Caged Heat

Last updated
Caged Heat
Caged Heat film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Written byJonathan Demme
Produced byEvelyn Purcell
StarringJuanita Brown
Roberta Collins
Erica Gavin
Ella Reid
Rainbeaux Smith
Barbara Steele
Cinematography Tak Fujimoto
Edited byJohanna Demetrakas
Michal Goldman
Carolyn Hicks
Music by John Cale
Production
companies
Renegade Women Company
Artists Entertainment Complex
Distributed by New World Pictures
Release date
  • 1974 (1974)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$180,000 [1]

Caged Heat, also known as Renegade Girls, is a 1974 women in prison film. It was written and directed by Jonathan Demme (in his directorial debut) for New World Pictures, headed by Roger Corman. The film stars Juanita Brown, Roberta Collins, Erica Gavin, Ella Reid, Rainbeaux Smith, and Barbara Steele.

Contents

John Cale wrote and performed its soundtrack music, which features the guitar playing of Mike Bloomfield.

Two later films, Caged Heat II: Stripped of Freedom (1994) and Caged Heat 3000 (1995), made use of the Caged Heat name and the women-in-prison situation, but are unrelated to the original film.

Plot

Jacqueline Wilson (Erica Gavin) is convicted for illegal drug offenses and sentenced to a women's prison. She and several fellow convicts fight the repressive policies of the prison warden (Barbara Steele).

Cast

Production

Demme had produced two films for Corman, including the women in prison picture The Hot Box (1972). He wanted to become a director, and wrote a script for Corman, but the producer did not want to fund it, as he thought the cycle had peaked. Demme succeeded in raising the finance on his own and Corman agreed to distribute it through New World Pictures. [1]

Originally titled Renegade Girls, the final title is most likely a reference to two earlier prison-themed movies, Caged and White Heat , both of which Jonathan Demme discussed paying homage in his DVD commentary to Caged Heat.

Critical reception

The film was Jonathan Demme's debut as a film director. Producer Roger Corman thought that the content of his company's previous "women in prison" films was inadequate, so he instructed Demme to create a screenplay that would bring something novel to this genre. However, Corman also wanted Caged Heat to retain most of the violence and nudity that audiences for this genre had come to expect.

Demme introduced new aspects to Caged Heat, including a satirical approach and making the sadistic warden female instead of male. [2] To a lesser degree, Demme also incorporated elements of liberal politics, feminism, and social consciousness into his screenplay. Because of all these new elements introduced to the "women-in-prison" genre, and because of the film's status as Demme's first feature, some movie critics consider it to be more interesting than the average run-of-the-mill women-in-prison exploitation movie. [3]

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Demme</span> American film director (1944–2017)

Robert Jonathan Demme was an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter whose career spanned more than 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Corman</span> American film director, producer, and actor (born 1926)

Roger William Corman is an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

The women in prison film is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day.

<i>Swamp Women</i> 1955 film by Roger Corman

Swamp Women is a 1956 American adventure film noir crime film directed by Roger Corman. It stars Carole Mathews, Beverly Garland, and Marie Windsor, with Mike Connors and Ed Nelson in small roles.

Cirio Hermoso Santiago was a Filipino film producer, director and writer. He used the screen names Cirio Santiago, Cirio H. Santiago, Leonardo Hermoso, and Leonard Hermes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erica Gavin</span> American actress

Erica Gavin is an American film actress best known for playing the title role in Russ Meyer's 1968 film Vixen!

<i>Hollywood Boulevard</i> (1976 film) 1976 film by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante

Hollywood Boulevard is a 1976 American satirical exploitation film directed by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante, and starring Candice Rialson, Paul Bartel, and Mary Woronov. It follows an aspiring actress who has just arrived in Los Angeles, only to be hired by a reckless B movie film studio where she bears witness to a series of gruesome and fatal on-set accidents. The film blends elements of the comedy, thriller, and slasher film genres.

