It is a pornographic take on the women-in-prison genre. The plot revolves around girls who associate with drug dealers and are sent to a penitentiary, where they endure unwanted attention fr... Read allIt is a pornographic take on the women-in-prison genre. The plot revolves around girls who associate with drug dealers and are sent to a penitentiary, where they endure unwanted attention from the warden and the prison doctor.It is a pornographic take on the women-in-prison genre. The plot revolves around girls who associate with drug dealers and are sent to a penitentiary, where they endure unwanted attention from the warden and the prison doctor.
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Joe D'Amato, latter-day king of sleaze, is the guy behind this pornographic reworking of the whole women-in-prison genre, of which I'm sure he made a few entries himself. Sadly, SEX PENITENTIARY is a disappointment for anyone who goes in looking for some semblance of a plot, because this is wall-to-wall sex and nothing else.
The story is about a police raid and a couple of women who are caught up in it and sent to prison. There, the warden is the usual sleazy type, and a couple of other women have plans to escape. That's all in the way of plotting you're going to get, and indeed very little happens other than the straightforward sex from bored-looking performers.
The story is about a police raid and a couple of women who are caught up in it and sent to prison. There, the warden is the usual sleazy type, and a couple of other women have plans to escape. That's all in the way of plotting you're going to get, and indeed very little happens other than the straightforward sex from bored-looking performers.
Joe D'Amato's sex films vary radically in quality, with SEX PENITENTIARY near the low end of his scale, but even as routine an outing as this one deserved better treatment for its U.S. release. Asinine and probably misleading English-dubbing kills it stone dead.
The other "reviewer" on IMDb, who's going for a world's record in submitting inane comments on mainly short films (he filed over 150 reviews on a single day: May 1st 2011 alone) is typical of today's "consumer" of cinema. He dutifully sits through each & every D'Amato movie (and Jesus Franco's too) and gets nothing out of it -merely chalking up another notch on his "seen that" belt. I prefer to treat the celluloid with a little respect.
Film opens with the very beautiful Simona Valli, as Sarah, having sex with an underling in order to get into an interview with prison head honcho Roberto Malone. The poor dubbing makes it seem like she's applying for a job but instead is incarcerated, after Malone humps her too, for good measure. A subtitled Italian-track version is needed to clear up the improbable plot rendered in the Tip Top video release.
D'Amato eschews all the clichés of the women in stir genre, instead delivering what amounts to an all-sex format. It's unfortunate, because he has cast a beautiful set of women, not the usual suspects, but fresh faces (and bodies).
The prison doctor gets a lot of mileage here, shtupping the femme prisoners after only cursory physical exams, and even serving as the plot cog when Sarah steals his keys to engineer an abortive escape attempt with three of her fellow inmates. Diane is a fink among them who tells Malone about it and they are caught without much trouble.
Pidgin English soundtrack for American viewers has such moronic dialog as the doctor ordering "Take all your buttons off" when he asks a prisoner to disrobe, and yes, she unbuttons her blouse rather than tearing off all the buttons.
Dubbing really lets the viewer down in the character of Sarah's lawyer, whose gibberish in visits with her is clearly not a translation but merely audio filler, confusing the plot line. The desultory happy ending is rendered moot as a result, and unconvincing after what we've seen transpire before.
Malone with shoulder length hair done up in a pony tail and wearing glasses resembles a shorter version of Penn Gillette, good for a quick laugh. He's among the most reliable sex actors in Europe (I just watched him give a terrific performance, acting and sex-wise, as Cesare Borgia in CASTLE OF LUCRETIA, for example) and a plus for SEX PENITENTIARY.
Valli is way too beautiful to have been stuck in porn, and along with her femme co-stars, including a ravishing redhead, makes this assembly line junker worth a watch.
It's marketed as a 35mm film but has the lighting and flat look of a shot-on-video nonetheless.
The other "reviewer" on IMDb, who's going for a world's record in submitting inane comments on mainly short films (he filed over 150 reviews on a single day: May 1st 2011 alone) is typical of today's "consumer" of cinema. He dutifully sits through each & every D'Amato movie (and Jesus Franco's too) and gets nothing out of it -merely chalking up another notch on his "seen that" belt. I prefer to treat the celluloid with a little respect.
Film opens with the very beautiful Simona Valli, as Sarah, having sex with an underling in order to get into an interview with prison head honcho Roberto Malone. The poor dubbing makes it seem like she's applying for a job but instead is incarcerated, after Malone humps her too, for good measure. A subtitled Italian-track version is needed to clear up the improbable plot rendered in the Tip Top video release.
D'Amato eschews all the clichés of the women in stir genre, instead delivering what amounts to an all-sex format. It's unfortunate, because he has cast a beautiful set of women, not the usual suspects, but fresh faces (and bodies).
The prison doctor gets a lot of mileage here, shtupping the femme prisoners after only cursory physical exams, and even serving as the plot cog when Sarah steals his keys to engineer an abortive escape attempt with three of her fellow inmates. Diane is a fink among them who tells Malone about it and they are caught without much trouble.
Pidgin English soundtrack for American viewers has such moronic dialog as the doctor ordering "Take all your buttons off" when he asks a prisoner to disrobe, and yes, she unbuttons her blouse rather than tearing off all the buttons.
Dubbing really lets the viewer down in the character of Sarah's lawyer, whose gibberish in visits with her is clearly not a translation but merely audio filler, confusing the plot line. The desultory happy ending is rendered moot as a result, and unconvincing after what we've seen transpire before.
Malone with shoulder length hair done up in a pony tail and wearing glasses resembles a shorter version of Penn Gillette, good for a quick laugh. He's among the most reliable sex actors in Europe (I just watched him give a terrific performance, acting and sex-wise, as Cesare Borgia in CASTLE OF LUCRETIA, for example) and a plus for SEX PENITENTIARY.
Valli is way too beautiful to have been stuck in porn, and along with her femme co-stars, including a ravishing redhead, makes this assembly line junker worth a watch.
It's marketed as a 35mm film but has the lighting and flat look of a shot-on-video nonetheless.
Director Joe D'Amato, the undisputed king of sleaze, delivers yet another pornographic masterpiece with Penitenziario femminile, a steamy and unapologetic foray into the women-in-prison genre. This 1996 erotic adventure is a non-stop rollercoaster of raw, unadulterated sex, with a thin veil of plot to hold it all together.
The story, albeit simplistic, sets the stage for the explicit antics to come: a police raid results in several women being thrown into prison, where their inhibitions and prison uniforms seem to disappear. The stunning Simona Valli, as Sarah, kicks things off with a bang, using her feminine wiles and sexual prowess to secure an interview with the prison's head honcho, Roberto Malone. Of course, one thing leads to another, and Sarah finds herself in a compromising position, offering herself to Malone in a graphic and passionate encounter that leaves her breathless and begging for more. Her performance, including an anal penetration scene, is a highlight for fans of the genre, and her commitment to the role is impressive.
However, the film does little to push the boundaries of this niche. It's a standard offering, with no real surprises, and the acting, though enthusiastic, is wooden at best. The dialogue is cringe-worthy, and the sets are uninspired.
That being said, "Sex Penitentiary" will appeal to fans of vintage erotica and those who appreciate a good old-fashioned skin flick. It's a time capsule of 90s soft-core porn, and for that, it has a certain charm.
Watch it for: Simona Valli's sizzling performance and a trip down memory lane to the days of video-store erotica.
The story, albeit simplistic, sets the stage for the explicit antics to come: a police raid results in several women being thrown into prison, where their inhibitions and prison uniforms seem to disappear. The stunning Simona Valli, as Sarah, kicks things off with a bang, using her feminine wiles and sexual prowess to secure an interview with the prison's head honcho, Roberto Malone. Of course, one thing leads to another, and Sarah finds herself in a compromising position, offering herself to Malone in a graphic and passionate encounter that leaves her breathless and begging for more. Her performance, including an anal penetration scene, is a highlight for fans of the genre, and her commitment to the role is impressive.
However, the film does little to push the boundaries of this niche. It's a standard offering, with no real surprises, and the acting, though enthusiastic, is wooden at best. The dialogue is cringe-worthy, and the sets are uninspired.
That being said, "Sex Penitentiary" will appeal to fans of vintage erotica and those who appreciate a good old-fashioned skin flick. It's a time capsule of 90s soft-core porn, and for that, it has a certain charm.
Watch it for: Simona Valli's sizzling performance and a trip down memory lane to the days of video-store erotica.
Sex Penitentiary (1996)
* (out of 4)
Simona Valli goes undercover in prison and while there decides to screw every guy she can. With D'Amato directing you can't help but think of one of his Emanuelle movies due to the plot here but there's very little else in common. The story is pretty much placed in the background, as is to be expected, and the rest of the film is just sex. All of it is well filmed but there's very little else going on here.
Director Joe D'Amato will always be remembered for his horror films like BEYOND THE DARKNESS and ANTROPOPHAGUS as well as his long running Emanuelle series with Laura Gamser. After the Italian horror market dried up, D'Amato had a comeback with the softcore ELEVEN DAYS ELEVEN NIGHTS, which eventually led to the director doing porn titles. The director had previously mixed sex and horror in such titles as PORNO HOLOCAUST and EROTIC NIGHS OF THE LIVING DEAD but those films were a long way off from his later day porn.
* (out of 4)
Simona Valli goes undercover in prison and while there decides to screw every guy she can. With D'Amato directing you can't help but think of one of his Emanuelle movies due to the plot here but there's very little else in common. The story is pretty much placed in the background, as is to be expected, and the rest of the film is just sex. All of it is well filmed but there's very little else going on here.
Director Joe D'Amato will always be remembered for his horror films like BEYOND THE DARKNESS and ANTROPOPHAGUS as well as his long running Emanuelle series with Laura Gamser. After the Italian horror market dried up, D'Amato had a comeback with the softcore ELEVEN DAYS ELEVEN NIGHTS, which eventually led to the director doing porn titles. The director had previously mixed sex and horror in such titles as PORNO HOLOCAUST and EROTIC NIGHS OF THE LIVING DEAD but those films were a long way off from his later day porn.
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