Orgies of Edo

Set during the golden age of Edo, Teruo Ishii's Orgies of Edo is an anthology consisting of three twisted tales that document the depravity and sickness of the soul behind the pomp and prosperity of the era.

Before the tales, we get a surreal credits sequence in which a wild-haired man in a floral dress and knee-high socks crawls out of a giant Billy bookcase (also inhabited by other weirdos and a dog) and does some expressive dance, followed by a man drooling blood and carrying a chicken in his mouth through a hall of mirrors. This kinda sets the demented tone for the rest of the film...

Story one sees scoundrel Hanji (Toyozô Yamamoto) tricking gullible babe Oito (Masumi Tachibana) into becoming a geisha to help him pay his supposed debts. While she's selling her body to strangers for cash, sneaky Hanji is shacked up with Oito's sister Kinu (Kei Kiyama). Even when Oito discovers the truth, Hanji is able to turn on the charm and get a freebie from the reluctant geisha, but this act results in both Oito and Hanji being severely beaten by the owners and staff of the brothel. Hanji gets chili peppers rubbed in his eyes, but when it is revealed that Oito is pregnant, the poor woman has a rock dropped on her stomach. Oito is taken to a doctor, Gentatsu (Teruo Yoshida, whose character links all three stories), but, unsurprisingly, she carks it, leaving a beaten and bruised Hanji to regret his actions. This tawdry tale features Ishii's trademark 'tits and torture' formula, but it is artfully shot, with Hanji seducing Oito in a field of patterned cloth being the visual highlight.

Chapter two starts with a pair of dwarfs breaking into the home of wealthy merchant's daughter Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi). After the little people sexually assault her, she turns the tables on them and gives them a whipping. It transpires that the dwarfs were hired by the woman's besotted servant Chôkichi (Akira Ishihama), his boss only capable of being aroused by men with abnormal bodies. Concerned Chôkichi talks Ochise into visiting Gentatsu, who uses hypnotism to discover the reason for her fetish: he discovers that she was abducted by a disfigured man when she was seventeen and subjected to a series of sexual ordeals (including the obligatory rope bondage). Chôkichi believes he can help Ochise break her habit, and maybe even love him as he loves her, but after she orders the delivery of a big black man (just a tad racist, the suggestion that being black is abnormal), the servant takes desperate measures. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it's wonderfully ironic and perverse.

The last tale opens in fine deviant style, with a sadistic lord (Asao Koike) unleashing a herd of bulls with flaming horns on a crowd of young female servants dressed in red. As the bulls charge at the women, the lord takes pot-shots at them with his bow and arrow while advising them to strip. One woman, Mitsu (Miki Obana), catches the tyrant's eye: she seems to enjoy the whole experience, and so becomes his favourite concubine. The lord continues his cruelty, coating one of his servants, Okon (Yujie Kagawa), with lead-based gold paint for betraying him with a dog. However, Okon is spared a painful death when she tells the lord that she has a special game to share with him. Again, to give away this twist would spoil the fun, suffice to say that it ends with a graphic (but not very convincing) Caesarian via katana (as performed by Gentatsu, of course), followed by a fiery fate for the lord.

6/10. Not the best film that I have see by Ishii to date - Boachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1973) and Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) are more enjoyable - but better than Yakuza Law (1969) and Inferno of Torture (also '69 - he was a busy boy that year!), and nowhere near as bad as his sci-fi clunkers Invaders from Space (1965) and Evil Brain from Outer Space (1966).

Don't be surprised that you get three different stories here - or that they are all as depraved as they come - wait is that a pun? I guess so. Nudity, sexual abuse, mysogyny and a lack of morals included. Now all that has been said, do not blame me or the movie for practicing them. I don't condone or even relish in the things that are being said, but even more importantly done to the characters in this movie! But you have to hand it to the movie (especially considering the time this was made, I reckon the Japanese where quite free thinking or perverts depending on how you feel about it) ... madness all over the place.

Having said that, the acting is over the top, but very spot on if you think about it. Be it portraying sexual desires, struggling or pretending to not like what is being done to you and so much more from the depths of the human nature. And how vividly the movie portrays them - the special effects adding a neat and "nice" extra touch. Certainly not for everyone and certainly here to offend any pure soul out there

It begins with beautiful kimono materials and the lovely ladies in splendid kimono fashions. The scenes of sexy women in almost naked but soon the rape and whipping and bondage ropes and more gets worse. The dozens of red kimono ladies have to be stripped as the bulls race at them and they are blood marked. Later a lovely gold is covered all over looks fine but will soon she dies within the mirrors and her little dogs.

"Zankoku ijô gyakutai monogatari: Genroku onna keizu" is a film that plunges deep into the grim and disturbing recesses of human nature. It's a film that elicits strong reactions, pushing the boundaries of taste and endurance, yet it also holds a mirror to societal taboos and the dark underbelly of historical narratives.

The film is divided into three distinct vignettes, each depicting tales of torture and suffering in different historical contexts. Ishii's direction is bold and unrelenting, as he crafts a narrative that is both visually arresting and emotionally harrowing. His use of color and composition draws the viewer into a world where the grotesque becomes strangely captivating. This stylistic choice is perhaps most evident in the first segment, which tells the story of a forbidden love affair between a monk and a woman, culminating in brutal punishment. The contrast between the serene beauty of the temple and the horrifying acts that take place within its walls is stark and effective, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

One of the standout scenes in the film involves the portrayal of a woman being punished by being buried up to her neck and left to the mercy of insects and the elements. The actress, Naomi Tani, delivers a performance that is both harrowing and haunting, capturing the essence of human suffering with a raw, visceral intensity. Tani's portrayal is fearless, and her ability to convey profound anguish without succumbing to melodrama elevates the segment to a level of poignant tragedy.

Despite its artistic merits, "Zankoku ijô gyakutai monogatari: Genroku onna keizu" is not without its flaws. The film's relentless focus on torture and cruelty can become overwhelming, making it a challenging watch even for those with a strong stomach. The episodic nature of the narrative also leads to a lack of cohesion, with each story varying in impact and effectiveness. While the first and third segments are compelling, the middle story about a tattoo artist who uses human skin as his canvas feels less developed and somewhat gratuitous.

The film's approach to its subject matter is explicit and unvarnished, a hallmark of Ishii's style. This unflinching depiction can be seen as both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it refuses to sanitize history, presenting a raw and unfiltered view of human depravity. On the other hand, its graphic nature can alienate viewers, overshadowing the more subtle thematic explorations of power, control, and societal norms.

In terms of performance, aside from Naomi Tani, Asao Koike's role as the sadistic lord in the third segment stands out. Koike imbues his character with a chilling detachment, making his acts of cruelty all the more unsettling. His calm demeanor in the face of such brutality serves as a stark reminder of the banality of evil, a theme that resonates throughout the film.

Overall, "Zankoku ijô gyakutai monogatari: Genroku onna keizu" is a film that defies easy categorization. It is both artful and exploitative, compelling and repulsive. For those interested in Japanese cinema's exploration of the macabre and the taboo, it offers a unique, albeit disturbing, viewing experience. However, its extreme content and uneven storytelling might deter a broader audience.

The 3rd of the The Joys of Torture movie series.

Three stories set in the Genroku Edo period. Each story has nudity, mild softcore sex scenes and some torture. All are very dark stories. The first story is very slow. Could have been less than half it's length. The third is the best story and had some excitement missing from the other two. One scene of one story is a bit of stolen plot from a James Bond movie.

The first story was too slow for me. The second was good. The third was excellent. If you deduct the first, then I'd up my rating to a 7.