Female
Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection
(1972 - 1973/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray/DVD box set/4 films)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: A Films: B+/B+/B/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
This collection is limited to 3,000 units
Arrow
continues to push the envelope with Blu-ray releases this year,
continuing to do so with this highly collectible deluxe edition box
set of the Female
Prisoner Scorpion
films, which obviously had a huge effect on Quentin Tarantino (the
theme song is played in Kill
Bill V.1)
and is Japanese exploitation at its finest. Full of enough gore and
nudity to satisfy any exploitation fan (and I don't say that
lightly), these films are incredibly executed (no pun intended) from
a production standpoint and have many unforgettable moments you won't
soon forget. Not having heard of this series before this release, I
quickly became engulfed in this collection and would highly recommend
it to all fans of cinema. The series stars Meiko Kajo (Lady
Snowblood),
Rie Yokoyama, and Yayoi Watanabe to name a few and are directed by
Shunya Ito and Yashuharu Hasebe.
The
films are Female
Prisoner #701: Scorpion,
Jailhouse
41,
Beast
Stable,
and #701's
Grudge Song,
progressively telling the story of Nami (Kajo) - a woman with a
complicated past that all started with betrayal by the man she loved.
Falsely imprisoned and fueled by anger and revenge, the silent but
fierce Nami isn't afraid to stand up for herself and work towards
freedom any chance that she gets. Heavy with themes focusing on
police brutality, revenge, and a splash of gothic horror, these films
are dark yet very entertaining.
Featuring
2K restorations of all four films and presented on both Blu-ray
(1080p) and inferior-to-them DVD copies and the original mono audio
tracks (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays), the films look and sound
better than ever before and have aged nicely, obviously taken care of
and restored for this release. The high definition transfers are
highly detailed with rich color and the occasional bit of film noise
and grain, which adds to the experience. The DVDs look fine for the
format, but aren't as textured as the Blu-ray.
Extras
include:
Beautiful
new artwork for each disc and reversible covers
Double
sided poster
Booklet
featuring new writing on the film by critic Chuck Stephens, a brand
new interview with Toru Shinohara, creator of the original Scorpion
manga and an archive interview with Meiko Kaji by Chris D.
illustrated with original stills
Specific
to each film, we also get on...
FEMALE
PRISONER #701: SCORPION
Newly
filmed appreciation by filmmaker Gareth Evans (The
Raid)
Shunya
Ito: Birth of an Outlaw,
an archive interview with the director
Scorpion
Old and New,
a new interview with assistant director Yutaka Kohira
Theatrical
Trailers for all four films in the series
FEMALE
PRISONER SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41
Newly
filmed appreciation by critic Kier-La Janisse
Japanese
cinema critic Jasper Sharp looks over the career of Shunya Ito
Designing
Scorpion,
a new interview with production designer Tadayuki Kuwana
Original
Theatrical Trailer and Teaser
FEMALE
PRISONER SCORPION: BEAST STABLE
Newly
filmed appreciation by critic Kat Ellinger
Shunya
Ito: Directing Meiko Kaji,
an archive interview with the director
Unchained
Melody,
a new visual essay by Tom Mes on the career of Meiko Kaji
Original
Theatrical Trailer and Teaser
FEMALE
PRISONER SCORPION: #701's GRUDGE SONG
Newly
filmed appreciation by filmmaker Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Kichiku:
Banquet of the Beasts)
Yasuharu
Hasebe: Finishing the Series,
an archive interview with the director
Japanese
cinema critic Jasper Sharp looks over the career of Yasuharu Hasebe
They
Call Her Scorpion,
a new visual essay by Tom Mes on the film series
Original
Theatrical Trailer
One
of the better big releases of the year and a must for fans of
Japanese films and/or exploitative cinema, the
Female Prisoner Scorpion Collection
is a must have set to get... while supplies last...
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
