Woods Are Wet – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1973
Director: Tatsumi Kumashiro
Writers: Tatsumi Kumashiro, Marquis de Sade
Cast: Hiroko Isayama, Hatsuo Yamaya, Rie Nakagawa, Yuri Yamashina, Moeko Ezawa, Kyôko Kanô, Akira Takahashi, Kôichi Hori, Toru Ohe

Release Date: December 9th, 2024
Approximate running time: 65 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"Sachiko, an innocent young woman fleeing after being accused of the murder of her mistress, is thrust into an inferno of depravity, cruelty and perversion when she stumbles into a remote country inn run by a sadistic couple." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition Blu-Ray Presentation In 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio."

Woods Are Wet comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.4 GB

Feature: 17.9 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, black levels are strong, and image clarity and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable), an interview with Mio Hatokai titled Pleasure And Pain (7 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Jasper Sharp and Lindsay Hallam, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 16-page booklet with cast & crew information, and an essay titled Woman Hell: Woods Are Wet or Justine in Japan written by Dr. Virginie Selavy.

Included is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray.

Summary:

Tatsumi Kumashiro directed Woods Are Wet. In the 1970s he was one of the more prominent directors making romantic pornography films for Nikkatsu. The films World of Geisha, Street of Joy, The Woman with Red Hair and The Inferno are among his other notable works. Woods Are Wet is an adaptation of Marquis de Sade's novel Justine; other notable film adaptations are Vice and Virtue (directed by Roger Vadim), Marquis de Sade: Justine (directed by Jess Franco), and Justine & Juliette (directed by Mac Ahlberg).

A woman accused of murdering her mistress ends up at an inn inhabited by a couple whose depravity and cruelty know no boundaries. 

Adapting the literary works of Marquis de Sade is more about capturing mood than story. His stories are known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to topics like religion, politics, and sadism. In the case of the latter, a film like Woods Are Wet does a phenomenal job capturing the essence of Marquis de Sade.

Things start off on a solid foundation as we are introduced to the main characters in the opening moments. A young woman on the run and with no place to go accepts a ride and an offer to stay at the home of an affluent woman. And once they arrive at the woman’s home, at first nothing feels amiss. Things do not take a sinister turn until the woman and her husband reveal who they really are to the young woman. They give her two options: call the police and be arrested or submit to their deviant lifestyle.

Though there are secondary characters who help move the narrative forward, there are really only three fleshed-out characters: the wife, the husband, and the young woman. The three actors who portray these characters are all excellent in their roles. Rie Nakagawa (The Hell-Fated Courtesan) portrays the wife, and Hatsuo Yamaya (World of Geisha) portrays the husband. Both of their characters find ecstasy in the carnage and debauchery they unleash, and yet the wife is the more passive of these two characters. Hiroko Isayama's (Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41) portrayal of the young woman is the glue that holds everything together. Her character has escaped a horrible situation only to find herself in a worse one that will shatter her innocence.

Sex is the main element that dominates romantic pornography films. And though Woods Are Wet only has three sex scenes, these are moments that you will not soon forget. There is a scene that stands out; in it, two men are forced to participate in the husband and wife's sadistic orgies, this carnal moment perfectly capturing the essence of Marquis de Sade. One of the men has sex with the wife while the other is being sodomized by the husband. In the climax of their illicit acts, both men are shot in the head, covering everyone in blood. To comply with Japanese censorship, romantic pornography films would employ blurring and other means to cover up any pubic region exposure. Woods Are Wet features some of the most exaggerated examples of onscreen obstructions that you will ever see in a romantic pornography film.

Despite its limited resources, Woods Are Wet is a film that far exceeds them. One of the core elements of romantic pornography films is that there is usually a sex scene about every 10 minutes; it is 29 minutes until Woods Are Wet’s first sex scene. That said, the narrative spends substantially more time on exposition than it does on sex scenes. Except for the opening and closing moments, the rest of the narrative takes place at night. Though most of the narrative takes place in one location and at night, the visuals are surprisingly strong. Most of the narrative takes place in the house, which has no electricity and is lit by candlelight, creating visually arresting moments. Ultimately, Woods Are Wet is a film that slowly draws you in before hitting you like a sledgehammer with its nihilistic depiction of the darker side of humanity.

Woods Are Wet gets an exceptional release from 88 Films that comes with solid audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer