A Roman cat fight

The Arena (1974)

All the trademarks of a Roger Corman exploitation flick this time set in the ancient Rome and done by the Italian sexploitation maestro Joe D'Amato. The Roman people get bored of watching male gladiators beat themselves to death on the arena and want something new. Change the men to women and the people are happy again. Needless to say the story was crap as always. Same thing as in so many others of it's kind, enslavement and abuse with payback and escape in the end. On a D'Amato scale this was very tame, not what you'd expect from the master of sleaze. But on a Corman scale this was quite an average effort. Had enough of good laughs and feast for the eyes to keep me entertained, but far from the best of it's kind.
44%

99 years is a long time...

The Big Doll House (1971)

One of the better women's prison movies from the golden era of exploitation movies. Shot in the Philippines like so many of it's kind, due to cheap labour and exotic location. Though the location doesn't matter that much in this one as it's mostly shot indoors. It's not in the same league of exploitation as the more notorious ones from the same era, this one being quite easy-going, but it doesn't matter at all as there's so much going on that you won't get bored. Actually the exploitation is just a side product in this one as it's focus is on the tough women. Though I'm quite sure their initial intention wasn't that, but the strong cast just turned it that way. Any which way the movie is filled with the trademarks of it's kind like torture with various appliances, lots of shower scenes, violence, soft core sex and of course not forgetting mud wrestling. I've seen this movie quite a many times by now and was surprised that it still kept me watching without losing interest. The scene with Pat Woodell in a tan dress shooting with dual MP40's is something that burned into my head from the first moment I saw this movie back in the 80's and still today kicks ass more than any other gun wielding woman since.
86%