Blind Woman’s Curse – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/ DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1970
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Chûsei Sone
Cast: Meiko Kaji, Toru Abe, Makoto Sato, Hideo Sunazuka, Yoshi Kato

Release Date: April 21st, 2015
Approximate running time: 84 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.44:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B / Region 1,2 NTSC
Retail Price: $39.95

"Akemi (Kaji) is a dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat along with the eye-victim go on to pursue Akemi's gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Blind Woman's Curse was transferred from original pre-print material by Nikkatsu Studios in Japan. This was delivered on a restored master tape to Arrow Films."

Blind Woman’s Curse comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.4 GB

Feature: 20.2 GB

This new HD transfer is a noticeable improvement over Discotek’s 2007 DVD release. The greatest areas of improvement are image clarity, color saturation, and a healthy layer of grain. That said, there are a handful of moments where the grain looks thicker, and these moments tend to be during dimly lit scenes. Also, one major difference between Arrow Video’s UK and U.S. releases is that the black levels don’t look grayish on the U.S. release.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio is in very good shape; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things can sometimes be limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Blind Woman’s Curse (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (3 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (2 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an  audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. reversible cover art, and a 20-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Meiko’s Adventure in Professor Ishii’s Erotic-Grotesque Wonderland written by Tom Mes, and information about the transfer. 

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

During a battle with a rival clan, Akemi Tachibana accidentally blinds Aiko Gouda when the blade of her sword cuts her eyes. At that moment, a black cat appears out of nowhere and laps up Aiko’s blood. Akemi believes that cats and drinking blood mean that she is now forever cursed. Years later, a mysterious blind woman arrives in town, and shortly after, those close to Akemi are murdered. Is Akemi really cursed, or is this blind woman behind these devious acts against Akemi’s clan?

Blind Woman’s Curse was made during director Teruo Ishii’s most futile period as a filmmaker. During this time, he would start to infuse his unique style of grotesque imagery with more erotic-based storylines. His film Horror of a Malformed Man, made the previous year in 1969, is his defining statement as a filmmaker, and he would continue to explore similar themes throughout the rest of his career. Direction-wise, Blind Woman’s Curse is a visual feast for the eyes, with every moment beautifully paced and every frame stylishly exploited with bizarre imagery. Also, Blind Woman’s Curse's use of macabre in the subtext of a Yakuza theme is flawless, as the two genres are almost perfect mirror images of each other.

During this time in his career, another thing that is strong in virtually all of Teruo Ishii’s films is the acting. The star of Blind Woman’s Curse is Meiko Kaji in the role of the protagonist, Akemi Tachibana. And even at this point in her career, she had already begun to develop the traits we would later identify with her in films like the Lady Snow, Blood, and Female Scorpion series. Another performance of note is that of actress Hoki Tokuda, who plays the blind swordswoman named Aiko Gouda. I was most impressed with her performance, which I feel is the strongest. Blind Woman’s Curse also injects a fair amount of comic relief, with most of it coming from actors Makoto Satô (The Executioner) and Ryohei Uchida (Yakuza Deka: The Assassin).

All great films, besides having a solid cast and direction, also have a memorable score. The score for Blind Woman’s Curse was composed by Hajime Kaburagi, whose other notable scores include Tokyo Drifter, Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, and Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song. Another key collaborator on Blind Woman’s Curse was screenwriter Chûsei Sone, who would go on to direct several of Nikkatsu’s well-regarded Pinku films, like Naked Rashomon, Angel Guts: High School Coed, and Angel Guts: Red Classroom. 

The horror elements in Blind Woman’s Curse are well done, and there are many moments that make the viewer feel uneasy. And none is more potent than the finale, which will leave you breathless as Akemi and Aiko dual under a storm-filled sky with dust building up all around them. Ultimately, Blind Woman’s Curse is a perfect blend of action, horror, and eroticism that is a must-see film if you're a fan of Meiko Kaji or Teruo Ishii.

Blind Woman’s Curse gets a good release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer