Valentina Godoy in 99 Women (1969)

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A tropical island can allow a glimpse of paradise before death or it can be the setting of a hell on earth. For the confined females of 99 Women: Unrated Director’s Cut (1969), their isolated speck of ocean-ringed land is the ultimate in penal deprivation. The skin and violence output of prolific cult director Jesus Franco is as passionately loathed as it is loved, and often by the same viewer. 99 Women is accepted as the mildest and least exploitative of Franco’s numerous takes on imprisoned females, with camera cuts, editing, and lush locations all considered among the director’s most attractive. Keep in mind that what is lauded as a sensitive portrayal of women under duress for Franco might cause mass aneurism if surprise screened at any contemporary academic symposium of women’s studies. For Jesus Franco, there is no higher praise.