Lotis Key emerged in the early 1970s, making her mark in the realm of exploitation cinema. In The Woman Hunt (1972), she delivers a compelling performance that captures the raw energy of the era, while in Black Mama White Mama (1973), she plays a pivotal role that highlights the intersection of race and gender in a gritty narrative. Key's work in these films contributes to the rich tapestry of cult cinema, where her performances resonate with themes of rebellion and empowerment.
Black Mama White Mama
Brought to a women's prison in a tropical country which resembles the movie's Philippines-set location, Lee Daniels (Pam Grier) and Karen Brent (Margaret Markov), a prostitute and a revolutionary, respectively, butt heads and cause enough trouble to warrant transfer to a maximum security prison. They are chained together during the transfer, much to their dismay, and an attack by Karen's rebel friends set them free, albeit still chained together. The movie chronicles the pair's struggle to escape the army, led by Captain Cruz (Eddie Garcia) who enlists the help of the cowboy gang led by Ruben (Sid Haig). The pair also has competing goals: Lee to recover the money that she extorted from her former pimp, Vic Cheng (Vic Díaz), and escape by boat, and Karen to meet her gun connections on time so that they do not turn on her rebel friends. The pair finally bond, despite their initial hate for each other, until they are finally freed by the rebel leader Ernesto (Zaldy Zshornack). The movie culminates in a violent shootout with Cheng and Ruben's henchmen (who are rivals), Ernesto's guerrillas, and the army. When two troublemaking female prisoners (one a revolutionary, the other a former harem-girl) can't seem to get along, they are chained together and extradited for safekeeping. The women, still chained together, stumble, stab, and cat-fight their way across the wilderness, igniting a bloody shootout between gangsters and a group of revolutionaries.
