In the 1950s, a ton of girl juvenile delinquent movies were made and most were pretty much trash. The main focus on most was exploitation--appealing to the lowest elements coming to theaters. While they purported to be exposés, they really were meant to appeal to patrons wanting a glimpse of sex--or at least the closest you'd find to it in the local theaters! While I noticed that one reviewer called this an exploitation film, it really isn't fair to put this in the same category you might put a Mamie Van Doren film! That is because the makers of SO YOUNG SO BAD actually tried to make a sincere film--one with a message and so occasionally sex-crazed patrons might accidentally go to see by mistake--thinking it's a "girls gone wild" film for 1950!
In general, I applaud the film because it is quite watchable and the central message of treating underage female prisoners with kindness and an eye towards rehabilitation makes sense. However, at times the message is a tiny bit heavy-handed and sometimes the nice doctor (Paul Henreid) is a bit too idealistic and "touchy feely". Still, despite these shortcomings, the film is pretty good and there are a few very exciting scenes--such as the sight of the evil matron stomping on a bunny (they don't show the actual bunny--relax) and forcibly cutting a girl's hair is something to behold! All these abuses of power and many more lead to the expected showdown that will probably leave the viewer feeling reasonably satisfied. All in all, not a bad film at all for the genre.
In general, I applaud the film because it is quite watchable and the central message of treating underage female prisoners with kindness and an eye towards rehabilitation makes sense. However, at times the message is a tiny bit heavy-handed and sometimes the nice doctor (Paul Henreid) is a bit too idealistic and "touchy feely". Still, despite these shortcomings, the film is pretty good and there are a few very exciting scenes--such as the sight of the evil matron stomping on a bunny (they don't show the actual bunny--relax) and forcibly cutting a girl's hair is something to behold! All these abuses of power and many more lead to the expected showdown that will probably leave the viewer feeling reasonably satisfied. All in all, not a bad film at all for the genre.