Caged Heat
Encyclopedia
Caged Heat is an exploitation film
from 1974 of the "women-in-prison" film genre. Caged Heat was written and directed by Jonathan Demme
for the New World Pictures company, headed by Roger Corman
. Caged Heat stars the actresses Erica Gavin
, Roberta Collins
, Juanita Brown, Rainbeaux Smith
, Desiree Cousteau
, and Barbara Steele
.
John Cale
wrote and performed its soundtrack
musics, which features the guitar playing of Mike Bloomfield
.
Two later features, 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 movies.
offenses. Wilson, naturally, becomes associated with a group of her fellow female convict
s, and they fight against the repressive policies of the prison's warden, played by Barbara Steele.
, thought that the content of his company's previous movies about "women in prison" was inadequate, hence he instructed Mr. Demme to create a screenplay
and a script
that would bring something novel to this realm of movie-making. However, Mr. Corman also wanted Caged Heat to retain most of the violence and nudity
that the audiences for this genre had come to anticipate.
Demme introduced new aspects to Caged Heat, including a taking a satirical approach and creating a sadistic female warden, instead of a male one. To a lesser degree, Demme also incorporated elements of liberal politics, feminism
, and social consciousness
into his screenplay. Because of all these new aspects in Caged Heat, and because of its position as Mr. Demme's first feature movie, some movie critics consider this one to be more interesting than the run-of-the-mill, women-in-prison, exploitation movies.
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
from 1974 of the "women-in-prison" film genre. Caged Heat was written and directed by Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
for the New World Pictures company, headed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
. Caged Heat stars the actresses Erica Gavin
Erica Gavin
Erica Gavin, , is an American film actress best known for playing the title role in Russ Meyer's 1968 film Vixen!-Early years:...
, Roberta Collins
Roberta Collins
Roberta Collins was a film and television actress who was known for her attractive physique, blonde, curly hair, and Marilyn Monroe appearance...
, Juanita Brown, Rainbeaux Smith
Rainbeaux Smith
Cheryl Lynn "Rainbeaux" Smith was an American actress. She was known for her role in the exploitation film Caged Heat.-Career:...
, Desiree Cousteau
Desireé Cousteau
Desireé Cousteau is a former pornographic actress of the 1970s and 1980s. She is best known for her roles in the 1978 film Pretty Peaches and 1979's Inside Desireé Cousteau.-Career:...
, and Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday , now hailed as a classic.Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr...
.
John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
wrote and performed its soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
musics, which features the guitar playing of Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield
Michael Bernard "Mike" Bloomfield was an American musician, guitarist, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, since he rarely sang before 1969–70...
.
Two later features, 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 movies.
The premise
The story of Caged Heat centers on the character, Jacqueline Wilson, who was played by Erica Gavin. Wilson is sentenced to a women's prison after her conviction on illegal drugIllegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
offenses. Wilson, naturally, becomes associated with a group of her fellow female convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s, and they fight against the repressive policies of the prison's warden, played by Barbara Steele.
Critique
Caged Heat was Jonathan Demme's debut as a movie director. The movie producer, Roger CormanRoger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, thought that the content of his company's previous movies about "women in prison" was inadequate, hence he instructed Mr. Demme to create a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
and a script
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
that would bring something novel to this realm of movie-making. However, Mr. Corman also wanted Caged Heat to retain most of the violence and nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
that the audiences for this genre had come to anticipate.
Demme introduced new aspects to Caged Heat, including a taking a satirical approach and creating a sadistic female warden, instead of a male one. To a lesser degree, Demme also incorporated elements of liberal politics, feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, and social consciousness
Social consciousness
Social consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society.- Theory :Many studies have been...
into his screenplay. Because of all these new aspects in Caged Heat, and because of its position as Mr. Demme's first feature movie, some movie critics consider this one to be more interesting than the run-of-the-mill, women-in-prison, exploitation movies.
Further reading
- Bliss, Michael, and Banks, Christina: What Goes Around Comes Around: The Films of Jonathan Demme (1996): ISBN 0-8093-1984-5