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Released by: Japan Shock
Released on: 5/9/2005
Director: Teruo Ishii
Cast: Masumi Tachibana, Reiko Mikasa, Yuki Kagawa, Asao Koike, Miki Obana
Year: 1968
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The Movie:
One of numerous 'torture anthology' films made by the inimitable Teruo Ishii, Shogun's Joy Of Torture presents three separate short stories set in the feudal era, all of which are joined by some obvious thematic elements. On their own, these stories are strong stuff, and when combined, they make for an even grislier viewing experience, albeit a very nicely made one. The production values in the film, like the other 'torture' films that Ishii made, are top notch and the film exhibits some gorgeous cinematography which, when you contrast it to the content it's displaying, makes for a paradoxical film.
After a grotesque introductory scene which serves as a primer for what's to come, we're introduced to a manual laborer named Shinza who gets injured on the job after taking a log to the back of the head. Set in the days long before workman's compensation plans and health insurance, Shinza and his family find themselves in dire straits when they can't afford the medical treatment he's going to need. To help take care of her brother, Shinza's lovely young sister, Mitsu, tries to talk with his boss, Mino, in hopes he'll give them some financial aid. Instead, Mitsu is raped by the despicable Mino, much to the dismay of Shinzo, who has recently come out with the fact that even though it's taboo, he is very much in love with his sister. When Mino finds out their dark secret he knows he can use it against them and take Mitsu for himself.
In the second story, a nun named Reiho arrives at a convent where she's to take up residence for a while. This convent happens to be situated next to a monestary, and as such, there are a lot of priests in the area. Reiho meets a young priest named Shunkei and soon forgets her vows and beings to have impure thoughts about him. When she catches Shunkei doing something that a priest shouldn't be doing in the woods outside the monestary one day, she figures she can use this to coerce him into taking her. When Shunkei refuses Reiho's demands, she snaps, and decides to take matters into her own hands.
The final story revolves around Horicho, the most talented and in demand tattoo artist in his area. When he finishes his latest masterpiece on the flesh of Kimicho, he decides to show off his artwork to some of the locals. An official named Lord Nambera happens to come across the piece and proceeds to knock the artist down a few notches with his harsh criticisms of his work. Horicho becomes upset by this and decides that his next piece will have to be even better than his last. As he strives to come up with a way to top his last effort, he comes up with the idea of sitting in on one of Lord Nambera's interrogation sessions in which his men torture prisoners for information. Nambera agrees to Horicho's unusual request, but it doesn't come without a catch.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 2.35.1 widescreen picture is, sadly, not enhanced for anamorphic sets but overall the quality isn't half bad. The colors are a little washed out in a few scenes, there is some minor print damage throughout, and a few of the darker scenes exhibit some moderate to heavy film grain but the image remains pretty sharp. Flesh tones and reds, both of which play an important part in the film's compositions, come through naturally and the reds stay rich and strong without bleeding into the surrounding colors. The black levels are reasonably solid though there are a few spots in the film where the are a little closer to dark grey than true black.
You've got your choice of watching the film in a Dolby Digital Mono Japanese track or dubbed into German, also in Dolby Digital Mono. While watching the film in German certainly is an odd experience and as such not without it's own amusing merit, the film plays far better in its native Japanese. Optional subtitles are present in English, Dutch and German. The quality of the Japanese mix is far from perfect, it's a bit tinny sounding and rather flat, but it gets the job done well enough and everything is at least balanced properly here.
Aside from a handful of postcards featuring some stills from the film, Japan Shock has included the film's original theatrical trailer as well as trailers for a few of their other DVD releases: Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs, Yakuza's Law - Punishment, and Inferno Of Torture (also directed by Teruo Ishii).
The Final Word:
Japan Shock's DVD looks and sounds okay but is lacking in terms of supplements and an anamorphic transfer really would have been much appreciated. Regardless, Shogun's Joy Of Torture is an interesting and nasty little film that delivers in terms of shock value while still remaining firmly grounded in its Japanese roots.