6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Two prisoners are handcuffed together at Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido, a bitterly cold region. They are the chivalrous Shinichi Tachibana, who ran away from his poor farming family and entered the world of the yakuza, and is serving time in prison for an injury case, and Gonzo Gonda, a veteran with five previous convictions for robbery, rape, and attempted murder. Even in the common room, the two of them rebel against each other. Tachibana's sentence is almost up, but Gonda has plans to escape before that.
Starring: Ken Takakura, Kôji Nanbara, Tôru Abe, Kanjûrô Arashi, Kunie TanakaForeign | 100% |
Crime | 16% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III.
There seems to be a general consensus based both upon some supplements included with this release as well as any number of other online data
sources
that The Defiant Ones* served as an inspiration for
at
least the first Abashiri Prison film. But as some of those same supplements make clear, that perceived cinematic "connection" really only
pertains to
the last third or so of the first film in a rather celebrated franchise, and in this case without some of the potent subtext of the well remembered
Stanley Kramer film
featuring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. As tangential as The Defiant Ones may therefore be, evidently the idea
of two escaped prisoners shackled to each other and on the run provided some kind of interest for audiences, since this 1965 adaptation
of
a novel by Hajime Itō led to a glut of sequels (the first two of which are included in this set), while an earlier 1959 adaptation of the novel (which
I'm
assuming did not feature two escaped prisoners shackled to each other) seems to have been more or less buried by the vagaries of time
and tide. The supplements on this set get into the unexpected success of Abashiri Prison, a success which perhaps surprisingly was more
abundant with some of the sequels than with the first outing, and not only without that oft mentioned "sophomore slump", but an audience reaction
that was evidently more favorably inclined toward both the second and (perhaps especially) third films.
*Note: The link points to a UK Blu-ray release.
Abashiri Prison is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. There's no technical information provided on this release that I could find in the insert booklet, other than standard verbiage alerting the still uneducated about why there are "black bars" and another warning about 4K UHD setups in particular which may have "motion smoothing" defaults. The back cover offers only a generic "1080p HD presentation of all three films from restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei". Color me cynical, but I always tend to wonder exactly what "original film elements" may have been utilized, but one way or the other, I'd actually rate this sole black and white effort in the trilogy to be the most consistently pleasing viewing experience. Contrast is generally solid, and the wintry outdoor scenes offer a well modulated gray scale which helps to delineate shades of white in particular. Fine detail can be excellent in close-ups. There are some ebbs and flows to detail levels based largely on lighting conditions and occasionally on the differences between what I assume were more studio controlled settings and some of the location work. Grain may have been "managed" but it still noticeable and resolves naturally throughout.
Abashiri Prison features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. The film's theme music became an overnight sensation in Japan, and for film fans, there may be yet another external reference to cinema history in that the opening (before Ken Takakura's vocals kick in) is kind of comically reminiscent of Anton Karas' inimitable theme for The Third Man. There's a slightly boxy sound that actually tends to be more prevalent in terms of sound effects and spoken material than music, though all dialogue is rendered cleanly. Optional English subtitles are available.
Eureka has packaged this set with the first two films on Disc One and the third film on Disc Two. The supplements, including the commentaries, can
be
far ranging (i.e., not necessarily limited solely to any given film), and so I'm including the complete array of supplements below.
Disc One ( Abashiri Prison and Abashiri Prison II)
- Audio Commentary by Tom Mes
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:45)
- Audio Commentary by Chris Poggiali
- Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:50)
The first Abashiri Prison took Japan in general and Toei in particular completely by surprise, leading to one of the most insanely "populated" and quickly produced series of sequels in film history. Ishii fans in particular may find this outing and its two sequels in the "and now for something completely different" department, at least when compared to what are arguably some of Ishii's better known films in the West like Shogun's Joy of Torture or Orgies of Edo, but it's perhaps salient to note that Ishii is actually evidently much better remembered in Japan for the Abashiri series. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very worthwhile. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
網走番外地 望郷篇 / Abashiri bangaichi: Bōkyō-hen | Masters of Cinema
1965
続・網走番外地 / Zoku Abashiri bangaichi | Masters of Cinema
1965
Crime City 3 | Beomjoidosi 3 | Limited Collector's Edition
2023
Ôkami yakuza: Tomurai ha ore ga dasu / 狼やくざ 葬いは俺が出す
1972
Ôkami yakuza: Koroshi wa ore ga yaru / 狼やくざ 殺しは俺がやる
1972
범죄도시 2 / Beomjoedosi 2
2022
現代やくざ 人斬り与太 / Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota
1972
東京騎士隊 / Tokyo naito
1961
密航0ライン / Mikkô zero rain
1960
8時間の恐怖 / Hachijikan no kyôfu
1957
ドーベルマン刑事 / Doberuman deka
1977
Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia
1973
Jingi no hakaba
1975
Minagoroshi no kenjû
1967
探偵事務所23 くたばれ悪党ども / Kutabare akutô-domo - Tantei jimusho 23
1963
2000
Il poliziotto è marcio
1974
暗戰2 / Am zin 2
2001
1973
Mottomo kiken na yuugi / 最も危険な遊戯 / Games of Maximum Risk
1978