女囚701号/さそり (Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion) 1972 Ages 18+
      Production still from Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion 1972 / Director: Shunya Itō / Image courtesy: Toei Company / View full image
When
6.30 pm, Fri 10 Jul 2015 (87 mins)Where
Gallery of Modern Art, Cinema A
About
'Matsu, known as "Scorpion" lands herself in prison thanks to the evil manipulations of an ex-boyfriend. Through her suffering at the hands of the jailers and other prisoners, director Shunya Ito creates a portrait of a woman full of strength, beauty and an honour which outshines her peers and the cage within which she's contained. A heavy influence on Tarantino, this feature is everything that Kill Bill wanted to be – a lean, taut, ruthless and visually excessive exploitation gem. Lesbianism, cat-fights, eye-gouging, nudity and torture feature prominently. Stunning 70s cult pin-up Kaji Meiko brings a fearsome intensity to her role as a young woman, wrongly condemned to a brutal prison, utterly hell-bent on revenge. Ito's uncanny control of excess lifts several scenes of this intensely visual film to a level of pure psychedelic overload. A delicate balance between art and trash helps to create one of the most sleazy and satisfying 90 minutes of any cult film fanatics' lifetime.' Cube Cinema Bristol
Ages 18+
Production Credits
- Director: Shunya Itō
 - Script: Fumio Konami, Hiro Matsuda
 - Based on: the manga 'Scorpion' by Tōru Shinohara
 - Cinematographer: Hanjiro Nakazawa
 - Editor: Osamu Tanaka
 - Print Source: Toei Company
 - Rights: Toei Company
 - Year: 1972
 - Runtime: 87 minutes
 - Country: Japan
 - Language: Japanese
 - Subtitles: English
 - Shooting Format: 35mm
 - Screening Format: 35mm