NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (July 2021): Kino have transferred two exploitation films directed by Robert C. Dertano's Girl Gang and Pin-Down Girl to Blu-ray. It is cited that "Girl Gang was mastered in 2K from the original 35mm negative; Pin-Down Girl was mastered in 2K from a 35mm re-release version known as The Blonde Pick-Up". Both films share on dual-layered Blu-ray and have middling bitrates.

We have already reviewed Volume One, of 'Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture', entitled Mom and Dad, (about STDs, birth control), Volume 3; Unashamed / Elysia (nudity, nudist camps), Volume 4 - Marihuana and/ Narcotic (also drugs) and Tomorrow's Children / Child Bride (eugenics / child marriage - Volume 5), Volume 6 1949's She Should Have Said No and The Devil's Sleep, Ingagi Volume 8 (bizarre pseudo-documentary as exploitation) and Lash of the Penitentes - Volume 9 (exploitive details of the Penitente murder case,) and Volume 10, Wages of Sin, tackles abortion and birth control. Girl Gang and Pin-Down Girl are the content of Volume 11.

The quality of Girl Gang in 1080P is excellent - only a few marks but mostly clean and consistent. There is solid contrast and some depth is also exported. Pin-Down Girl is a bit worse for wear with plenty of vertical scratches and some frame-specific marks and other damage (see samples below.) It is still watchable and reasonably pleasing in HD. Both tower above SD and public domain transfers from the past.   

NOTE: We have added 48 X 2 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use linear PCM dual-mono tracks (16-bit) in the original English language. There are few aggressive moments, but gun shots in both films and no credited scores - mostly stock music plus the strange atmospheric xylophone in Girl Gang prophesying the, unknown, hallucinogenic effects of drug use. Dialogue is very clear and there is no undue hiss or dropouts (one or two unusual jump-cuts in Pin-Down Girl.)  Kino offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentaries by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (author of 1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018) on Girl Gang and by Eric Schaefer, author of Bold! Daring! Shocking True! A History of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959 on Pin-Down Girl. The perfect people to delve into this genre and these two gems. Alexandra talks about 'Drugsploitation' and 'Juvenile Delinquency' films, Ed Wood's Glen or Glenda?, girl fights ('Cat Fights' or 'scragfights' in Australia, as she informs us), 1955's Dementia - which I also love!, xylophone music motif, she quotes from Bev Zalcock's book Renegade Sisters: Girl Gangs on Film. She talks about Jack Hill's Switchblade Sisters, Women in Prison films, 'All-Girl Biker' films, 'Female Vampire' films, sensationalism, the tongue-in-cheek manner of the film's topic - the indifference it has towards its characters. fulfilling male fantasies about loose women, the 'male-rape' in Girl Gang and more. On Pin-Down Girl Eric talks about the various versions and titles and running time speculating on what was removed (nudity? shower scenes?), and the extensive cheesecake in this brand of exploitation. He discusses many of the participants and their exploitation cinema resumes including Producer George Weiss, how female wrestling was illegal at the time in California, how the girls in the film were probably paid between $25-$50 for their efforts. He fills the time with plenty of fascinating details. There are also trailers for both films and the varied titles of Pin-Down Girl.  

I've been asked a few times what is my favorite of Kino's Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture Blu-rays. It is this one. I loved Girl Gang as a silly, awkward but still titillating effort with unsentimental, non-cloying, representations of its 'bad track' characters. It is ridiculously contrived but still held a weird universal realism at its core. Pin-Down Girl reminded me of the Mexican 'Luchador' films (Panther Women.) This double-bill is remarkable in showing how the world has changed since their production - how we see exploitation, sexuality, sexism, drug use... women's wrestling (UFC and MMA) etc. in our modern age and how far away we are from those ideals. Neither were 'warning' films about the dangers of 'X' but rather more, later made, obvious exploitation cinema with cheesecake at every turn and a criminal plot under the surface. Perfect. If you are keen on this genre, this Blu-ray package is strongly recommended!    

Gary Tooze