Orgies of Edo – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1969
Director: Teruo Ishii
Writers: Teruo Ishii, Masahiro Kakefuda
Cast: Teruo Yoshida, Toyozô Yamamoto, Masumi Tachibana, Michiko Ai, Mitsuko Aoi, Maki Carousel, Tatsumi Hijikata, Akira Ishihama, Yukie Kagawa, Kei Kiyama, Asao Koike, Reiko Mikasa, Yôko Minamikaze, Miki Obana, Junkô Tôda, Shôhei Yamamoto

Release Date: November 19th, 2018 (UK), November 20th, 2018 (USA)
Approximate running time: 93 Minutes 41 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)

"Told in anthology style by an impassive physician (Teruo Yoshida), the first story follows Oito (Masumi Tachibana), an innocent young girl deceived by a handsome yakuza and sold into prostitution who finds herself in a doomed love affair with the man who brought her to ruin. The tale of Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi) is about the daughter of a rich merchant whose insatiable appetite for filth and perversion draws her deeper into violence, darkness and betrayal. Finally, the story of Omitsu (Miki Obana) follows a sadistic lord (Asao Koike) whose eye is caught one day by a beautiful member of his harem who shares his strange taste for pain and blood, but who holds a secret of her own that will destroy his entire household." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The film was scanned and restored from the original film and audio elements by Toei Company LTD, Japan. 2K scanning was done on a Golden Eye scanner and color grading was completed on a DaVinci Resolve. Picture restoration was performed using MTI Correct and PF Clean. Some instances of picture and audio damage remain in this presentation, in keeping with the condition of these materials."

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

Disc Size: 30.2 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity is generally strong, black levels fare well, 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 38 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with author Patrick Maccias titled The Orgies of Ishii (16 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art,and a 20-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Kaleidoscope Frenzy: Having Fun with Teruo Ishii’s Torture Films written by Tom Mes, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Orgies of Edo was co-written and directed by Teruo Ishii, whose other notable films include Shogun’s Joys of Torture, Inferno of Torture, Horrors of Malformed Men, The Blind Woman’s Curse, and The Executioner.

Orgies of Edo’s narrative consists of three stories.

The first story revolves around a woman who, through an act of deception, becomes a prostitute. And to further complicate her situation, she fails to fall in love with the man who tricked her into a life of prostitution.

The second story is about a woman who’s aroused by dwarves and lovers who suffer from other deformities. And by the way, a flashback reveals the reason for her fetish. Her story, like the other women featured in these three stories, ends tragically when a man who has lusted after her for years disfigures himself in hope of rousing her libido for him.

The third story revolves around a sadistic nobleman who gets pleasure from torturing women. And after years of searching, he finally finds a woman who’s been tortured. From there, things quickly spiral out of control when he discovers the woman’s identity.

The late 1960s were a transformational period in Japanese cinema, and with dwindling audiences, the industry shifted towards erotica and more extreme-themed films. And one of the directors who was at the forefront of this movement was Teruo Ishii.

Content-wise, there are several elements in Orgies of Edo that foreshadow Toei’s Pinky Violence films that rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Most notable is the way in which the Orgies of Edo mix sex and violence.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Orgies of Edo does not deliver, and then some. The three tales are superbly realized, and there is an ample amount of flesh on display. Sadism is prominent in these three tales. With each tale more brutal than the last.

Standout moments include the scene where the woman from the first story and the man who deceived her are tortured as they hang upside down from trees; the flashback scene from the second story, where a deformed man turns the woman into his submissive sex slave; and the scene from the third story, where bulls with fire on their horns impale women dressed in red. Ultimately, Orgies of Edo is a solid example of an Ero Guro film.

Orgies of Edo gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

  Written by Michael Den Boer