| Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Shunya Itō[1] |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Scorpion byTōru Shinohara[1] |
| Produced by | Kineo Yoshimine[1] |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Hanjiro Nakazawa[1] |
| Edited by | Osamu Tanaka[1] |
| Music by | Shunsuke Kikuchi[1] |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (女囚701号/さそり,Joshū Nana-maru-ichi Gō / Sasori)[n 1] is a 1972 Japanesewomen in prison film produced byToei Company and directed byShunya Itō in hisdirectorial debut. Based on a manga byTōru Shinohara, the film starsMeiko Kaji as Nami Matsushima, a woman who is sent to prison after being betrayed by her detective lover, against whom she seeks revenge.
The film was followed by severalsequels:Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (also released in 1972),Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable, andFemale Prisoner Scorpion: 701's Grudge Song (both 1973).
Nami Matsushima is used as a spy by her first real boyfriend, a police detective named Sugimi, to investigate adrug smuggling ring. However, her role is discovered and she is raped by several drug dealers. It emerges that Sugimi was simply using Matsushima as a pretext to obtain a bribe from theyakuza. Seeking revenge, Matsushima makes a failed attempt to stab Sugimi on the steps of theTokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. She is sentenced to do hard time in a women's prison, where her prisoner number is 701.
The prison is run by sadistic and lecherous male guards. Prisoners are forced to walk up and down metal scaffolding naked with male guards watching from below. While incarcerated, Matsushima meets inmates like Yuki Kida, who was convicted for fraud and theft; Otsuka, jailed for burglary andextortion; and Katagiri, who was imprisoned forarson and illegally disposing of a body. Outside the prison, Sugimi and the yakuza orchestrate a plan in which Matsushima will succumb to an "accidental" death in prison.
The conspirators enlist the help of Katagiri and quickly set their plan in motion. Matsushima is attacked in the shower, but defends herself, wounding the attacker. She is punished by being held bound by ropes in solitary confinement. A talkative female prisoner tries to get information from her, but Matsushima remains silent. When the woman advances on her, Matsushima seduces her into a sexual encounter. The prisoner is revealed to be a rookie policewoman sent by warden Goda as a spy, but her passion for Matsushima turns her against the prisoner staff, and the angered Goda becomes determined to break Matsushima.
A group of trustees, including Katagiri, tortures Matsushima; one pours hot soup on her. Matsushima is able to trip the trustee and make her spill the vat of hot soup over herself, causing horrible burns. Matsushima is forced to dig dirt holes for two consecutive days and nights. She kills a woman who attempts to attack her during this digging by tripping her and breaking her neck. In response, Matsushima is hung and tied from the ceiling while being beaten by her fellow prisoners.
After aprison riot, Matsushima escapes and kills Sugimi and all of the yakuza with a dagger. As the film ends, Matsushima strides alone down the prison corridor.
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion was released in Japan on 25 August 1972.[1]
Female Prisoner #701 was first released on DVD forRegion 1 byTokyo Shock on April 27, 2004.[2] UK home video companyArrow Films released the film on Blu-ray on July 26, 2016 within a box-set containing the four films of theFemale Prisoner Scorpion series.[3]
From retrospective reviews,Sight & Sound described the film as "pure exploitation" and that "there are a fair number of arty flourishes: expressionistic lighting and make up effects, theatrically stylised sets and gymnastic camerawork."[4] The magazine commented on any feminist reading of the film, noting that any suggestion of a "feminist critique of patriarchal society" is "hard to reconcile with the sustained, glib emphasis on female torment."[4]Video Watchdog describedFemale Convict #701 Scorpion as "inferior to its follow-upFemale Convict Scorpion-Jailhouse 41", noting that it is "largely set-bound and lacking grandeur and poetry of its sequel".[5]