Pretty Maids All in a Row is 1971 American sexploitation film starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, and Telly Savalas, the film is directed by Roger Vadim. The film centres around a police captain that investigates a string of murderers of teenage girls at a high school. Pretty Maids all in a Row is a fun unique film that combines genres together to make an interesting product.
The direction in the film is good. The film has a very classic American feel to it as well as having a very sexual style. It is ultimately a coming-of-age teenage high school film but presented in a verry sexual way. The themes of the film contain that of pent of sexual frustration as shown with a fast-editing style of sexualisation as the film is presented in a fun light-hearted sexual style to it. When Ponce one of the main characters goes to the toilet the camera pans round to reveal a dead body setting up the murder mystery element of the movie which is further shown when he finds the dead body. When he goes to tell the principle, he finds one of the teachers making out with one of his students, throughout the film most people seem shallow as the principal cares about her being a cheerleader as only the main character seems to care. Almost everyone in the film is intentionally shallow and superficial, however the police captain Surcher also acts like a normal person showing how stupid it is that they removed evidence. There is a good comedic tone to the film of the chief being put of traffic control for getting rid of evidence anciently as everyone is superficial about the murder. Sexuality is everywhere in the film as there is a wanting but also a fear of sexuality. There is a sleazy scummy sexual nature to the film as throughout the film Billy is presented as a virgin a sexual loser in the film. the film is. Very much viewed through the lens of the sexual revolution of the seventies as well as very much giving it a murder mystery feel. Sex is a big theme in the film as well as having a weird surreal weirdness to it. The sexuality in the film is shown in classic sets ups such as the student teacher dynamic as there is also sexual tension between the teachers. Another theme in the film is very much the idea of boys becoming men as the film has the classic set up of the older woman teacher and the young boy as the film capitalises on the classic idea of student teacher relationships with sexual tension. This idea of a disconnect is shown with the detectives except for the leads make jokes about the dead girl’s sexual exploits, the film also has sexuality baked within the themes and images as Ponce comes out of his teachers closet although not in a homosexual way but in a sexual tone. Tiger has a weird philosophy as he does seem to genuinely love and care for his students, which is wrapped up in him being a murder mystery suspect. Tiger is a sexual manipulator and controller throughout the film manipulating both his students and teachers to gain power, as there is an interesting power dynamic with Tiger throughout the film. the murder mystery element of the film is also shown with the dead bodies of schoolgirls with Tiger being the most interesting character in the film. the film is sexual but also uncomfortable and unnerving as with the teenage boys sexual awaking with an older female teacher. Witch is further shown with her giving him a bath and them having sex. The film has a bizarreness to it with a student and teacher talking about subjects whilst lying naked in bed, however the film is very much a murder mystery with a sexual killer as Young Girls are dead, and Tiger is shown to be the killer. Throughout the film Tiger is a fascinating figure with him and almost everyone else having a weird emotional disconnect in the film. The film has a lot of classic high school American flair to it, with everyone celebrating Tiger like a god to them. Ponce discovers a still running tape recorder in Tigers office of the girl that was murdered recording a message of her having sex with him and him killing her, Tiger discovers this, and they go for a ride. Tiger confesses with Ponce about the murders, as he has a weird psychologically to him with images inside his head him Killing Ponce as they both drive into the ocean seemingly committing suicide. It turns out that Ponce survives but Tiger does not as they are at his funeral, however Surcher sees that Tiger has faked his death as his widow has a plane ticket to Brazil. Ponce ends up more confident and ends up flirting with a girl as Surcher decides to track down Tiger to Brazil as Ponce ends up more confident and flirts with another girl before driving on his coped picking up another girl and driving off.
