Inferno of Torture – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Mieko Fujimoto, Reiichi Hatanaka, Yuki Kagawa, Kamiko Katayama, Asao Koike, Miki Obana, Masumi Tachibana, Haruo Tanaka, Teruo Yoshida

Release Date: July 6th, 2020 (UK), July 7th, 2020 (USA)
Approximate running time: 94 Minutes 57 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Unable to repay a local lender, Yumi (Yumika Katayama) takes up an offer to serve as a geisha for two years with a promise of freedom once her debt is repaid. She quickly realizes that this is less a house of geishas than an extremely cruel brothel specializing in supplying western visitors with tattooed playthings. Taken under the wing of one of the leading tattoo artists vying for a coveted spot in the Shogun's good graces through his work, Yumi's body becomes a battleground as a rival artist becomes determined not to lose his spot at the top. When the madam, Otatsu (Mieko Fujimoto) trains her eye on the blossoming relationship between the benevolent artist Horihide (Teruo Yoshida) and his model, she makes sure than her stay is less than hospitable, inspiring the torturous inferno of the title." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was restored by Toei with additional picture remastering by R3Store Studios, London."

Orgies of Edo comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

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 (2 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a condensed version of Jasper Sharp’s Miskatonic Institute lecture titled Erotic Grotesque Nonsense & the Foundations of Japan s Cult Counterculture (29 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes. reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Inferno of Torture: Teruo Ishii’s Cinema of Cruelty written by Crhis D.,Teruo Ishii filmography and information about the transfer.

Summary:

In Japan, Edo period, a young woman named Nami gets forced to work at the brothel of Nagasaki when her family is unable to pay its debts. All the women in the brothel are given tattoos, and two rival tattoo artists vie for the chance to work on Nami’s perfect white flesh. Nami falls in love with one of the tattoo artists, and when his rival finds out, he devises a plan to keep them apart forever.

Even if your knowledge of Japanese exploitation cinema from the 1960s and 1970s is limited, chances are that you have seen or are at least familiar with the films of director Teruo Ishii. His most famous films are Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture, and three Sonny Chiba films: The Executioner, The Executioner 2: The Karate Inferno, and The Streetfighter’s Last Revenge.

Inferno of Torture quickly establishes itself with its grotesque and brutal images in its opening credits, which include spears in a woman’s vagina, sawing off heads, and burning women alive. From there, The Inferno of Torture is relentless in its depiction of cruelty. The utmost care and visual flare are clear in all the torture sequences. Visually, Inferno of Torture is overflowing with many spectacular compositions and an abundance of style. One of the more memorable shots is when the girls are all being looked over before they’re sold, and the camera shoots up through a glass floor to show the action above.

The acting in Inferno of Torture is very good, and like most films from this era in Japan, it is amazing to see just how much time and effort has been put into even secondary roles. Also, Inferno of Torture has an ample amount of unflinching moments. The reason Inferno of Torture and other films like it work so well is the way in which they depict the violence. Ultimately, Inferno of Torture is another solid entry in the Joy’s of Torture series.

Inferno of Torture gets a solid release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer