Frauen ohne Unschuld (1977)

Women Without Innocence opens with a naked and bloody couple dead on the floor. The police arrive, and we see a naked Lina Romay running upstairs to hide. It's pretty obvious we have just started another of Uncle Jess Franco's films. This one is not a WIP flick. The big variation is that most of it takes place in a mental hospital instead of a prison. The doctors are trying to cure Romay of the trauma she suffered when the couple was murdered. We eventually get around to the real plot about smuggled diamonds, but this being a Jess Franco film, we will have to wade through an enormous number of naked women and people having sex. Not that there's anything wrong with that. All of the patients are women, and when they aren't exposing themselves or masturbating, the doctors and/or nurses are getting it on.

In between the exploitation elements, Uncle Jess actually threw in a few pretty good plot twists into a decent little story. Look for not one, but two different multi-mirror sets and a total of three scenes in them. Some of the minor characters are hilarious, such as the diva, a patient who imagines herself an opera star, and the religious nut who prays constantly in some rather outrageous ways. This was made before Franco became fascinated with psychedelic photography, and the photography is wonderful, as is the transfer. And, of course, the nudity is non-stop. The only drawback: the audio is only available in German, and the woefully inadequate English sub-titles barely allow you to follow the plot.

If you are not a B movie fan, this one will not change your mind, but if you're into Jess Franco or exploitation films in general, this one is well worth seeking out.

Solid C on our scale.

IMDb has this one at 6.0, but based on only 6 votes.

Scoop's notes:

From 1975 until 1977, Jess Franco and Erwin Dietrich were a notorious and prolific B-movie team. In that brief period, Franco directed sixteen films which Dietrich produced, including seven of them in 1977 alone! Dietrich was also credited as a writer on ten of the sixteen films, Franco on nine. The list follows:

1. Downtown - Die nackten Puppen der Unterwelt (1975) 5.2/10 (17 votes)
   ...aka Down Town (1975) (Switzerland: German title)
2. Frauen für Zellenblock 9 (1977) 5.2/10 (66 votes)
   ...aka Flucht von der Todesinsel (1977) (Switzerland: German title: video title)
   ...aka Tropical Inferno (1977) (USA)
   ...aka Visa pour mourir (1977)
   ...aka Women in Cellblock 9 (1977) (USA)
3. Frauen im Liebeslager (1977) 4.8/10 (46 votes)
   ...aka Love Camp (1977) (USA)
4. Frauen ohne Unschuld (1977)
   ...aka Women Without Innocence (1977) (International: English title)
5. Frauengefängnis (1975) 5.2/10 (132 votes)
   ...aka Barbed Wire Dolls (1977) (USA)
   ...aka Caged Women (1975) (UK)
   ...aka Women's Penitentiary IV (1975)
6. Frauenhaus, Das (1977) 4.9/10 (57 votes)
   ...aka Blue Rita (1977) (Europe: English title)
   ...aka Cabaret des filles perverses, Le (1977) (France)
7. Greta - Haus ohne Männer (1977) 4.6/10 (341 votes)
   ...aka Greta the Torturer (1977)
   ...aka Greta, the Mad Butcher (1977)
   ...aka Greta, the Sadist (1977)
   ...aka Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977)
   ...aka Ilsa: Absolute Power (1977)
   ...aka Wanda, the Wicked Warden (1977)
8. Jack the Ripper (1976) 5.3/10 (303 votes)
   ...aka Dirnenmörder von London, Der (1976) (West Germany: cut version)
9. Liebesbriefe einer portugiesischen Nonne, Die (1977) 6.0/10 (157 votes)
   ...aka Love Letters from a Portuguese Nun (1977) (USA: video catalogue title)
   ...aka Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977) (USA)
10. Marquise von Sade, Die (1976)
    ...aka Doriana Grey (1976)
11. Midnight Party (1976) 3.1/10 (27 votes)
    ...aka Lady porno (1976)
12. Mädchen im Nachtverkehr (1976)
    ...aka Wild Desire (1976) (International: English title: X-rated version)
13. Ruf der blonden Göttin, Der (1977) 4.4/10 (51 votes)
    ...aka Porno Shock (1977) (USA)
    ...aka Voodoo Passion (1977) (International: English title) (USA)
14. Sklavinnen, Die (1976)
    ...aka Swedish Nympho Slaves (1976) (International: English title)
15. Teuflischen Schwestern, Die (1976) 4.6/10 (55 votes)
    ...aka Devilish Sisters, The (1976)
    ...aka Sexy Sisters (1976) (International: English title)
16. Weiße Haut und schwarze Schenkel (1976)

 

Lina Romay

Dagmar Bürger

Esther Studer

Nanda Van Bergen

Peggy Markoff

Monica Swinn.

The stars are spelled off by several unknowns who also like being naked.

"The Graveyard"

Yet another horror movie with a predictable plot.  The only nudity is from Eva Derrek who's topless making love, and therefore has to pay the standard price for getting naked in a slasher movie - a grisly death -  this time strangulation in the shower.