Barbara Peeters, also known as Barbara Peters, is an American director and screenwriter of television and film. She is best known for her collaborations with producer-director Roger Corman on films such as Humanoids from the Deep, and directing episodes of television shows such as Remington Steele.

<i>Women in Cages</i> 1971 film by Gerardo de León

Women in Cages is a 1971 women in prison sexploitation film directed by Gerardo de León and starring Jennifer Gan, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, and Pam Grier. Co-produced by Roger Corman, it was prominently featured in the Planet Terror portion of the 2007 film Grindhouse. Grindhouse director Quentin Tarantino said of the film, "I'm a huge, huge fan of Gerry de Leon.... the film is just harsh, harsh, harsh." He described the final shot as one of "devastating despair".

<i>Gunslinger</i> (film) 1956 film by Roger Corman

Gunslinger is a 1956 American Western film directed by Roger Corman and starring John Ireland, Beverly Garland and Allison Hayes. The screenplay was written by Mark Hanna and Charles B. Griffith.

<i>The Big Doll House</i> 1971 film by Jack Hill

The Big Doll House is a 1971 American women-in-prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates through daily life in a gritty, unidentified tropical prison. Later the same year, the film Women in Cages featured a similar story and setting and much the same cast, and was shot in the same abandoned prison buildings. A nonsequel follow-up, titled The Big Bird Cage, was released in 1972.

<i>Crazy Mama</i> 1975 film by Jonathan Demme

Crazy Mama is a 1975 American action comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, produced by Julie Corman and starring Cloris Leachman. It marked the film debut of Bill Paxton and Dennis Quaid.

<i>Fighting Mad</i> (1976 film) 1976 film by Jonathan Demme

Fighting Mad is a 1976 American action film directed by Jonathan Demme, about an Arkansas farmer played by Peter Fonda who uses Guerrilla tactics against corrupt land developers attempting to evict his family and his neighbors in order to stripmine their land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Corman</span> American film producer

Julie Ann Corman is an American film producer. She is married to film producer and director Roger Corman.

<i>Angels Hard as They Come</i> 1971 American film

Angels Hard as They Come is a 1971 biker film directed by Joe Viola and starring Scott Glenn, Charles Dierkop, Gilda Texter, James Iglehart, and Gary Busey. It was co-written and produced by Jonathan Demme.

<i>The Hot Box</i> 1972 film by Joe Viola

The Hot Box is a 1972 women in prison film from Joe Viola and Jonathan Demme, who had previously made Angels Hard as They Come (1971) for New World Pictures. It was shot in the Philippines and was originally known as The Prescription Revolution.

<i>Fly Me</i> 1973 exploitation film

Fly Me is a 1973 exploitation film directed by Cirio H. Santiago and produced by Roger Corman. The story concerns flight attendants, international drug smuggling, kung fu, and nudity. It was poorly received by critics.

<i>I Escaped from Devils Island</i> 1973 film by William Witney

I Escaped from Devil's Island is a 1973 exploitation film about an escape attempt from Devil's Island. Roger Corman and Gene Corman produced this grim adventure saga which was made to cash in on the release of Papillon.

<i>House of Women</i> 1962 film by Crane Wilbur

House of Women is a 1962 American crime drama directed by Crane Wilbur, starring Shirley Knight and Andrew Duggan. Walter Doniger, who was hired to direct the film, was fired and replaced by Wilbur 10 days into shooting.

<i>Prison Ship</i> 1986 film directed by Fred Olen Ray

Prison Ship, also known as Star Slammer, Adventures of Taura, Part 1 , Starslammer: The Escape and Prison Ship Star Slammer, is a 1986 American science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray.

References

  1. 1 2 Christopher T Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 64
  2. Maltin, Leonard. "Roger Corman Interview". Caged Heat [Motion Picture, DVD version]. USA: New Concorde
  3. TV Guide Movie Reviews. Accessed 25 Jul 2009