99 Women | Island of Despair | Women's Penitentiary XII | The Hot Death | Prostitutes in Prison - 1969
- Director Jesús Franco
- Product Code: NA-P2083-8038-DRA-LT
- Reward Points: 1
- Availability: In Stock
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Tags: 99 Women, Der heiße Tod, Island of Despair, Women’s Penitentiary XII, The Hot Death, Prostitutes in Prison, Jesús Franco, Bruno Mattei, Maria Rohm, Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Luciana Paluzzi, Rosalba Neri, Herbert Lom, Elisa Montés, Valentina Godoy, Harry Alan Towers, Bruno Nicolai, Manuel Merino, 1969, 1960s cinema, crime, drama, horror, thriller, prison drama, women in prison, female penitentiary, exploitation, sexploitation, cult cinema, European cult cinema, marginal cinema, international co-production, Spanish cinema, Italian cinema, West German cinema, British cinema, prison island, Castillo de la Muerte, incarcerated women, corrupt authority, institutional violence, sadism, persecution, escape, mutiny, survival, oppression, power relations, female freedom, corruption, isolation, erased identity, rare film, cult work, obscure production, censored film, alternative versions, different cuts, provocative cinema, disturbing cinema, dark cinema, intense experience, film collecting, European classics, cinematic rarities
On an isolated tropical island, two prison fortresses — one for women and the other for men — form a sealed territory governed by violence, corruption and the gradual erasure of personal identity. When Marie arrives at the Castillo de la Muerte, she is assigned the number 99 and discovers that names, individual histories and expectations of justice have no place within an institution built upon obedience. The women’s wing is ruled by the sadistic Thelma Diaz, while Governor Santos uses the island’s remoteness and the absence of external scrutiny to maintain a system in which punishment, intimidation and sexual exploitation have become instruments of administration.
A succession of unexplained deaths prompts the authorities to appoint Leonie Caroll as the prison’s new director. Her arrival appears to offer Marie the possibility of having her case reconsidered and of seeing the institution subjected to genuine oversight. Yet Leonie soon confronts an entrenched hierarchy sustained by silence, intimidation and the governor’s control. The promise of reform proves inadequate against a structure designed to absorb and neutralise opposition. Disillusioned, Marie begins to regard escape not as an adventure but as the final means of preserving her autonomy and her life.
Together with other prisoners, she enters the jungle separating the island’s two penitentiaries, pursued by armed guards and exposed to dangers that extend the prison’s violence beyond its walls. Jesús Franco shapes the narrative as an oppressive prison drama in which geographical isolation mirrors the suspension of law and moral responsibility. Moving between European exploitation, carceral horror and dark melodrama, 99 Women examines how closed institutions can transform discipline into sadism, protection into possession and freedom into a promise forever postponed.
| Work Record | |
| Original Title | Der heiße Tod |
| Title | 99 Women | Island of Despair | Women's Penitentiary XII | The Hot Death | Prostitutes in Prison |
| Year | 1969 |
| Direction | Jesús Franco, Bruno Mattei |
| Countries of origin | Spain, West Germany, Italy, United Kingdom |
| Gender | Crime, drama, horror, thriller, prison drama, exploitation |
| Colors | Color |
| Cast | Maria Schell, Herbert Lom, Mercedes McCambridge, Luciana Paluzzi, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Elisa Montés, Valentina Godoy, José María Blanco, Mike Brendel, Jesús Franco, Claudia Gravy, Ana Lucarella, Olívia Pineschi, Juan Antonio Riquelme, María Vico, Elsa Zabala |
| Producer | Harry Alan Towers, Luis Laso |
| Duration | 70 Min. |
| Original Language | French |
| Composer | Bruno Nicolai |
| Cinematography | Manuel Merino |
| Editing | Bruno Mattei, Stanley Frazen, Gabrielle Reinecke, María Luisa Soriano |
| Screenplay | Harry Alan Towers, Milo G. Cuccia, Carlo Fadda, Jesús Franco, Javier Péres Grober |
| Edition Record | |
| Subtitle | English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Editing Note | This edition presents Der heiße Tod / 99 Women with a running time of 1 hour, 38 minutes and 9 seconds and French as its principal audio track, corresponding to the distribution history of the extended French version. The film was produced as a European co-production with a cast drawn from several nationalities and, in accordance with common practice in 1960s European genre cinema, its dialogue, voices and sound effects were reconstructed during post-production for different markets. As a result, several officially authorised language tracks exist. English is recognised as the original reference audio of the international theatrical cut and is preserved in official versions released in the United States and the United Kingdom. French is associated with editions circulated as 99 femmes, L’amour dans les prisons des femmes and Les brûlantes. The running time of this edition closely corresponds to the longer French version, linked to additional sequences filmed by Bruno Mattei with performers other than the principal cast. The film also circulated in shortened or altered cuts depending on the territory. This edition is therefore identified as the extended French version, running 1 hour, 38 minutes and 9 seconds with French audio; other official versions preserve the original English reference audio. |