The Playlist Podcast is back and ready to take vengeance! On this episode we discuss Arrow Video’s recent Blu-ray release, “Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection.” This gorgeous box set features all four films in the “Female Prisoner Scorpion” series, and though they’ve been difficult to access until now, their influence looms large even today. Thanks to the devoted folks over at Arrow Video, the entire series has been given a fresh 2K restoration and is now available on Blu-ray. And so we discuss the films, star Meiko Kaji’s iconic performances, and the thrill of watching great ’70s exploitation cinema. Joining in my enthusiasm is friend of the show and longtime IonCinema film critic, Nicholas Bell.
For fans of cult foreign cinema, actresses don’t come more badass than Meiko Kaji. The star of the “Stray Cat Rock” flicks and the “Lady Snowblood” films carved a unique path, but her boldest outing ever may have been across the four movies in the “Female Prisoner Scorpion” series. Not unlike Clint Eastwood‘s “The Man With No Name,” Kaji’s Matsu aka Scorpion doesn’t say much, but still commands a helluva presence. The series is a riff on the women-in-prison flicks popular in the ’70s, but pushes the envelope to make for an often spectacular hybrid of B-movie sleaze with high-art cinematic storytelling. Kaji’s character acts as a symbol of female resistance across these highly stylized films. The “Female Prisoner Scorpion” Blu-ray boxset is available in limited edition of 3,000 copies.
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