Joshuu sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô (1972)

Director:

Shunya Ito

Writer:

Tooru Shinohara (comic)

Release Date:

30 December 1972 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Plot:

Matsu, known to the prisoners as Scorpian, is locked away in the bowels of the prison as revenge for...

Plot Keywords:

Warden | Punishment | Escape | Brutal | Humiliation

Cast

Meiko Kaji	...	Matsu (Sasori)
Fumio Watanabe	...	Inspector Goda
Kayoko Shiraishi	...	Oba
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yuki Arasa		(as Yuki Aresa)
Hiroko Isayama
Yukie Kagawa	...	Haru
Hôsei Komatsu
Gôzô Sôma		(as Gôzô Sôma)

Also Known As:

Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41 (USA)
Scorpion: Female Prisoner Cage #41 (USA) (video catalogue title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:18 (SPIO/JK)

Company:

Toei Company

Movie Connections:

Followed by Joshuu sasori: Satsujin yokoku (1991) (V)

Amazingly Beautiful and Funny... Evil Dead meets Stalag-17

It's difficult to describe a movie like Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41. First let me say that I saw it in a film class that concentrates on the visual styles of several films. In this same class I have seen Touch of Evil and several other "classics." I was amazed to see that this film only had 6 votes(7 including mine), so I had to add my own comment.

This film is masterfully shot in a classic Japanese style that emphazises color and full use of the widescreen presentation. The film also has a bit of a campiness to it that adds a flavor that is unusual for a foreign film. Most foreign films that are thought of as being campy usually are just not well done. This is not the case with Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41. The campiness that I refer to is the same campiness that has made the Evil Dead series such a success. Exaggeration of many shots and the characters themselves.

The story itself is very unique, following a group of escape female convicts lead by an awesome character named Scorpion. The filmmakers gave her a near godlike respect when shooting her, and she is very well developed even though she doesn't speak. She doesn't speak because she knows that actions speak louder than words.

Anyway, I highly recommend this film for anyone who is a fan of foreign films, and I also recommend it to those who like stories based on comic books. I believe that this film is based on a series of Japanese comics; it is put together like a comic book, so it is obvious that many shots and the story are out of this world, as movies such as The Matrix have proved to the main-stream audience.