Japanese Exploitation Films of the 70s

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Lino · #1 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:43 am

This is an area that has recently interested me to the point of wanting to know practically everything I can get my hands on. The thing is, I have seen very little of this as it is mostly a bit difficult to get (unless I have a lot of Yens to spend or a good knowledge of the japanese written language...).

So, any thoughts and comments are more than welcome! I especially would like to know more about the Sasori series (Female Convict Scorpion), the Stray Cat Rock series (both featuring my current female hero, Meiko Kaji), the Sukeban Blues series, the Terrifying Girl's High School series (that's a lot of series, I know...) and among others, the Hanzo the Razor trio of films (coming soon from HVE).

Thanks in advance!

King of Kong · #2 Post by **King of Kong** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:51 am

Donald Richie has made some downright weird little movies...

DrewReiber · #3 Post by **DrewReiber** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 5:52 am

Try the excellent Lady Snowblood and it's sequel, both starring the lovely Meiko Kaji. It's a terrific blending of the spaghetti revenge and samurai formulas, handled with much more subtlety than it's copycat Kill Bill.

The first Scorpion film is good, but Hasebe's films always leave me a little more empty than I prefer. I think he may rely a little too much more on style than substance, but that's just an opinion.

Lino · #4 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:53 am

DrewReiber wrote:a little too much more on style than substance, but that's just an opinion.

But isn't that the whole point of the exploitation formula? I mean, these films are not suppose to be taken very seriously (although some would differ, I'm sure...).

The main thing is that they were groundbreaking in their days and are now being apropriated by the mainstream and even today's independent directors seem to acknowledge their influence on their own works.

Fletch F. Fletch · #5 Post by **Fletch F. Fletch** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:09 am

Annie Mall wrote:This is an area that has recently interested me to the point of wanting to know practically everything I can get my hands on. The thing is, I have seen very little of this as it is mostly a bit difficult to get (unless I have a lot of Yens to spend or a good knowledge of the japanese written language...).

So, any thoughts and comments are more than welcome! Thanks in advance!

You should really check out Patrick Macias book, TokyoScope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion. It is a great primer for Japanese cult films that covers all the usual suspects (Kinji Fukasaku, Takashi Miike, Sonny Chiba, etc.) and breaks it the movie down into genres: horror, Yakuza, etc. His writing style is very accessible and keeps in tone with the subject matter.

It isn't by any means a definitive look at Japanese exploitation films but it is a good jumping off point. It turned me on to a lot of great films.

Lino · #6 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:52 am

Yeah, I just spotted that book the other day on Amazon and it seemed like really a nice place to start.

But I'm hoping that this thread really has some success (I really want to hear your opinions) as this is an area still largely unknown in the West and it's really hard to find any info in english online.

For instance, I know that most of Meiko Kaji's films are available on DVD in Japan but they are sadly lacking those all too important english subs thus making them undesirable. So, it's from companies like HVE that we should be thankful for for bringing those lost little oddities to life again. I'm especially and anxiously waiting for online reviews for their upcoming Hanzo set. Having never seen any of the 3, I have a feeling they must really be worth it (from a curious and entertaining p.o.v.).

Has anyone seen those?

Nihonophile · #7 Post by **Nihonophile** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:01 pm

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 is also available and is possibly better than "#701."

Jailhouse 41 is put out through image so its costly and hard to find. I recommend a netflix rental or any other way you can rent it. I remember the dvd image quality not being too bad.

Meiko Kaji is also in Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (Yakuza Papers Vol.2) with Chiba.

One exploitation title you didn't mention was Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs. Japan-shock put it out on region 0 PAL, but i'm not sure if the company is still around. As for the quality of the movies, it just looked cool to me plus it spun off in the 90s into its own series.

Finally, I found this guys list of japanese movies that breaks it down very specifically: http://mapage.noos.fr/descan/New_Titles.htm

Lino · #8 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:17 pm

Just found out a link where you can hear the opening credits music of the Hanzo series (I tell you, this really looks promising!):

http://zeni3.free.fr/audio/hanzo2.mp3

DrewReiber · #9 Post by **DrewReiber** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 4:24 am

Annie Mall wrote:But isn't that the whole point of the exploitation formula? I mean, these films are not suppose to be taken very seriously (although some would differ, I'm sure...).

Well, depends on your definition of the term I suppose. I mean, I figure all those films are considered "exploitation" by the general guidelines. I just found Lady Snowblood more appealing because, unlike the Scorpion series, it is taken seriously enough to provide better characters and a denser story. The few Hasebe films I've seen are just too light and campy for my tastes, but I completely acknowledge that was his goal.

Annie Mall wrote:The main thing is that they were groundbreaking in their days and are now being apropriated by the mainstream and even today's independent directors seem to acknowledge their influence on their own works.

I haven't seen any independent directors doing anything with those films specifically. I know Jim Jarmusch and Wong Kar Wai acknowledge Seijun Suzuki's 60's work as a major influence, but I get the impression that anything past that (like the 70's exploitation) have seen little more than referential homaging or outright swipes from the Hollywood camp.

I think the Japanese exploitation films of that time period, no matter how inconsequential they may have been seen then, are so ripe with fresh techniques and dynamic that they warrant serious reflection. There are some very interesting directions those filmmakers (even Hasabe) were taking the subgenres that I think it's too bad the trail ends there. They tried fashioning new blends of previous themes and formulas that we have yet to do more than wink at, when we should be thinking about how we might start building onto them anew.

I seriously believe that Lady Snowblood was THAT good. But then Japan has such a deeper appreciation for the illustrated art (i.e. comics) as the format dates back centuries, so it's not likely that anyone from the west would appreciate how they came up with a way to merge the film and comic styles into a single narrative. Anyway, I'll stop ranting about that movie now and let you decide for yourself.

Pinback · #10 Post by **Pinback** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:11 am

I was very sorry to miss School of the Holy Beast (Norifumi Suzuki, 1974) as it toured England recently with the Wild Japan! festivial. It sounds like an absolute classic of the Japanese Exploitation films of the era.

Here's the description from the Wild Japan! website:

Wild Japan! wrote:Until you see School Of The Holy Beast, you couldn't believe that such a film existed.

In what plays like a bawdy version of Sam Fuller's Shock Corridor, a young woman enters a convent to investigate the mysterious death of her mother, only to discover a smorgasbord of vice. An unholy mix of sex, comedy, drugs, flagellation, horror and political commentary is amazingly fused in one of the most outrageous movies in cinema history.

As a footnote, it's also one of the visually beautiful films ever made. Truly excessive and absolutely wild. A demented masterpiece.

"A shocking, subversive masterpiece - Dario Argento meets the Marquis De Sade." American Cinematheque

The Wild Japan! site also has some articles on the exploitation films of the era...

Nihonophile · #11 Post by **Nihonophile** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:14 pm

I am really really really excited to post this:

http://www.panikhouse.com/movies/sukeban/index.html

Yes this is a USA label. Sukeban, Pinky Violence, Happiness.

One title "Sex & Fury" will have Christina Lindbergh (Thriler: A Cruel Picture) in what the site calls "a typically revealing role."

YAAAAAAAAY

feihong · #12 Post by **feihong** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:04 pm

I was really not that impressed by School of the Holy Beast. It was very ponderous and predictable, and while it did feature some excellent cinematography, it also featured a lot of more disinterested, regular-old-cinematography, too. Very little happens in the movie, but it is not very erotic, either. There's one somewhat flabbergasting scene of the nuns being whipped and bound by rose thorns, but other than that it is painfully slow-moving and dour. I would not characterize it with the superlatives it receives in Patrick Macias' book, but it's not the only entry in the book I disagree with him on.

Lino · #13 Post by **Lino** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:10 am

Nihonophile wrote:I am really really really excited to post this:

http://www.panikhouse.com/movies/sukeban/index.html

Yes this is a USA label. Sukeban, Pinky Violence, Happiness.

