Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1973
Director: Jean Rollin
Cast: Joëlle Coeur, Gilda Arancio, Marie Hélène Règne, Willy Braque, Pierre Julien, François Brincourt, Reine Thirion, Jean Rollin

Release Date: May 26th, 2025 (UK), May 27th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 20 Seconds (All Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (Jeunes filles impudiques), DTS-HD Mono English (Girls Without Shame, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers)
Subtitles: English (Jeunes filles impudiques), English SDH (Girls Without Shame, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Two curious young women, Monica (Cœur) and Jackie (Arancio), find an abandoned old house whilst out hiking. Retiring to bed, they soon find that the house is a hangout for a criminal gang who suspect them of stealing their loot..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Girls Without Shame was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Renasci Films, using the original 35mm negative. Many thousands of instances of dirt were removed, scratches, stains and other imperfections eliminated, and a number of torn or damaged frames repaired. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.

Sexana was scanned in 4K by La Cinémathèque de Toulouse, using an original 8mm distribution print.”

Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 78.3 GB

Feature: 52.7 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the three versions. The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

Jeunes filles impudiques comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. Girls Without Shame and Schoolgirl Hitchhikers each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. All audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (111 images - stills/home video art/press book), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a critical appreciation by journalist and musician Nicolas Stanzick titled Territoire mental (24 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an appreciation Joëlle Cœur, the enigmatic softcore performer by actor, director and film historian Christophe Bier titled Les Quatre années de cinéma de Joëlle Cœur (29 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian David Flint for Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), a 4K presentation of Hubert Lacoudre’s surreal erotic short film Sexana starring Joëlle Cœur, featuring a new score by the experimental instrumental group Peninsula (16 minutes 33 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with Nicolas Stanzick titled Sexana’ de minuit à midi, he  analyses Sexana and the culture surrounding the legendary film magazine Midi-Minuit Fantastique, an image gallery for Sexana (11 images - magazine article/pictures), and an 80-page book with cast & crew information for Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), an essay titled Michel Gentil’s Erotic Detour written by Lucas Balbo, material from the film’s pressbook, an archival article on the French sex-film industry featuring an interview with ‘Michel Gentil’ (Jean Rollin) titled Porno Cinema Seen by Those Who Make It written by Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, an archival interview with Willy Braque conducted by Pal H Mathis, cast & crew information for Sexana, a new writing on Sexana, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Despite nudity and erotica being staples of Jean Rollin’s cinema that predated Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), it is a film that greatly differs from those films that preceded it. Where Jean Rollin’s films are known for their lyrical qualities, a film like Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) was his first full-on foray into exploitation cinema. That said, Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is essentially a product made for a specific market, and it does not connect with you in the same way his most celebrated films do.

While there is a semblance of a plot, it primarily serves as filler for the softcore erotic moments. The narrative revolves around two free-spirited hitchhikers who find refuge in what appears to be an abandoned house. There is a man already staying there, and they show him their thanks before leaving in the morning. After they leave, the man’s accomplices arrive looking for the stolen jewels, and when they cannot find them, they accuse the girls of stealing them. From there, they track down the two girls, kidnap them, and subject them to torture.

The main attraction of Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is Joëlle Coeur (Seven Women for Satan), who portrays Monica, one of the two hitchhikers. Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is the first of three films Joëlle Coeur made with Jean Rollin; the other two are Bacchanales sexuelles and The Demoniacs. She’s a striking beauty whose presence dominates any scene she’s in. Another performance of note is Gilda Arancio in the role of Jackie, the other hitchhiker.

One thing that can be said about Girls Without Shame (also known as Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is that it features some abrupt tonal shifts. The film features arousing moments that excite the senses, a torture scene that delves into sadomasochism, and, to top it all off, a dose of subversive humor. While Girls Without Shame (also known as Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) presents a change of pace throughout, some of the director's cinematic flourishes are still evident, particularly in the visuals. Ultimately, Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is never going to top anyone’s favorite Jean Rollin films list, and yet it is still an oddly entertaining film.

Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer