Women Without Innocence 1978 ‘Frauen ohne Unschuld’ Directed by Jesús Franco
Margarita is found, naked and bloody in a luxurious house and is promptly taken to a mental institute. The doctors and nurses meant to take care of her aren't exactly who they seem and a mysterious figure, clad in black, circles the premise at night, offing nubile young women.
Wicked Women, Insaziabili notti di una ninfomane, Het huis der manzieke vrouwen, Wicked Women: Das Haus der mannstollen Frauen, Naiset ilman häpeää, Koritsia apo tin eparhia
It's always fun seeing Jess Franco branch out; no Women in Prison or Women in Convents here, no, this one has Women in Psychwards! I mean, was there anything Jess couldn't do?!
This is the kind of Franco movie where every woman in the ward starts to.. uhm.. pile up on Lina (looking very manic with her pixie haircut ❤️) just to quiet her down! Flawless logic if you ask me.
The psychiatrists in this movie need to be fired by the way! Seriously, the man just yells at Lina the whole time, while the woman takes baths with her:
You see, I am a woman just like you!
Well.. alright then!
There are some beautiful interior sets (with lots of mirrors) and there is a scene where Lina makes love on a yacht in the middle of a lake that's just exquisite!
Awesome Franco flick!
I have to admit I was on the back foot straightaway knowing the synopsis to this film which revolves around diamonds and I find diamonds one of the least thrilling plot devices imaginable.
Lina Romay (with all her hair cut off to signify the end of her marriage) plays a woman who is found at the scene of a bloody murder (diamond-related) which has traumatized her to the point of being struck dumb. So she is whisked off to a nearby clinic for other such troubled women which is run by nefarious types far less interested in the wellbeing of their clientele than they are in... can you guess. Diamonds.
It all felt as dull…
2nd rewatch --- This is one of my favorites from the Dietrich-era. The odd mixture of different genres, the Switzerland setting, and the storytelling are quite unique in Jess's canon of films. I also like that Lina's pixie haircut is integrated into the story. It's obvious that she wears a wig in the flash-back scenes but it suits her.
I love Lina's german dub-voice in the ELITE Film productions. It really fits well. I think I mentioned that before.
Cameraman Peter Baumgartner plays the inspector in this. His cinematography is excellent. There are amazing close-up shots of eyes with reflections in them and a boat scene that reminds me of Herzog's Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes. Location-wise this is very unique…
Jess Franco's sexploitation mystery thriller 'Frauen ohne Unschuld' aka 'Wicked Women' was another one that was pretty stylish and well-shot but also very repitative. There is not a lot of story and almost every second scene is a sex scene, which gets old no matter how good the cinematography looks. I still found it fairly entertaining for the most part. A decent Franco quickie for fans, but not for everyone.
Attractively shot but slightly dull film that introduces elements of gialli into the Women in Prison genre. The Erwin C. Dietrich movies seem to lack personality and this is no exception. And don't even get me started on Lina's hairdo!
Lina Romay is witness to a double murder of diamond smugglers and rendered too traumatized to speak (was writing out of the question, "detective"?) so she's sent to a psychiatric clinic where they specialize in unconventional treatment. Apparently it's also a clinic that forbids underwear of any kind - a previous lice pestilence perhaps? Nope, that's just me trying to rationalize Jess Franco's perversions, but if I start doing that I'll be up all night. I wish I knew the location he used, a town in a warm climate on a picturesque lake with some gorgeous mountain scenery that could be South America or even Italy? See I'm trying to fill space that I would normally use for plot points…
Margarita Martin (Lina Romay) is found in a state of shock and covered in blood at the scene of a murdered couple. She's taking to a private home for the mentally unstable where the doctors try to pry out the truth of what happened, but Margarita won't talk. Meanwhile, someone is stalking the doctors and patients, and Margarita might be the only key to who might be responsible. An above average erotic thriller from Jess Franco filled with intrigue, some beautiful locations and camera work, and a mystery that actually pays off.
Lina Romay witnesses a nude double murder and is shipped off to a psychiatric unit where the dress code runs the gamut from scantily clad to totally naked. Jesús Franco sleaze-fest has some moments of real style and features a giallo-esque subplot involving a cloaked knife-wielding maniac. To put this movie in some proper cinematic context, Lina Romay's pubic hair is to Jesús Franco what Falconetti's face was to Carl Theodor Dreyer in The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
Shabbily made sex film with giallo trappings. The plot is mostly an afterthought but despite all the carnal the padding, this one is occasionally amusing.
2nd rewatch --- This is one of my favorites from the Dietrich-era. The odd mixture of different genres, the Switzerland setting, and the storytelling are quite unique in Jess's canon of films. I also like that Lina's pixie haircut is integrated into the story. It's obvious that she wears a wig in the flash-back scenes but it suits her.
I love Lina's german dub-voice in the ELITE Film productions. It really fits well. I think I mentioned that before.
Cameraman Peter Baumgartner plays the inspector in this. His cinematography is excellent. There are amazing close-up shots of eyes with reflections in them and a boat scene that reminds me of Herzog's Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes. Location-wise this is very unique…
It's ok for what it is but it's basically just one sex scene leading another with a pretty lousy plot tying things together. It gets so repetitive and boring after the first third it's became a bit of chore to get through in one sitting.
Classic Jess Franco. Next on the list is to figure out which of his films were shot concurrently. I completely recognize the location from another in my Jess Franco binge.
One of the better Jess Franco and Erwin Dietrich collaborations, Wicked Women (aka. Women Without Innocence) is a surprisingly coherent and enjoyable film from Franco's maligned Golden Goya era.
The plot revolves around a murder witness in a women's psychiatric clinic being manipulated for information about the whereabouts of diamonds, and plays like a cross between Ilsa The Wicked Warden (with which it even appears to share the same costumes) and a giallo.
Wicked Women's strength is its visuals. Interior sets full of mirrors are well utilized by excellent camera placement to make for some really striking compositions, while exteriors are shot on location in the stunning Lake Maggiore region on the Swiss-Italian border. The score is quite good, and…
Het was weer eens tijd voor een Jess Franco film, inmiddels de vijfenzeventigste of zo. Frauen ohne Unschuld was volgens mij de laatste die hij maakte voor de Zwitserse producent Erwin C. Dietrich. Deze film valt in twee delen uiteen. Er zijn talloze scènes waarin vrouwen liggen te kermen en rond te woelen op ziekenhuisbedden in een psychiatrische kliniek. Deze scènes onderscheiden zich op geen enkele wijze van soortgelijke in vele andere Jess Franco films, met name de gevangenisfilms die hij voor Dietrich maakte. Echter, waar de film aan kwaliteit wint is in de prachtige opening, en later wanneer in een flashback het verhaal van de ontmoeting van Margarita (Lina Romay) met de Mauro's verteld wordt. Dit lijkt wel een…
It's always fun seeing Jess Franco branch out; no Women in Prison or Women in Convents here, no, this one has Women in Psychwards! I mean, was there anything Jess couldn't do?!
This is the kind of Franco movie where every woman in the ward starts to.. uhm.. pile up on Lina (looking very manic with her pixie haircut ❤️) just to quiet her down! Flawless logic if you ask me.
The psychiatrists in this movie need to be fired by the way! Seriously, the man just yells at Lina the whole time, while the woman takes baths with her:
You see, I am a woman just like you!
Well.. alright then!
There are some beautiful interior sets (with lots of mirrors) and there is a scene where Lina makes love on a yacht in the middle of a lake that's just exquisite!
Awesome Franco flick!
Jess Franco's sexploitation mystery thriller 'Frauen ohne Unschuld' aka 'Wicked Women' was another one that was pretty stylish and well-shot but also very repitative. There is not a lot of story and almost every second scene is a sex scene, which gets old no matter how good the cinematography looks. I still found it fairly entertaining for the most part. A decent Franco quickie for fans, but not for everyone.
I have to admit I was on the back foot straightaway knowing the synopsis to this film which revolves around diamonds and I find diamonds one of the least thrilling plot devices imaginable.
Lina Romay (with all her hair cut off to signify the end of her marriage) plays a woman who is found at the scene of a bloody murder (diamond-related) which has traumatized her to the point of being struck dumb. So she is whisked off to a nearby clinic for other such troubled women which is run by nefarious types far less interested in the wellbeing of their clientele than they are in... can you guess. Diamonds.
It all felt as dull…
Attractively shot but slightly dull film that introduces elements of gialli into the Women in Prison genre. The Erwin C. Dietrich movies seem to lack personality and this is no exception. And don't even get me started on Lina's hairdo!
Lina Romay is witness to a double murder of diamond smugglers and rendered too traumatized to speak (was writing out of the question, "detective"?) so she's sent to a psychiatric clinic where they specialize in unconventional treatment. Apparently it's also a clinic that forbids underwear of any kind - a previous lice pestilence perhaps? Nope, that's just me trying to rationalize Jess Franco's perversions, but if I start doing that I'll be up all night. I wish I knew the location he used, a town in a warm climate on a picturesque lake with some gorgeous mountain scenery that could be South America or even Italy? See I'm trying to fill space that I would normally use for plot points…
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