The Big Bird Cage (1972)

Director:

Jack Hill

Writer:

Jack Hill (written by)

Release Date:

July 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Women so hot with desire they melt the chains that enslave them!

Plot:

Grier and Haig are thieving mercenaries who engineer a prison break from the outside.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Revolutionary | Prison | Waterfall | Non Statutory Female On Male Rape

Cast

Pam Grier	...	Blossom
Anitra Ford	...	Terry
Candice Roman	...	Carla
Teda Bracci	...	Bull Jones
Carol Speed	...	Mickie
Karen McKevic	...	Karen
Sid Haig	...	Django
Marissa Delgado	...	Rina
Vic Diaz	...	Rocco
Andres Centenera	...	Warden Zappa (as Andy Centenera)
Rizza	...	Lin Tsiang (as Rizza Fabian)
Subas Herrero	...	Moreno
Wendy Green	...	Gertie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roy Alvarez	...	Revolutionary (uncredited)
Zenaida Amador	...	Prison Camp Doctor (uncredited)
Roldan Aquino	...	Revolutionary (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Hill

Writing credits
Jack Hill		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	executive producer
Cirio H. Santiago	....	producer
Jane Schaffer	....	producer

Original Music by
William Allen Castleman		(as William A. Castleman)
William Loose

Cinematography by
Felipe Sacdalan		(director of photography) (as Philip Sacdalan)

Film Editing by
Jere Huggins
James Mitchell

Art Direction by
Ben Otico

Set Decoration by
Marshal Henry

Makeup Department
Ray Solomon	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Carl B. Raymond	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sid Haig	....	second unit director
Paul Maclang	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Willie Arce	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Santos Hilario	....	special effects (as Sam Hilary)

Camera and Electrical Department
Narcissus Makalius	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Felisa Salcedo	....	wardrobe (as Felice Sacedo)

Production Companies

• New World Pictures

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• New Concorde Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• New Concorde Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• International Film Distributors (1972) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinefx  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

"Revolt of Prison Island" - Jamaica (English title) (imdb display title)

Runtime:

88 min | USA:96 min (DVD)

Country:

Philippines | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Banaue Rice Terraces, Ifugao, Luzon, Philippines

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

The prison camp guard dogs were actually military dogs and hence very dangerous.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blossom (Pam Grier) falls backward into the pig wallow, her left breast is exposed, but when the camera cuts away and then back to her, it's covered again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Without Walls: Kiss My Baadasssss Ice-T's Guide to Blaxploitation" (1994)

Women's prisons have never been this much fun!

Despite the fact that women in prison films are famous for sex and sleaze (two of my most favourite things to see in movies), I have to say that I'm not a big fan of the genre overall and it's mostly due to the fact that these films are often very similar to one another. The Big Bird Cage cuts down on both of these two elements, but replaces them with a bucket load of fun and good humour; and the result is a film that sets itself apart from most of the rest of the genre. The film is made up of two parts; on the one hand, we have a women's prison ruled over by the usual assortment of sadistic guards, and on the other hand; we have a band of revolutionaries lead by Sid Haig and Pam Grier. After a robbery in a bar, a young female socialite is captured and wrongly imprisoned in said women's prison, where the inmates are forced to work inside a huge wooden structure known as 'The Big Bird Cage'. It's not long before one of the revolutionaries comes up with a plan involving the liberation of the women at the prison camp in order to attract more men to their regime...

This film features three standout performances - from Sid Haig, Pam Grier and Anitra Ford. It's Haig and Grier's screen time together that is the main highlight, and we get treated to things like Haig slapping Grier with a wet fish! Of course, the film is really rather stupid with several silly decisions taking centre stage; but this all just adds to the fun! One of the best things about the film in my opinion was the gay prison guards - quite a difference to most women in prison films! The setting also sets this one apart from most of the rest of the genre - gone are the damp and dirty insides of most women's prisons and it's replaced by a rather more sunny setting and it's certainly a very welcome change. The plot really doesn't make much sense and is often played more for laughs than anything else - but personally I'm completely fine with that and the film really is very funny - Sid Haig's infiltration of the camp being a big highlight. The film is constantly entertaining throughout and manages to keep this up until the climax - although the ending does represent something of a change in tone. Overall, The Big Bird Cage is an excellent film and undoubtedly one of the best women in prison flicks ever made - don't miss this one!