan. It seems part of this plan
includes indulging in humiliation, sex, and violence - just what the recipe
asked for!

Really a defining example of the 70's Italian sexploitation film, LE EVASE -
STORIE DI SESSO E DI VIOLENZE (it's original title) has all the right
ingredients to please a Eurotrash lover. It's North American release title
ESCAPE FROM WOMEN'S PRISON kind of misleads viewers to believe that it's a
true women in prison flick, when really, although the women do escape from
prison, it never at any point actually takes place in one. The on-screen
title of this uncut Canadian tape is ESCAPE FROM WOMEN'S PRISON - A TALE OF
SEX AND VIOLENCE. Really more of a home invasion, revenge type exploitation
with political overtones that really can't be taken seriously with all of
the icky party favors unfolding. That's not to say this isn't a slimy fun
time, with some enjoyably funny dialogue, hilarious dubbing, and enough
nudity to draw horndogs to the film like flies to an animal carcass.

Not exactly a whole lot of classical acting skill required here, but the
cast more than succeeds in keeping things entertaining as hell. Italian
softcore (and later hardcore) princess Lilli Carati (HIGHWAY RACER '77. THE
ALCOVE '84) isn't bad as the ring leader of the escapees, eventually forced
to defend herself when they turn on her. Carati sure has a way of putting
people in their place here though, that's for sure. "You can take that God
damn hand of yours and stick it up your wife's butthole!", she at one point
tells the judge. What a way with words. He later beats the shit out of and
rapes her in a realistically brutal scene when the two are locked in a room
together.

The devious and devilish Marina Daunia (SS EXTERMINATION CAMP '77, PRIVATE
HOUSE OF THE SS '77) is another of high mention here, mostly scaring the
charm out of us, but looking oddly delicious in a see-through blue evening
gown. She spends most of the film dishing out punishment and wanting to
sexually ravage Euro-cult sleaze kitten Dirce Funari (BLUE MOVIE '78, EROTIC
NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD '80), who surprisingly here, doesn't play the
willing participant for most of the film. Daunia forces herself on Dirce
anyway. "Don't be an idiot. You'll love every minute of it. They're all like
you at the beginning", she says while forcing her down. Funari is more the
sympathetic victim in this, mostly trying to nurse Filippo De Gara (ASSAULT
WITH A DEADLY WEAPON '76, UNA DONNA DI SECONDA MANO '77), that is until she
gives into Daunia's advances, with the help of a little alcohol, and gets it
on with the lusty vixen. We knew you couldn't resist, Dirce.

The rest of the cast is left to minor stuff for the most part. Zora Kerova
sort of takes a stand as the leader down in the cellar, when it seems
everybody is wanting to get at Ines Pellegrini for causing their
predicament, especially Angela Doria, who attacks Ines in a rage during a
couple of silly moments. Pellegrini is a bit annoying here with her
fascination for Carati, those big eyes staring in awe like a star-struck
protégé. Ada Pometti (FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET '71, DISCO DELIRIO '78)
spends the running time less concerned with her comrades plan of action, and
more with getting herself off, holding tennis coach Franco Ferrer in one of
the bedrooms as a kind of sex slave, keeping him fed and herself satisfied.
Pometti also comes off as a raspy voiced psycho, losing her marbles in the
film's second half. Artemia Terenziani is pretty darn amusing as the
bulldyke-like Betty, spending the majority of her time keeping the girls in
the cellar in check, raiding the fridge, and wanting to be more like a
woman. Not the lesbian tendencies that you'd expect from a lady of
well...her appearance. Not sure of her real life sexual preferences mind
you...not that it matters in the Euro-cult world.

Many unintentionally funny, memorable, and even a few squeamish moments to
speak of. The four captors treatment of the generally tough judge is like a
bunch of bullies picking on the new kid at recess. It doesn't help that all
the women have total distain for the law. From Marina Daunia getting right
on his case, in a great moment of bad dialogue, exclaiming "Same shit-eating
look as the one I had", upon their arrival, to her and Carati making him
piss his pants in front of them, the judge is fair game. I couldn't help but
laugh when Daunia tells his honor, "Piss here! And keep your hands in the
air", before he soaks himself much to their entertainment. Hmmm...I guess
you just had to be there. The score too for the most part is a wonderful
riot, especially that totally out of place, cheery main theme, 'On My Way to
Liberty'. It sounded more suited to an episode of Mary Tyler Moore.

For a one time attempt at directing, Giovanni Brusadori (under the Conrad
Brueghel pseudonym) delivers a night's worth of smutty entertainment.
Nothing huge on the technical side, and not even overly competent, it still
will keep a sleazehound's eyes peeled. If you want to see what director
Brusadori looks like, you can spot him on the acting side in films such as
the giallo, VICE WEARS BLACK HOSE (1975), and the Laura Gemser featured, THE
DIRTY SEVEN (1982) among others.

This one is a good time though...just take a shower afterwards.

3 1/2 BITCH SLAPS

 

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