Female Prisoner Scorpion Collection (blu ray)

A career defining role for Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Stray Cat Rock), the four-film Female Prisoner Scorpion series charts the vengeance of Nami Matsushima, who assumes the mantle of “Scorpion,” becoming an avatar of vengeance and survival, and an unlikely symbol of female resistance in a male-dominated world.

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion introduces Nami, a gullible young woman unjustly imprisoned, who must find a way to escape in order to exact revenge upon the man who betrayed her.

The visually avant-garde Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 sees director Shunya Ito and star Meiko Kaji re-unite as Nami and six other female convicts escape prison once more.

The Gothic horror-inspired Beast Stable finds Nami branded public enemy #1 and on the run. She soon finds refuge with a sympathetic prostitute, but runs afoul of a local gang.

The final film in the series, #701’s Grudge Song (from director Yasuharu Hasebe, Retaliation, Massacre Gun), shows a gentler side of Nami as she falls in with Kudo, an ex-radical suffering from physical and psychological trauma caused by police torture.

Female Prisoner Scorpion is the pinnacle of early 1970s exploitation cinema  and one of the greatest female revenge sagas ever told.

Director: Shunya Ito /  Shunya Ito / Shunya Ito / Yasuharu Hasebe

Cast:  Meiko Kaji, Rie Yokoyama, Yayoi Watanabe /  Meiko Kaji, Fumio Watanabe, Yukie Kagawa / Meiko Kaji, Mikio Narita, Reisen Ri / Meiko Kaji, Masakazu Tamura, Yumi Kanei

Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)

Country: Japan

Year: 1972 / 1972 / 1973 /

Running Time: 87 / 94 / 87 / 88 Mins

Special Features:

- Brand new 2K restorations of all four films in the series presented on High Definition Blu-ray (1080p)

- Original uncompressed PCM mono audio for all films

- Optional English subtitles for all films

- Reversible sleeves for all films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan

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 examines 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 examines the career of Yasuharu Hasebe

- They Call Her Scorpion, a new visual essay by Tom Mes on the film series

- Original Theatrical Trailer

Technical Specifications:

• Region Code: B
• Number of Discs: 4
• Audio: 1.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Colour: Colour