Blu-ray Review: Switchblade Sisters

Jack Hill has made some pretty wild and fantastic films, standouts being Spider Baby, Coffy and Switchblade Sisters, the last of which has now gotten a special Blu-ray release from Arrow Video. Switchblade Sisters tells the story of a female gang with both external and internal conflicts, brought to the fore when a new girl moves to the neighborhood. First seen as an adversary, and then as a friend, this new girl is not trusted or accepted by at least one of the gang members, and that leads to trouble for all of them. The film stars Robbie Lee, Joanne Nail, Monica Gayle, Asher Brauner, Marlene Clark, Kitty Bruce and Bill Adler. The new Blu-ray release contains a lot of bonus material, including interviews with members of cast and crew, as well a booklet containing photos and essays on the film’s importance.

The movie is compelling from its opening titles sequence, with black and white stills showing a neighborhood in a state of decay, leading to the first scene with Lace (Robbie Lee), a young tough girl, looking in the mirror as she dresses. Here she is in her own world, and in command of it. Then the real world intrudes, and we see the rest of her home, a small apartment, with two young siblings on the couch, and a man there to repossess the television the girls are watching. Lace’s mother explains to the man that she is waiting for a child support check, and needs the money for food, but she does end up paying him. What is interesting is what happens after that, for Lace makes the real world basically bow down to the fantasy world of her own construction. When the man gets on the elevator, she is already there. And at each floor the elevator stops, more tough girls from Lace’s gang get on. And soon they surround and attack the man. What a great way to introduce the gang of girls. You know, it’s funny, the first time I saw this movie, I had no sympathy for the guy at all. Now a couple of decades later, I find I do. After all, he didn’t physically hurt anyone. But a little later we learn the girls didn’t really harm that man either. They just sliced up his clothes and reclaimed the money he’d taken. It is interesting how light and harmless things seem at that point, for the movie does get slowly more serious, as the characters have to deal with some significant troubles. It is also interesting that we see the women on their own at first, seeming to need no one. But then when we meet the male gang members, we find that the women are sort of defined by their relationships to the men, that they haven’t escaped that even in their own world. Even the gang’s name, the Dagger Debs, is in relation to the men’s gang, The Silver Daggers. But you can bet that all changes as the movie goes on.

The gang bullies the wrong girl, Maggie (Joanne Nail), who is more than ready and able to take care of herself. And immediately there is an adversarial relationship between Maggie and Patch (Monica Gayle), a member who lost an eye doing some gang business. But when Maggie ends up in the juvenile detention center with the other girls, they all soon find themselves on the same side, fighting abusive authority figures. By the way, this movie proves once again that the best decade for films was the 1970s, when filmmakers were more daring. When the Debs strike back, things get fun. I particularly love the toilet plunger to the face. But when Lace says she would kill for her man, there is no doubt that she means it. There are a lot of nice little touches in this movie, like when Patch is ready to trip Maggie, and Lace warns her to watch her step. Or later, when the leader of the rival men’s gang asks the slowest typist ever if she’s getting what he’s saying, and then tells her to practice. Again, there is a good deal of humor to this film.

There is also a connection to Shakespeare, as Jack Hill based this film loosely on Othello, with Lace being the Othello character, Patch being Iago, and Maggie being Cassio. Of course, that puts Dominic, the leader of the Silver Daggers, in the position of being Desdemona. And we all know how things turn out for Desdemona. What is interesting to me about Dom (Asher Brauner) is that for all his cruelty, we do see something beneath that hard exterior. For example, when he is reading Lace’s private love letter aloud to the other guys, an act of thoughtlessness and meanness, we can see that he is in fact at least a little touched by it. And we sense as he is reading that he wishes he could just stop and keep the words to himself. Also, later, when he reacts horribly to news that Lace is pregnant, and tosses money at her for an abortion, there is the sense that his reaction comes at least partly from some inner desire to escape his situation, to find a better life, and he is lashing out from fear that a baby will forever tie him to his current state.

Though this is a fun movie, it does touch on some pretty serious subjects, and does so in a way that is honest, and without offering easy solutions, or really any solutions at all. And you do grow to care about these characters.

Special Features

This Blu-ray release has several special features. We’re The Jezebels!: The Making Of Switchblade Sisters contains interviews with Jack Hill, producer John Prizer, casting director Geno Havens, production designer B.B. Neel, stunt coordinator Bob Minor, plus cast members Joanne Nail, Asher Brauner and Chase Newhart. They talk about not having to worry about a studio when shooting, and just focusing all their energy on making a good movie. The casting director mentions that Terri Nunn was one of the girls he brought in to audition. Jack Hill talks about the cast and the influence of Othello on the film.  Interestingly, the actors started in theater. This feature is approximately thirty-nine minutes. In Gangland: The Locations Of Switchblade Sisters, Jack Hill returns to some of the locations from the movie. The first place he tries to visit is the junior high school, but it is now completely different. He then goes to the crosswalk where the Debs cross near the beginning of the film. He also visits the restaurant and the roller skating rink. Probably most surprising is that the roller skating rink is still there, and looks the same. This is approximately seven minutes.

The special features also include footage of Jack Hill and Joanne Nail at the New Beverly Cinema for a screening of Switchblade Sisters held on January 3, 2007. And for you movie buffs, as the camera pans to the audience, you can see Clu Gulager (The Killers, The Last Picture Show, The Return Of The Living Dead, Feast) in his regular seat at the front. This is approximately nine and a half minutes. There is also an interview with Jack Hill, Robbie Lee and Joanne Nail, in which they share their thoughts about the film, as well as some memories. They do talk about the Othello connection here, and Joanne Nail is hilarious in that moment.

In addition, there are two trailers for the film, one of which still has the original title, The Jezebels, as well as trailers for several other Jack Hill films. And there are several stills galleries, including behind-the-scenes photos and promotional materials. There is also a new audio commentary by critics Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger, who talk about the strong female characters in the largely male-dominated exploitation genre. The Blu-ray release includes a booklet featuring essays by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Heather Drain, as well as some photos.

This special Blu-ray release of Switchblade Sisters was released on April 27, 2021 through Arrow Video.