gavin6942 When two trouble-making female prisoners (one a revolutionary, the other a former harem-girl) can't seem to get along, they are chained together and extradited for safekeeping. The women, still chained together, stumble, stab, and cat-fight their way across the wilderness, igniting a bloody shootout between gangsters and a group of revolutionaries.From a story by pre-fame Jonathan Demme, this is partly an homage to the 1958 classic "The Defiant Ones", which structured the same type of situation for its leading characters, played by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. Then we bring on director Eddie Romero, who was an actual Filipino director who worked primary in the Tagalog language. Well done, AIP, for not bringing in your own guy.There were a number of jungle revolutionary films in the early 1970s, starting with Jack Hill's "Big Doll House" (1971), also starring Pam Grier. Actually, Grier was the queen of 1970s Filipino jungle women-in-prison films, also appearing in Hill's "The Big Bird Cage" (1972), plus Gerardo de León's "Women in Cages" (1971). Grier really made her name in these type of films before transitioning to "Foxy Brown".Grier's co-star Margaret Markov also appeared in "The Hot Box" (again written by Jonathan Demme). She starred opposite Pam Grier again in "The Arena" (1974). She never quite reached the level of Grier because during the making of the latter she started dating producer Mark Damon (who had risen to fame through Roger Corman); the two later married and Markov retired.The Arrow Video disc features an audio commentary with filmmaker Andrew Leavold, director of "The Search for Weng Weng". He loves to recommend the documentary "Machete Maidens Unleashed", and I would second that if you want to see how "Black Mama" fits into the whole Filipino action film cycle.We also have new interviews with stars Margaret Markov and Sid Haig. Markov covers the entire breadth of her career, even spending time discussing Rock Hudson and Gene Roddenberry on "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971). Haig had many films in Philippines, so he has a few tales to tale. We are treated to a previously unseen archive interview with director Eddie Romero. (Exactly why an interview would have been filmed and not used, I don't know.) What is missing? An interview or commentary from David Sheldon, as on the disc for "Sheba Baby". Sheldon has contributed by far the best audio commentary in years, and we really need more of those from him.***

Lee Eisenberg The '70s gave us probably the best exploitation movies ever. Eddie Romero's "Black Mama, White Mama" combines two of the genres - women in prison and blaxploitation - as Pam Grier's hooker and Margaret Markov's revolutionary escape a jail in an unidentified country (which is obviously the Philippines). They fight off the authorities, Grier's character's pimp, and a cowboy. It looks like one of those movies that they had a lot of fun filming; there's even a scene that appears to have inspired the famous scene in "Porky's".What I really noticed is that this movie links the most dissimilar kinds of movies. Its plot is very similar to "The Defiant Ones" (Stanley Kramer's movie about a black man and a white man chained together who escape jail and have to cooperate). But director Romero's movies inspired a lot of grindhouse cinema. In fact, Quentin Tarantino (who of course cast Pam Grier in "Jackie Brown") called "BMWM" co-star Vic Díaz "the Filipino Peter Lorre".Yes, this movie creates some of the most unusual connections. And it's chock full of fun stuff. You're sure to love it.

The_Void I'm a big fan of Jack Hill's pair of Pam Grier-lead women in prison flicks; The Big Doll House and The Big Bird Cage, and was hoping for something similar from this film seeing as it has similar people involved with it. It has to be said that Black Mama, White Mama is nowhere near as good as the earlier two films and also isn't as good as the plot summary would leave me to believe it is...but it is, at least, an entertaining exploitation effort. The film's central idea is really good and could easily have lead to a classic; but unfortunately the film adds in a number of side plots, and these unfortunately are not as interesting. We, of course, focus on a women's prison and in particular two prisoners that don't get on (one black, one white). Their superiors decide to ship them off to another prison; and for extra security, they are chained together. The white prisoner is involved with a revolution, and her friends attack the convoy carrying the prisoners en route, and the pair is able to escape. Now, chained together, they have to battle their way across the countryside.Naturally, the film has the same brash exploitation style (which includes a food fight and the obligatory shower scene) as Jack Hill's women in prison films; but it's clear that Eddie Romero is no Jack Hill, and it comes off looking more like an imitation than the real thing. Pam Grier once again gives a gritty turn as one half of the lead, and gets good back up from Margaret Markov; the other half. There's also a small role for Sid Haig, who plays a gangster. The parts of the film that focus on the prisoners are generally good and entertaining, and I'm sure this would have been a classic if the whole film focused on that idea. The side plot involving Sid Haig is not too bad and has some interesting moments; but the whole plot revolving around a revolution is frankly dull and I found it very hard to care for. The setting is rather nice (once again it's some banana republic) and there's some good location shots, at least. Overall, I would recommend this film to anyone that likes the work that Jack Hill did with Pam Grier; but don't go into it expecting anything on par.

Lawson I'm not sure what genre of movie this falls under. It's not blaxploitation, since there's a white mama too, and it's not quite uh... girlploitation (I forget the name of the genre), 'coz the girls get to kick the bad guys' asses. It's like this movie was made for sensitive new age pigs who believe in girl power and yet still like to watch girl-on-girl action in one way or another. And this movie has plenty of girl-on-girl, whether they're kicking each other's ass, making out, or frolicking in the shower.Anyway, it's a fun, campy movie, even if it's kinda silly and not very well made. If only they have stuck to that spirit and not made the end a bit of a downer.