Slapped Senseless

Last updated on: April 7, 2010 at 7:09 am by J. Ryan Parker

Slapped Senseless 2010-04-07T07:09:21-07:00 J. Ryan Parker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Exploitation films of the ’60s and ’70s are a fascinating study. Are they exploitative, as the genre asserts? Are they liberating? Both? A recent indie film, Bitch Slap (2009) attempts to parody (s)exploitation films like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Last woman on Earth, etc. While its actresses might have similar dimensions to their predecessors, the film has none of its predecessors’ soul.

Where to begin in a discussion of the plot to Bitch Slap. In a way, I could skip this portion of the review altogether. Three curvaceous women arrive at a spot in the middle of a desert in search of “the goods.” They have kidnapped a gangster who apparently knows where to find them. Things get out of hand and as the story tracks back in time to explain how they got there, the “partners” keep switching loyalties and turning on one another in some over-the-top slap fests and an ending with a twist.

Of course, plots were never central to exploitation films, nor was dialogue, editing, or…well…filmmaking in general. But one thing these films had in spades was soul…heart…a purpose. Unfortunately, Bitch Slap, a supposed parody of the genre, lacks all of the above and especially, most regrettably, the latter. One wonders with which definition of parody the filmmakers were working: (1) any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event, etc., or (2) a poor or feeble imitation or semblance (travesty). The film fails at the former as it is not humorous or satirical and succeeds admirably at the latter because it is most poor and feeble. Its aesthetic is more akin to an Asian shock film, shot against green screens whenever the characters moved away from the desert and employing flowing bucket-loads of blood. In terms of the narrative, it would have been better had it not moved back and forth but chronologically; however, of course, the filmmakers wouldn’t have had a reason to flash back to the near-bare-chested protagonists sweating in the desert and fighting with one another.

All of this is not totally the film’s fault. Perhaps the genre, even parodies of it, are no longer needed. Mainstream films are full of nearly-nude women and tons of violence. If one wants to see more flesh, just hop on the internet. Now, it’s not that pornography didn’t exist in the ’60s and ’70s, for example, but it certainly wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. Moreover, films of the ’40s and ’50s weren’t nearly as sexually or violently explicit as they are today. Therefore, exploitation films played a subversive role, providing an alternative to a stifling cinema experience that certainly did not mirror the cultural revolutions and political upheaval of the ’60s and ’70s.

Tarantino these filmmakers are not. He crafts his films, often re-boots of a particular genre like grind house cinema, with care and respect for film history. It also helps that he is one of the greatest dialogue writers of recent cinema. Bitch Slap‘s most Tarantino-esque moment was, perhaps, its opening title sequence, an homage to great women characters in film. Unfortunately, after the sequence ends, the film provides us with some of the worst examples. Exploitation films, and their gurus like Roger Corman and Russ Meyer, proved more complex than we may initially give them credit for. Despite their exploitative nature, they often gave women and minorities a foot in the door to the filmmaking industry, both in front of and behind the camera. It’s hard to imagine that this film will launch anyone involved into the upper echelons of the industry.

If you feel like torturing yourself, Bitch Slap (109 mins.) is available on DVD and is rated R for…well…I guess you can figure it out. The DVD includes a feature-length making of documentary called Building a Better B Movie. Unfortunately, the film in no way made me want to see how it was made, but I imagine it is better than the film itself.

Film

Previous Post

April 5, 2010

Oh That Lady!

Next Post

April 8, 2010 TOYING WITH GOD: A Review

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Judas James Peter