The writing in the film is good. The film starts out showing that everyone is sexual and with a partner except for the main character Ponce showcasing the sexual frustration of the youth. He is considered undesirable as the film is a coming-of-age high school movie. The film shows his pent-up sexual frustration as everyone takes place in the sexual revolution apart from him. The main character is essentially a creepy pervert, there is great showcase of information in the film as the main character goes to the toilet the camera pans round to reveal a dead body setting up the murder mystery element of the movie. The main character Ponse then find this murder mystery style as he grows to tell the principle as one of the teachers are making out of one of the students. The police come in and they talk to him about helping with football as they don’t care about the murder, the forensic analyst also acts like a normal person showing how sapid it is that the chief removed evidence. The film has a good comedic tone to it with the chief being put on traffic control as punishment, everyone is superficial about the murder except Posne who takes it seriously. Ponce confides in Tiger about getting with girls as there seems to be sexual tension between Posne and Miss Smith. There are also clear sexual acts between Tiger and his students as there is real scummy side of him sleeping around when he has a wife and kid. Sexual in the film Ponse is presented as a sexless virgin loser as the film is viewed through the lens of the sexual revolution. Tiger is presented as a generally good teacher as the film acts in part as criticism of the education system. Through the sexual exploits off the victim, they make a profile of her as within the film Tiger is presented as weird surreal character. Tigger manipulates Miss Smith to help Ponce with his sexual hang ups by having sex with him the film very much the classic sexual set up of the older woman teacher and the young boy. Tiger manipulates them into a student teacher relationship as Ponse is shown to have an erection. The detectives except for the main ones make jokes about the dead girl’s sexual exploits as the teacher the older woman helps Ponse with his sexuality. Tiger has a weird philosophy in the film as he doesn’t generally love and care for his students which makes it look like one of the students killed the girl. Tiger talks to Ponse who explains he has no romantic feelings towards her and sexually touches her in a clinical way causing her to be angry at his sexual manipulation. This power and manipulation are also shown with Tiger rallying the football team, Tiger is having an affair with one of his students who knows about what he has done leading to a powershift in the film however Tiger is still somewhat in control. Again, another dead body ends up with a letter being discovered as the murder mystery element of the film comes back, throughout the play scene of the film there are glimpses into Tigers mind with him stating that the idea of only being with one woman and he needs to love more woman showing how he likes controlling young women. The female teacher ends up learning about sex from a book as she seduces her student like something out of an old porn film as they dance, and she undoes her shoulder strap. This idea of a mature woman leading him is shown as he takes him by the belt and cleans his trousers and she gives him a bath. This very much climaxes in his sexual awaking as she kisses Ponce and they have sex, ending with Miss Smith and Ponce lying on a bed talking about subjects. More murders occur with weird semi sexual romantic notes on them as a cop and girl from another night being dead shows that Tiger is the killer, we also get backstory of Tiger in that he fort in the Korean War and knows martial arts. Almost everyone has a weird emotional disconnect in the film, the film also has a lot of classic high school amee4ican flair to it. Tiger shows his real colours when he berates the team, everyone then celebrates Tiger as his like a god to them. Ponce then discovers a still running tape recorder in Tiger office of the girl that was murdered recording a message for him, having sex with her, Tiger discovers this, and they go for a ride. Tiger confesses to ponce about his murders, Tiger has a weird psychology to him with images inside of his head of him Killing Ponce as they both drive into the ocean as he seemly commits suicide. Ponce survives but Tiger does not as they are at his funeral, at the funeral Surcher sees that tiger has faked his death as his widow has a plane ticket to Brazil. The film ends with. Ponce more confidence fliting with girls, as Surcher decides to track down Tiger to Brazil. The film ends with a more confident Ponce flirting with another girl before driving off on his moped picking up another girl and driving off.
The acting in the film is good. Rock Hudson does a good job as Tiger the football coach who manipulates everyone in the film. Angie Dickinson does a good job as Betty Smith a female teacher that hooks up with a student. Telly Savalas does a good job as Sam Surcher the police captain that investigates the crimes. John David Carson does a good job Ponce de Leon Harper the protagonist of the film a shy sexually frustrated young man that that feels isolated in the film. Keenan Wynn does a good job as Police Chief John Poldaski the incompetent policeman that tries to solve the murder case. Barbara Leigh does a good job as Jean McDrew Tigers wife that gets cheated on in the film. Roddy McDowall does a good job as Mr. Proffer the principle that feels detached in the film. James Doohan does a good job as Follo, William Campbell does a good job as Grady, Susan Tolsky does a good job as Miss Harriet Craymire. The pretty maids do a good job is the film. the people that paly the pretty maids do a godo job. Brenda Sykes does a good job as Pamela Wilcox, Joy Bang does a good job as Rita, Gretchen Burrell does a good job as Marjorie, Joanna Cameron does a good job as Yvonnev Millick, Aimee Eccles does a good job as Hilda Lee, June Fairchild does a good job as Sonny Swangle, Margaret Markov does a good job as Polly, Diane Sherry does a good job as Sharyl.
The cinematography is decent. The film is focused on highlighting the sexual parts of the body constantly focusing on shots of breasts and anuses. The film contains very 70s looking pans ad zooms and some cool POV shots. The film has some intense close ups of lips, as well as a shot of the mirror of naked bodies as well as a cool shot looking upwards from a door handle as a character locks the door.
Pretty Maids All in a Row is an interesting mesh of a film that combines several different genres to create a fun unique movie that is worth a watch.
