Black Mama, White Mama

Though it seems light years away from the world of filmmaking today, the close relationship between American and Filipino filmmakers were a major part of the exploitation scene in the 1960s and '70s with a flurry of action, science-fiction, and horror films all set in hot climates. However, there was no market the U.S.-Filipino partnership had a corner on more than women-in-prison films, a trend that had been percolating since the '50s but really exploded in full sleazy force with Jess Franco's trendsetting 99 Women (1969). Roger Corman seized on the idea of using the Philippines and his long-running relationship with local producer-director Cirio H. Santiago as home base for one of his biggest New World hits, The Big Doll House (1971), along with The Big Bird Cage (1972) and Women in Cages (1971). One of Corman's employees, a young fellow named Jonathan Demme, ended up getting the gig of producing and co-writing another of these films, The Hot Box (1972), originally titled Prescription Revolution and starring a striking actress with flowing blonde hair, Margaret Markov. After proving his chops, Demme was given directorial duties on perhaps the best of all women-in-prison films, Caged Heat (1974), which led to a colorful directing career that eventually led to a Best Directing Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Just before his big break directing for Corman, Demme also penned the story for another women-in-prison film, a gender-swapped take on The Defiant Ones (1958) called Black Mama White Mama (1973). Rather than going through Corman, this film ended up in the hands of Filipino producer-director Eddie Romero, a prolific filmmaker who struck gold internationally with Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968), Brides of Blood (1968), and Beast of Yellow Night (1971). This would be the first of two Romero women-in-prison titles, followed by Savage Sisters (1974), as well as the first of a pair of features starring Pam Grier, followed by The Twilight People (1972), an uncredited Filipino take on H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau. Grier was already a familiar fixture at American International Pictures (AIP), who released Black Mama White Mama; she had gotten her start there as a receptionist and was cast by Jack Hill in The Big Doll House and its follow-up film. One of the most beautiful actresses of that (or any) era, Grier made a strong impression in this film, her first bona fide leading role, which caused AIP to take notice and transform her into a major box office name as a powerful action star in Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974), Friday Foster (1975), and Sheba, Baby (1975). Cast opposite Grier was Margaret "Maggie" Markov, a former model who had debuted in the biker film Run, Angel, Run! (1969) and appeared as a high school nymphet in Roger Vadim's Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) before going on to The Hot Box. Having proven her ability to do action scenes, she was cast in the film for a pairing that proved so popular she and Grier were teamed up again for Steve Carver's female gladiator film, The Arena (1974). It was during that production that she met and fell in love with the film's producer, Mark Damon, also an AIP actor in his own right. Despite Corman's efforts to prevent their fraternization, their relationship continued and led to a marriage that still continues to this day. Both Damon and Markov decided to quit acting after their one screen collaboration together, There Is No 13 (1974), failed to take off beyond its festival screenings, and so they established the production company PSO. Bandied about in trade announcements and distribution solicitation with a number of other titles including Women in Chains, Chained Women, Chains of Hate, and Hot, Hard and Mean, Black Mama White Mama was acquired from the production company Four Associates Ltd. by AIP for worldwide distribution and released to a solid box office in early December of 1972. One aspect of the film frequently singled out for praise was the score by Harry Betts, a composer and music arranger whose credits included The Trouble with Angels. He would go on to a successful TV scoring career, though most viewers perhaps know him best for a track from this film, "Police Check Point," which was prominently used by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). By Nathaniel Thompson