One title "Sex & Fury" will have Christina Lindbergh (Thriler: A Cruel Picture) in what the site calls "a typically revealing role."

YAAAAAAAAY

Amazing news! This is what I was waiting for and I'm glad I even made a thread to coincide with this fantastic news!

But I need more info: are those the DVD covers we will be getting or are they the japanese ones? And WHEN are we getting these?!

P.S. I've never heard of this label. Who are they?

Nihonophile · #14 Post by **Nihonophile** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:23 pm

Annie Mall wrote:
Amazing news! This is what I was waiting for and I'm glad I even made a thread to coincide with this fantastic news!

But I need more info: are those the DVD covers we will be getting or are they the japanese ones? And WHEN are we getting these?!

P.S. I've never heard of this label. Who are they?

Panik House are some new cats in town without a release under their belts. If you notice, when you click the New Releases tab the Pinky Violence titles and two other movies are listed. All of them are listed as coming soon. Therefore, i'd guess these will be their launch titles. The site I read the news from initially said that Panik House had the rights awhile ago but wouldn't release the news until now. I think that is a good sign that we will be seeing these titles by the late summer.

Those posters are the theatrical ones, I doubt Panik House would put them out without one english word on the cover. Also, if you look under the other titles, there are screenshots where the pinky posters would be.

Finally, I suggest you go to the main page and sign up for their mailing list. I'll be sure to pass on the information to this thread when they email me.

Pinback · #15 Post by **Pinback** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:49 pm

I'm eager to know if there's any chance they'll release the six films in the Pinky Violence: Japanese Bad Girls Films series in one value-for-money box set. That would be a pretty irresistible purchase...

Lino · #16 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:08 pm

More good news from Fangoria:

February 24: Panik House brings more Asian horror to U.S.

Matt Kennedy, formerly of Blue Underground, gave Fango the scoop that he has started a new company called Panik House Entertainment, specializing in Asian fare with an emphasis on genre films. His first titles will be a pair of chillers from Thailand: BANGKOK HAUNTED, an occult anthology directed by Oxide Pang and Pisut Praesangeam, and OMEN, about three friendsâ€™ encounters with the supernatural, produced by Pang with his brother/THE EYE collaborator Danny and directed by Tamaraks Kamutamanoch. Both movies debut on DVD July 26.

Further down the road, Panik House will give a theatrical release to THE UNINVITED, an acclaimed Korean chiller by writer/director Lee Su-yeon about a man who has visions of two ghostly children. Also in the offing are six films from the Japanese Toei companyâ€™s PINKY VIOLENCE bad-girls-gone-wild series; two will be released on disc in September, with four more out in a boxed set in November. "And in 2006," Kennedy says, "you can expect more of the best of Thai, Korean and Japanese cinema, with unconventional explorations of anime, indie cinema and, of course, the horror film." For further details on these titles and other updates, keep an eye on the Panik House website here. â€”Michael Gingold

Lino · #17 Post by **Lino** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:30 pm

Ok, now. I've gone and done some lists just to get my head around these titles and as a way of keeping track with potential future releases. I've divided the titles acording to their series and these are the first four:

Sukeban Blues series (aka Girl Boss)

* The Counter Attack of Woman Bee (1971)

* The Challenge of Woman Bee (1972)

* Guerilla ( 1972) (coming soon from Panik House)

* Onna Bancho aka Girl Boss (1973)

* Juvenile Reformatory Desertion (1973)

* Tie Man Match (1974)

* Billiards Play (1974)

About Sukeban:

Sukeban is a street slang conjunction of Zubeko Bancho which would literally translate as "bitch female boss". When shortened, it's commonly accepted to mean "Girl Boss". There are two different series, individually utilizing each title, but collectively they are known to Japanese sexploitation Otaku (fans) as the "Destroy All Girl Boss Films."

The current Kogal (also Kogaru) style of retro-hip soul-sister fashion can be first seen in these films -released two decades before the advent of Kogal culture. In fact, these films were the first to show high school girls (albeit delinquents) in street styles rather than exclusively in the uniforms that are so famous the world over.

This change-of-styles was likely a political statement on the part of the filmmakers (equating the loss of that uniform as the loss of sexual innocence), and it heralded the advent of Japanese feminism.

Sukeban films are almost science fiction, at least in a sociological sense, which is to say that they work as a collective cautionary tale for Japan in much the same way that A Clockwork Orange was a pessimistic prediction for England.

Stray Cat Rock series (aka Alley Cat Rock and all starring Meiko Kaji) :

* Female Boss (1970)

* Wild Jumbo (1970)

* Sex Hunter (1970) (out on DVD through HVE)

* Animal Machine (1970)

* Crazy Riders '71 (1971)

About Stray Cat Rock:

Experiencing its heyday roughly between 1971 and 1976, with Nikkatsu's Roman Porno and Toei's Pinky Violence as its two main streams, Japanese exploitation benefited from solid production values and a new wave of talent both in front of and behind the camera. With avid young helmers like Tatsumi Kumashiro, Kinji Fukasaku and Shunya Ito, and the star power of such actresses as Meiko Kaji, Naomi Tani and Miki Sugimoto, the 1970s are a treasure trove of pleasure, guilty and otherwise.

Nikkatsu's Stray Cat Rock series of delinquent girl gang films can be considered as one of the forerunners of this phenomenon. Consisting of five episodes made in 1970 and 1971, it is boxed in between the lurid pop art explosions characteristic of much of Nikkatsu's output of the 60s, as exemplified by the work of Seijun Suzuki, and the more shameless and graphic exploitation cinema of the 1970s. Closer in spirit to the former in its abundant go-go dancing, musical interludes and nightclub scenes, Stray Cat Rock at the same time announced what was to come in its approach to violence and sexuality, as well as in its casting choices, with stars Meiko Kaji and Tatsuya Fuji going on to make indelible marks on the decade that followed.

Terrifying Girl's High School series:

* Female Violent Classroom (1972)

* Lynchlaw Classroom (1973) (coming soon from Panik House)

* Delinquent Group (1973)

* Animal Classmates (1973)

and finally, the School Gang Leaders (aka Zubeko Bancho)

* Dreams Open The Night (1970)

* Tokyo Bad Girls (1970)

* Worthless to Confess (?) (coming soon from Panik House)

(about this last series, these 3 titles were the only ones I was able to dig up so I'm not sure if there are more).

Well, this is it for now but I invite anyone who wants to add more titles to this ongoing and growing list (that is, if you have the time and the will and you haven't anything better to do...). Hope you apreciated this.

Pinback · #18 Post by **Pinback** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 6:13 pm

Annie Mall wrote:Ok, now. I've gone and done some lists just to get my head around these titles and as a way of keeping track with potential future releases. Hope you apreciated this.

Very very much. This is excellent work Annie, thanks. I too was getting a bit confused by all the different franchises. Any idea why none of these series seem to warrant a complete release? Or is it a rights issue, as (apparently) with HVE and the Stray Cat Rock series?

Lino · #19 Post by **Lino** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:15 am

Pinback wrote: Any idea why none of these series seem to warrant a complete release? Or is it a rights issue, as (apparently) with HVE and the Stray Cat Rock series?

No idea at all. I think all these series have serious potential buyers (I mean, we all know we're all crazy about DVD Boxsets, right?

) and it's a shame that the plans for these are to release one of them but quite randomly. Maybe they're not sure that we would buy them all or they just want to give us a taste of each one before they dish out the rest.

But...as from a recent reply email from HVE, they clearly stated that they had no rights for the rest of the Stray Cat Rock ones, so...who knows? All I know is that they are losing big bucks big time, right?

As for Panik House, it would be fantastic if they had the rights for the rest of the series they seem to own a title of each. Maybe if someone would email them about that, we would know more. I might just do that later today.

