Off the coast of Panama, there is an island with a female penal colony, run by a sadistic superintendent. When several prisoners mysteriously die, leading to a breakout and mutiny, an extensive investigation of the horrific events begins.
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Title: 99 Women (1969)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Maria Schell | ... | Leonie Caroll | |
| Herbert Lom | ... | Governor Santos | |
| Mercedes McCambridge | ... | Thelma Diaz | |
| Luciana Paluzzi | ... | Natalie Mendoza | |
| Maria Rohm | ... | Marie (as Maria Rohn) | |
| Rosalba Neri | ... | Zoie | |
| Elisa Montés | ... | Helga (as Eliza Montes) | |
 |
Valentina Godoy | ... | Rosalie |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
New inmate Marie arrives at an island prison in the women's sector and receives the number 99. The inmates are controlled by the sadistic lesbian warden Thelma Diaz and Governor Santos and submitted to torture, rape, sexual harassment and abuse. When the Justice minister replaces Diaz, Marie believes that her life will improve and her case will be reopened. Marie's disappointed with the new warden and plans to escape. But their scheme fails and the abuse they've undergone had been but a paltry hint of the torture in store. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Due to the Subject Matter of This Film Only the Very Mature Will Be Admitted! See more »Parents Guide:
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Marie: Where are they taking us?
Helga: To the island, over there.
Helga: [to redhead] What's eating you? Looking forward to your holidays? Three years the judge said, didn't he? I know the medicine you need, and they don't stock it over there. Home sweet home for all three of us. The Spaniards built it and christened it, Castillo de la Muerte.
Natalie Mendoza: "Castle of Death".
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Lyrics by Audrey Nohra (uncredited)
Sung by Barbara McNair (uncredited)
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Italian censorship visa # 53649 delivered on 10-4-1969. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Marie: Where are they taking us?
Helga: To the island, over there.
Helga: [to redhead] What's eating you? Looking forward to your holidays? Three years the judge said, didn't he? I know the medicine you need, and they don't stock it over there. Home sweet home for all three of us. The Spaniards built it and christened it, Castillo de la Muerte.
Natalie Mendoza: "Castle of Death".
See more »
Alternate Versions
There are two French versions with English subtitles: the director's cut, and the hardcore version, with about 20 minute total of genitalia and sex inserts shot by Bruno Mattei, showing no faces and obviously different actors. See more »Soundtracks
The Day I Was BornLyrics by Audrey Nohra (uncredited)
Sung by Barbara McNair (uncredited)
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 April 1969 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Women's Penitentiary XII See more »Company Credits
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New inmate Marie (Maria Rohm) arrives at an island prison in the women's sector and receives the number 99. The inmates are controlled by the sadistic lesbian warden Thelma Diaz and Governor Santos (Herbert Lom) and submitted to torture, rape and lesbianism.
Apparently, this film "kicked off the genre in a new direction" and "was a big box office success in the U.S. in 1969." I find this somewhat hard to believe... because as much as I love exploitation and Jess Franco, this just is not all that great. Even with veteran actor Herbert Lom, it more or less has just a group of women wandering around doing a whole lot of nothing.
Not surprisingly, Franco continued to make more films in this genre, probably turning a quick profit: Women in Cell Block 9 (1978), Ilsa, The Wicked Warden (1977), Barbed Wire Dolls (1975), Women Behind Bars (1975), and Sadomania (1980).