Truly an odd example of blaxploitation cinema that only Al Adamson could have delivered onto an unsuspecting public, Mean Mother is certainly in a class all it's one. One of the great(?) patchwork films that Adamson was famous for... Independent International took a European film called El Hombre Que Vino Del Odido a film that they felt had no market appeal, shot a secondary story around it, brought in the lead actor to reshoot a few key scenes and there you have it, the birth of Mean Mother! You gotta hand it to the filmmaking team of Al Adamson and Producer Sam Sherman, I mean these guys got balls and in turn have created some of the most unforgettable schlock in motion picture history. That said, they sure don't come much more schlock filled than Mean Mother.

Our story opens as Mean Mother aka Beauregard Jones (played by singing sensation Dobie Gray billed here as Clifton Brown) on some sort of leave from 'Nam gets himself in a dope deal that goes sour. He shoots his way out and hightails it back to 'Nam (why?) where he meets up with Joe Scott (played by Dennis Safren of the original film, El Hombre Que Vino Del Odido) and the two decide to get the hell out of 'Nam (which surprisingly looks like the wooded area behind my apartment complex). After their departure from 'Nam, the two part ways as Jones heads for Spain and Scott leans towards Rome.

I guess it goes without saying that they both wind up in a heap of trouble, which sees Jones (our resident Mean Mother) tangled up with the Spanish mafia and Scott, a "successful" jewelry smuggler who takes a gig on the side to rescue a ballerina from "the commies". Mean Mother manages to track down Joe Scott and convinces him that Canada could very well be the Promised Land for them both and their best gals. It's not gonna be easy as the European Mafia is hot on their trail as the two try their darndest to make all of their dreams come true.

Have you guessed it yet? Yeah, Mean Mother be one crazy flick! Part of this has to do with the patchwork editing, which is kind of pulled off in the long run (two flick become one). Sure there are some loose ends and not all the "patches" stick, but hey, you were expecting Gone With the Wind maybe? For kitsch value purposes Mean Mother does deliver the goods, with kool kats, macs and bee-yatches galore and let's not forget that healthy dose of the European Mafia for good measure. It's midnight movie fare that's for sure... dig it.

Featuring a high level of ineptitude, cool characters, a few choice scenes and little else, this release of Mean Mother on DVD is obviously geared towards a specific demographic (cult fanatics unite!). Although I predict a few unsuspecting citizens will pick up this disc because of the ultra modern cover slapped on the package, which I'm not really a fan of (although the original artwork is represented on the back of the cover as well as on the inside). Still, there are some choice set pieces that should definitely please, including one that involves Mean Mother, a stranded motorist, a skimpy black bikini and an awful blonde wig (you do the math).

Presented on DVD by EI Cinema under their Retro Shock-O-Rama line (here billed as Urban Shock) the flick gets more than a respectable transfer on DVD. Quality does range from scene to scene but overall the film takes to DVD exceptionally well. Colors are mostly sharp and vibrant and there is little evidence of print damage (the occasional spec of dirt and a few light scratches). Grain is minimal as well, showing up primarily in a few darker scenes. Speaking of which, there are a few low light scenes that are pretty dark, obviously a trait of the films original budgetary restrictions. The scenes from the two films that were joined together blend quite nicely, not too shabby (for what it's worth). The full screen framing looks accurate, it's possible that the film may have been released theatrically with a matte (this transfer could just be open matte). I didn't really notice any boom mikes or other disturbances in the frame if it was open matte, framing looked quite comfortable.

Audio is also presented in a respectable Mono mix with mostly clear dialogue. Any problems with the audio seem to stem from bad acoustics or actors being poorly miked. Background noise or hiss is not a problem, the track is pretty much clear throughout. For an early 70's patchwork film, Mean Mother looks and sounds pretty damn good.

Extras include a theatrical trailer as well as a plethora of trailers for other EI Cinema titles. There's also an audio commentary from producer Sam Sherman that is quite interesting and definitely worth a listen (even if Sherman strays from the onscreen action). Unfortunately the commentary only runs about 50 minutes, short commentaries are becoming an annoying trend. I'd rather just see an onscreen interview in which the film is discussed, rather than a short audio commentary, which doesn't even cover much of the action taking place on screen. Still… the brief commentary is interesting and covers some cool points concerning the history of Mean Mother and a few other Independent International titles, as well as a charming nod to the late great Doris Wishman. This disc can be found online for well under 15 bucks, Mean Mother scratches that midnight movie itch with a little bit o' soul on the side... Solid!