Chained for Life [VHS]

Chained for Life [VHS]
by Harry L. Fraser

Chained for Life [VHS]

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Category: VHS Video
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Product details

Actor: Allen Jenkins, Daisy Hilton, Mario Laval, Patricia Wright, Violet Hilton
Director: Harry L. Fraser
Cinematographer: Jockey Arthur Feindel
Editor: Joseph Gluck
Producer: George Moskov
Writer: Albert DePina
Writer: Nat Tanchuck
Writer: Ross Frisco
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 81 minutes
Release Date: 2002-01-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Rhino Home Video
Studio: Rhino Home Video

VHS Movie Reviews of Chained for Life [VHS]

Movie Review: Fascinating antique!
Summary: 3 Stars

I found this movie quite fascinating, primarily because it shows the mature Hilton Siamise Twins--Violet and Daisy--in their later years, long after their appearance in the l932 MGM film, "Freaks."

For a grindhouse exploitation movie, the production values are higher than usual, with a fairly large cast, different sets and flattering photograph of the two stars. However, this is what is so depressing about this effort: both women look like they're well into their 40s or early 50s.

Neither can act, since their vaudeville act was always just the two of them singing bland, forgettable songs. in fact, the movie often looks like an Ed Sullivan variety show--with endless and boring vaudeville acts. The male lead is so smarmy and sleazy that it's no wonder he vanished soon after the movie finally appeared in very limited showings.

Because of various legal battles and because the twins sunk all their small fortune into making this movie, Daisy and Violet ended up in poverty. they were so certain this movie would catapult them into major stardom which may indicate how totally out of touch they were from reality.

This movie was among the 20 in the fantastic boxed collection from Mill Creek called 20 Cult movies. You watch this one and the others and can appreciate more what the Hilton girls were trying to accomplish. When they died in poverty and obscurity, they were probably certain they had been forgotten. With the advent of home video, however, they're now being seen today and even appreciated. After watching them in this effort, one has to admit that it's been like watching two, rather boring, housewives who somehow found themselves in front of a camera. One wishes they had somehow found understanding spouses and settled down somewhere and left the stage while at the top of their game.

Movie Review: On A Historical Note, This Film Runed the Hilton Sisters.
Summary: 2 Stars

The quality of the film "Chained for Life" is certainly among the worst that I have ever viewed. The picture is washed out and choppy. One may wonder why the time has not been taken to restore this bit of sideshow/vaudeville history. According to the excellent biography "The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton," this is the film that finally ruined them. The Hilton Sisters had high hopes that this project would make them superstars. They paid almost all of their own money to produce this story about one twin committing homicide and the legal problems the situation would cause. "Must the innocent be punished with the guilty, or should the guilty go free?" This idea lost focus even before the first day of its filming. After rewrites and reediting to please the censors of the day, "Chained for Life" became a blur of ideas with no real conclusion and unknown bad actors. It is an uneven film, with no real plot, and out of place musical performances by Daisy and Violet.

The film was locked in litigation, upon it completion, for a year (due to unpaid production bills). "Chained for Life" ended up with a very limited release in hick towns where small audiences hated the film. The Hilton Sisters traveled from cheap theaters to drive-ins across the country trying to promote their film. In the end, Daisy and Violet took a tremendous financial loss. This was the beginning of the final end for the Hilton Sisters. They would never recover from the financial loss caused by this venture and would end up living their remaining years in poverty.

The DVD "Chained for Life" is cheap label discount release(Alpha). It is a washed out, bad print of the high hopes that ended up being the final ruin of Daisy and Violet Hilton. It is a bad film, and a sad ending to the once famous vaudeville headliners whose lives ended in tragedy. Those who have read "The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins by Dean Jensen," may find the DVD interesting for historical reasons. Those who know nothing of the Hilton Sister will only see "Chained for Life" as a cinematic failure.

Movie Review: No ending
Summary: 2 Stars

There were two reasons I bought this DVD, one being that I'm very interested in "Sideshow Freaks", so I really wanted to see the sisters. The other that I really wanted to know how they would punish the other sister in the movie.
But there is no ending, there's just a man that simply tells you that you have to decide for yourself what you think the punishment should be.
Very dissapointing!

The acting isn't very good, especially not the sisters. The blonde one sounds bored when she should say "I'm so happy!".

The good parts were the performances on stage, I especially thought the guy on the bicicle was cool.
The sisters singing is good, it's so sad that the sound quality was so bad!
The plot was good, even though the sisters didn't act good, it did told how hard it can be to always be stuck together.

Movie Review: Long list of problems
Summary: 1 Stars

This DVD release is mastered from a VHS dub copy of a 16mm dupe print, so no wonder the sound is horribly distorted (as many have pointed out), and the detail of the picture is washed out. You can see the squiggly videotape artifacts from the minute the opening credits start. In brighter scenes, you can barely see any detail of some of the characters' faces (this is evidence that the original source was a dupe of a positive print rather than a positive print made from a negative) and this probably explains the poor sound as well. Then, the dub to videotape further degraded the quality. If Alpha Video couldn't come up with better source material, they should've passed on this title. Considering this film's obscurity, I wasn't expecting miracles, but this is one of the worst DVD releases I've come across. Avoid.

Movie Review: The sound...arrrgghh....
Summary: 2 Stars

To the voyueristic among you yearning for a peep at the sex life of siamese twins, don't believe the hype on the box. Sizzleless exploiter featuring the Hilton sisters (of Freaks fame), posed as a courtroom drama centering on wether a judge can sentence both sisters for a murder only one comitted. Yes, there's the obligitory square up at the end, as silly as any of em. The dream sequence is sufficeintly weird, with Daisy being stunt doubled except for her close ups peeking through the tree. Oh, and there's a bumbling plate juggler, an organ played by rifle shots and a blind preacher waxing boringly about nature not "granting favors". The Hiltons sing a few songs. Besides that, the sound is atrocious and the print ain't much butter...er, better. Intrigued by this film after seeing Freaks? So was I. It didn't fail to disappoint. Not a total disaster, but not really worthwhile either.

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