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"The Big Bird Cage"
The Big Bird Cage (1972) is a Roger Corman production directed by Jack Hill, who could credibly claim to have invented WIP films with The Big Doll House, and Blacksploitation with Coffey. The Big Doll House was a huge financial success, and Hill planned on a sequel, but, by the time he was ready, most of the actresses from Doll House had appeared in several WIP films for other studios, and the WIP market was a little over-exposed as well, so he decided to make a genre spoof. He stuck with Pam Greer and Sid Haig for the leads, but had an all new cast for the rest. Haig's character was called Django, after a word the Filipinos called him and Hill. It wasn't until later that they learned the word was an insult, and meant monkey, which was a dig at their beards.
Hill came from a show business family. His father was a set designer for Warner Brothers and Disney studios (he did the Disneyland Castle, Tom Sawyers Island, and a lot of Main Street), and designed the "Big Bird Cage," which supposedly ground sugar cane. The machine actually functioned, but did not actually do anything useful. Hill attended USC and worked on student productions with classmate Francis Ford Coppola. Both went to work for Roger Corman. There was no specific budget for this film. Roger, as he often did, said to make it is cheaply as they could. It ended up costing about $150k. Part of the reason it was so cheap is that they used local camera crews and a DP, who did excellent work.
Greer purposely gets arrested so main squeeze Haig could start his revolution by storming a bastille. At the same time, he figured that liberating a couple hundred women would be a nice incentive for recruiting his army. The prison is run by a sexually repressive hard work as therapy warden (sounds like the religious right in the US), and the women are treated abysmally, and thus are willing to risk an escape. The guards are all gay, which keeps the women chaste, and provides Haig a way to infiltrate.
There is plenty of exposure:
Pam Greer shows breast slips several times in a fight with Haig. Haig has a dead duck, Greer has a Kris dagger about 14 inches long. Turns out the duck was real. They had assumed the locals in charge of props would get a rubber duck, but, evidently, a real one was easier and cheaper. Unfortunately for Greer, when you are hit by a dead duck, you are splattered with duck shit.
Anitra Ford, as the plaything of the elite, was arrested at the beginning of the film. She shows full frontal, breasts and buns in a shower scene, and more bush in the hut afterwards.
Karen McKevic, a fashion model who is nearly seven feet tall, did all three Bs in this, her only film role.
Teda Bracci, who also had a band, shows breasts in a shower scene.
Carol Speed showed one breast in a down-blouse just before she is crushed in the Big Bird Cage.
Rizza Fabian as the warden's stooge, shows breasts after being with the warden, and again in a transparent t-shirt at the end.
Wendy Green shows breasts in a mud fight with Greer. Several other women also rolled around together in the mud.
Candice Roman shows breasts and buns in the shower scene.
There were also numerous extras showing some or all of our favorite body parts throughout the film.
IMDB readers have this at 4.5 of 10, which is way too low. The film was not a big hit when released, but has a far larger cult following today then the smash hit Big Doll House. As a WIP, it is far from the best, but as a genre spoof, it is excellent. Watched with the right expectations, I think most will be entertained. C+
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Anitra Ford
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Candice Roman
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Carol Speed
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Pam Grier
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Rizza Fabian
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Tida Bracci
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Wendy Green
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