Lino · #20 Post by **Lino** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:33 am

Here are a couple more:

Sasori series (aka Female Convict Scorpion and all starring Meiko Kaji)

* Female Convict Scorpion # 701: Scorpion (1972) (out on DVD through Media Blasters)

* Jailhouse 41 (1972) (out on DVD through Image)

* Beast Stable (1973)

* Grudge Song (1973)

Lady Snowblood series (both starring Meiko Kaji)

* Blizzard from the Netherworld (1973) (out on DVD through Animeigo)

* Love Song of Vengeance (1974) (out on DVD through Animeigo)

There is a wonderful reference site for all these titles and a lot more here:

http://s87455100.onlinehome.us/index.html

Apparently, this guy sells tapes for most of these titles and much more. Check it out.

Lino · #21 Post by **Lino** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:54 am

Here is a link to a book of Pinky Violence film posters. It looks great!

http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.as ... ion-books/

Lino · #22 Post by **Lino** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:02 pm

And of course, the upcoming set from HVE:

Hanzo the Razor series:

* Sword of Justice (1972)

* The Snare (1973)

* Who's got the Gold? (1975)

http://www.homevision.com/users/folder. ... &id=RAZ010

and apparently the guy who wrote the above mentioned book Tokyoscope, Patrick Macias, will be doing the liner notes:

Looks like Iâ€™ll be doing some liner notes for Home Vision Entertainmentâ€™s Hanzo the Razor DVD Boxed Set (Streets: 4/19/05). My main source will be a series of interviews with Razorâ€™s creator and screenwriter Kazuo Koike originally published in Eiga Hi-Ho.

http://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2005/ ... _desu.html

Nihonophile · #23 Post by **Nihonophile** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:08 pm

Annie Mall wrote:
Pinback wrote: Any idea why none of these series seem to warrant a complete release? Or is it a rights issue, as (apparently) with HVE and the Stray Cat Rock series?
No idea at all. I think all these series have serious potential buyers (I mean, we all know we're all crazy about DVD Boxsets, right? ) and it's a shame that the plans for these are to release one of them but quite randomly. Maybe they're not sure that we would buy them all or they just want to give us a taste of each one before they dish out the rest.

But...as from a recent reply email from HVE, they clearly stated that they had no rights for the rest of the Stray Cat Rock ones, so...who knows? All I know is that they are losing big bucks big time, right?

As for Panik House, it would be fantastic if they had the rights for the rest of the series they seem to own a title of each. Maybe if someone would email them about that, we would know more. I might just do that later today.

The third Stray Cat Rock movie is also the first with Meiko Kaji, I suspect its some attempt to bank on her moderate popularity. Looking at the cover and back cover this seems to be the case. HVe saw their chance and dug this movie out, perhaps. That would explain the lack of other rights.

Pinback · #24 Post by **Pinback** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:40 am

Three films from the Street Fighter series were just released in a UK R2 box set. It contains three films, all from 1974, starring Sonny Chiba:

The Streetfighter [Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken],
The Return Of The Streetfighter [Satsujin ken 2],
and The Streetfighter's Last Revenge [GyakushÃ»! Satsujin ken].

The box set sadly doesn't include Sister Street Fighter [Onna hissatsu ken, 1974], which I imagine is more in line with the girl-gangster films discussed here...

Lino · #25 Post by **Lino** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 12:08 pm

Nihonophile wrote: The third Stray Cat Rock movie is also the first with Meiko Kaji, I suspect its some attempt to bank on her moderate popularity. Looking at the cover and back cover this seems to be the case. HVe saw their chance and dug this movie out, perhaps. That would explain the lack of other rights.

Kaji was in all 5 films. The fact that they don't have the rights for the other 4 leaves me a bit disapointed. Maybe they didn't think they'd sell well, I suppose.

BTW, I emailed Panik House about other potential future titles. I'm just waiting for a reply. Fingers crossed!