Search - Big Bad Mama on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1974 DVD Release: 02/23/1999 Format: DVD Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 23 mins Studio: New Concorde Members Wishing: 11 Genres: Action, Crime, Crime Thriller See Also: Big Bad Mama [Special Edition]

Angie Dickinson essays the title role in Big Bad Mama. This Depression-era crime caper casts the future star of Police Woman as sexy Ma Barker type Wilma McClatchie, who forces her nubile daughters (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) into participating in a robbery/kidnapping/murder spree. Wilma seems to be as motivated by the erotic thrill of lawbreaking as she is by the financial gains. She evens hops in the sack with her daughters, as does her common-law husband, played by William Shatner. A sequel appeared in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Angie Dickinson - Wilma McClatchie
William Shatner - William J. Baxter
Tom Skerritt - Fred Diller
Susan Sennett - Billy Jean McClatchie
Robbie Lee - Polly McClatchie

There are bad movies and there are good bad movies. This welcome DVD reissue of Big Bad Mama proves that even after all these years, it's hard not to like this rough-and-tumble exploitation picture. Capitalizing on the success of Bonnie and Clyde, the anti-establishment 1970s, and the looks of lovely leading lady Angie Dickinson, this Roger Corman midnight favorite unfortunately comes in a digitally remastered full-screen presentation only. To add insult to injury, the disc has been remastered from a pretty faded source print, making the phrase "digitally mastered" a bit pointless. Older color film stock degrades very quickly and is expensive to restore. Thankfully, there are two plus points to the DVD. The first is a bonus interview with Roger Corman, a smart, classy guy who specialized in producing trash that was often more fun than -- and sometimes better than -- bigger-budgeted mainstream Hollywood fare. The second DVD bonus is a better-than-average booklet outlining Roger Corman's career. Big Bad Mama has earned a loyal cult following over the years and a widescreen edition of the DVD that features a restored print is in the works. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide