TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN
IN JAIL: SEX HELL
Japan | 1975
Directed by Kôyû Ohara
Starring
Hitomi Kozue
Seri Meikai
Maya Hiromi
Color | 72 Minutes | Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC)
Impulse Pcitures
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Review by
Brian Lindsey

Film:6
DVD:6
SNEAK PREVIEW | DVD Release Date: April 10, 2012
Having given us an intriguing sampler of Japanese sexploitation ("Pinku") with the 2010 trailer compilation The Nikkatsu Roman Porno Collection, the folks at Impulse Pictures now follow that up with the first releases in the series: Debauchery (1983) and True Story of a Woman in Jail: Sex Hell (1975).* I naturally gravitated towards the latter — the subject of this review — because it's a '70s Women in Prison flick and thus immediately evokes comparison to the interesting Female Prisoner 701 movies.
    As that earlier trailer compilation amply demonstrated, it's simply amazing just how sleazy, depraved and kinky softcore Japanese sex films could be back in the day, all without showing the slightest wisp of pubic hair. True Story of a Woman in Jail: Sex Hell is no exception.
    Sex Hell — like almost all movies in the WIP genre — opens with our main characters arriving at the penitentiary to begin serving their sentences: Mayumi (beautiful Hitomi Kozue) is a convicted murderess; Harumi (Maya Hiromi) is a repeat-offender prostitute. They receive the expected rough treatment from the women whose cellblock they're assigned to, instigated by babyfaced tough-gal ringleader Queen Bee (Seri Meikai). At Queen Bee's orders, Mayumi is initiated into the fold by being pummeled to the floor, stripped, and then urinated on. (Another prisoner squats over Mayumi's face and pisses on her.)
    Despite this humiliation Mayumi maintains a defiant stance, even in the face of threats from the Queen and her retinue. In contrast, the more pliant Harumi decides to go with the flow... To make things easier for herself she cuddles up to Queen Bee, becoming her lesbian lover. The pair then hatch an escape plan with the aid of a master key smuggled in from the outside. Mayumi learns of the plan, but rather than betray Harumi and Queen Bee to the guards she remains silent, and even protects them by hiding the key during surprise searches of the cellblock — to include concealing it inside the tampon she's using. But when asked why she would cover for them, Mayumi enigmatically replies that she has her reasons. ("I did it on a whim.") Could she be planning an escape of her own?
    While all this is playing out, we learn something of the women's backstories through a procession of flashbacks. Mayumi was a nurse who purposefully killed the fiancée of her lover on the operating table, with his implicit agreement. (Once the crime was uncovered in a malpractice investigation, however, the cad totally disowned her.) Queen Bee, too, is serving time for a murder provoked by jealousy; she stabbed the mistress of her Yakuza paramour. Harumi just wants to get out and be with her boyfriend, who seems like a semi-okay guy — especially when compared to the other men in this film — even though he's a pimp. So if it isn't bad enough they're being sexually abused by the pervy male guards, the dames stuck in this hellhole are serving time mainly because of the rotten men in their lives. Yes, we may be in a women's prison but it's men who are the real scum of the earth. And in Japanese exploitation cinema, hell hath no fury like a woman imprisoned for a crime of passion only to find out her beau's a real jerk.
    Clocking in at a lean 72 minutes Sex Hell doesn't waste any time getting to the sleazy melodrama. That it does so with an almost art-house sensibility and style is a credit to helmer Kôyû Ohara (Fairy in a Cage), who gives the film a patina of class even when characters are urinating. (There is quite a bit of pissing in this movie, folks. Ohara seems fascinated by the act.) He uses interesting combinations of traditional and wobbly handheld shots/angles to keep familiar WIP story tropes fresh, imparting genuine eroticism to a number of the sex scenes. (Notably Harumi's seduction of Queen Bee in the communal bath, which employs underwater photography.) Beyond its traditional Japanese pop ballad — poetically comparing the women's tragic lives to flower petals — the bluesy fuzz-rock soundtrack would be perfect for a Roger Corman sexploitationer made during the same period... yet another manifestation of 'art-house meets grindhouse'. The actresses are all quite good in their roles and have lovely bodies which are frequently nude. I mean, what's not to like here?
    Well, perhaps there could've been a little less tinkling...
* Initially, the debut releases in the Nikkatsu Roman Porno Collection were announced to be Debauchery and Female Teacher: Dirty Afternoon.
The Impulse DVD serves up Sex Hell in commendable fashion. Looking very nice indeed, the anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is exemplary for a nearly 40 year old exploitation pic — it's really quite good. The Japanese 2.0 Mono audio track doesn't measure up to the same quality, as it's occasionally on the tinny side, but is serviceable enough for the movie. The optional English subtitles are first-rate. (You can learn how to say "Rice penis" in Japanese.) There aren't any extras on the disc but there is an insert booklet of brief text. Jasper Sharp's concise, informative liner notes focus on director/co-writer Kôyû Ohara and his prolific output for Nikkatsu Studios. 3/18/12
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