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Released by: Impulse Pictures
Released on: July 10, 2012.
Director: Koyu Ohara
Cast: Kozue Hitomi
Year: 1975
Purchase From TLA Video
The Movie:
The follow up to the previously released True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Sex Hell isn't as coherent or as good as the first movie, but it's still definitely worth seeing if only because it answers the age old question: what do female prisoners do when they need dildos?
When the movie begins, Mayumi (Kozue Hitomi reprising the role) is let out of solitary confinement (in an opening scene that's going to seem a little familiar to fans of the Female Convict Scorpion films) only to find that some of the more established prisoners have decided to make a new arrival their bitch. Unpleased with what she sees, Mayumi takes it upon herself to defend the weaker prisoner. We also learn that the prison, which was burned down in the first movie, has been upgraded with red dye sprinklers that shower the female prisoners' lady-bits.
From here we witness a whole lot of salacious 'life on the inside' clips - women make their own dildos out of plastic casings and stuffing and then play 'man and lady' in shadowy cells, golden showers (a recurring theme in the earlier movie) are plentiful and lesbianism is fairly rampant. Some of the guards get in on the action, something Mayumi once again stands up against, and the Yakuza make their presence known behind the concrete walls of the jail. Eventually it all gets to the point where enough is enough and Mayumi, who is fairly docile (relatively speaking) for the first two thirds of the film, decides to fix what's wrong in her own special way.
True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Continues doesn't really deviate very much from the tried and true women in prison movie formula, but fans of the genre won't mind so much as it delivers all the sex and sleaze you'd expect. The storyline isn't as interesting as the first movie but we do get a couple of interesting scenes where we learn a little bit more about the backgrounds of a few of the characters which does go some way towards helping them stand out a little bit from one another - always a nice touch in a movie like this where large casts don't always ensure better characters. Kozue Hitomi seems to be channeling Meiko Kaji here, grimacing a lot and standing around looking tough, not saying very much - but she does it well and she looks great doing it so she gets a free pass.
The film is shot with a lot of style and great use is made of the shadowy interiors of the building used as the prison set. Some of the lesbian scenes are surprisingly quite a bit more sweet than you might expect and while they succeed in their erotic intent, they also make you feel a little more for the prisoner than you would if the girls were simply going at it like a pair of rabbits. Whether this was done on purpose or not is probably debatable but the fact remains that True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Continues is, like the movie that came before it, a veritable avalanche of sleaze and depravity packed into a taboo busting seventy minute dose of radness.
Video/Audio/Extras:
True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Continues looks really very good in this 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are handled well and look quite natural as do skin tones, of which there are loads on display. Black levels aren't quite inky deep but they're strong and detail is pretty good across the board. There are no issues with print damage to complain about and overall this is a clean, sharp, good looking picture,
The Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track is crisp and clean though occasionally just a tiny bit shrill. The levels are well balanced and there are no issues with hiss or distortion. The optional English subtitles that are provided are free of any typos and easy to read. This won't floor you but it sounds fine, there are no problems.
Extras on the disc are limited to a menu, chapter selection and… that's it. Not even a trailer. Inside the case, however, is an insert containing original poster art for the feature and liner notes from film scholar/author Jasper Sharp that provide some details on the film, it's relationship to the earlier entry in the series, and on the cast and crew involved in the production.
The Final Word:
A solid, if slightly inferior, follow up to the first film in the series, True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Continues is another excellent addition to the Impulse Pictures line of Nikkatsu Roman Porno movies. The story offers few surprises but delivers all of the carnality and chaos you'd expect and then some, and while the DVD is lacking in extras, the movie at least sounds good and looks even better.
