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Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion is a 1972 Japanese women in prison film produced by Toei Company and directed by Shunya Itō in his directorial debut. Based on a manga by Tōru Shinohara, the film stars Meiko Kaji as Nami Matsushima, a woman who is sent to prison after being betrayed by her detective lover, against whom she seeks revenge.

Plot
Nami Matsushima is used as a spy by her first real boyfriend, a police detective named Sugimi, to investigate a drug 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 the yakuza. Seeking revenge, Matsushima makes a failed attempt to stab Sugimi on the steps of the Tokyo 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 and extortion; and Katagiri, who was imprisoned for arson 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 a prison 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. ==Cast==
Cast
Meiko Kaji as Nami Matsushima / Matsu The Scorpion • Rie Yokoyama as Katagiri • Yayoi Watanabe as Yukiko Kida • Yōko Mihara as Masaki • Akemi Negishi as Otsuka • Keiko Kuni as Nemoto • Saburo Date as Kaizu • Shinzō Hotta as Furuya • Hideo Murota as Okizaki • Yoichi Numata as Soga • Yumiko Katayama as Kito • Emi Jo as Morikawa • Isao Natsuyagi as Tsugio Sugimi • Fumio Watanabe as Warden Goda ==Release==
Release
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion was released in Japan on 25 August 1972. UK home video company Arrow Films released the film on Blu-ray on July 26, 2016, within a box-set containing the four films of the Female Prisoner Scorpion series. ==Reception==
Reception
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." 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." ==See also==
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