Decapitation Island

[Guest Dahnamics]

Anyone seen this???

how is it??

and WTFFFFF

CK needs to drop Sukeban Blues already, @#%$..

[Takuma]

I'm only 8 years late, but this is quite a good film indeed. I saw it in 35mm a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised. What the film really excels with is the unique setting. Instead of a seedy prison, the bad girls are dispatched to a small prison island where they can move relatively freely under the supervision of a handful of male guards. Like many of Daiei's exploitation films, it's quite tame compared to films by Toei and Nikkatsu from the same era, only featuring a small amount of violence and nudity, though a certain steamy punishment scene is a genre classic. Acting, story and cinematography are all above genre standards, and with the unique setting this is a small discovery among less exploitative genre films.

Decapitation Island is the 5th film in the loosely linked series. The first one is Secret Report from a Woman's Prison (1968), which is a mediocre exploitation drama with little violence and only partial and off-focus nudity. The prison segment makes the main chunk of the film, followed by a revenge climax. Nicely shot in black and white, but ultimately forgettable despite some nostalgia values.

The third movie, Yoshiwara Story (1968), is a bit of an odd entry because it's not a prison film at all. Instead it's a drama about a woman forced to work in the Yoshiwara entertainment district as a prostitute. Helmed by Zatoichi director Kazuo Mori, but again very tame and quite forgettable despite being technically well made.

The sixth and final film, Secret Report from Nagasaki Woman's Prison (1971), is the weakest from the ones I have seen. A boring traditional prison setting with some girl fights, a little bit of blood, and no nudity at all. The only memorable scene involves some inventive candle torture.

I haven't seen parts 2 and 4. From the ones I have seen, Decapitation Island is the only one I would recommend, but it's indeed a good film. I've been thinking about picking up the Japanese DVD for quite some time now. Of course it's not as good as the first few of Toei's Female Prisoner Scorpion films (the second one of which is one of the greatest exploitation films ever made), but it's a very different kind of movie anyway and better than any WIP film Nikkatsu ever made.