Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 19, 2024

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.

The third Abashiri Prison film was thrust into production almost as quickly as the second, though that perceived "breathing space" for Teruo Ishii to craft an ostensibly more "thoughtful" story. That "thoughtfulness" may have had one glaring lapse, however, as a warning text card before the main presentation offers a disclaimer that there's a character appearing in blackface in the film. What's even more curious is which character it is, at least insofar as some may wonder if the performer tasked with this makeup choice might have had the wherewithal to consent to it.

One way or the other, this is a fairly traditional story of rival gangs which of course Tachibana (Ken Takakura) finds himself in the middle of, though what helps to give the film its emotional immediacy is some further information on what has made Tachibana into the man he is. Attempts at some socioeconomic critiques offer some context in terms of the culture of mid sixties Japan. If the first Abashiri Prison film owed at least its third act in part to The Defiant Ones, perhaps unexpectedly, as Mark Schilling points out in his essay included in this set's insert booklet, the finale of this film was actually modeled on Vera Cruz. Somewhat hilariously, any "meta" film referents are probably irrelevant, as according to Ishii, who is quoted in Schilling's interview, the only thing Toei was interested in was the hit theme song from the first film sung by Ken Takakura reappearing in this outing. warning about blackface

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Abashiri Prison III is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. 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 timing is improved in this third film when compared to the somewhat sickly looking second outing, with less of a jaundiced appearance in flesh tones, but still some of the same generally excellent support for primaries in particular. Outdoor material can pop agreeably a lot of the time, but can occasionally look a bit wan, with kind of pale greenish rather than bright blue skies. Some night material is bathed in blue and has some murky shadow definition. In an anomaly similar to what I mentioned in Another Abashiri Prison Story Blu-ray review, there is some anamorphic weirdness on occasion here where the entire frame looks like it was but through the M.C. Escher machine, leading to noticeable tilting or slanting (see screenshot 7). There are recurrent signs of age related wear and tear, but rather minor and almost subliminal at times. Grain resolves naturally throughout. My score is 3.75.

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Abashiri Prison III features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. There's just a bit of crackling and a pretty harsh / bright sounding high end as this track gets going, perhaps due at least in part to the theme music being "recycled". Later cues, including some choral music, tend to sound a bit warmer and less problematic on the high end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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)

• Abashiri Prison

  Audio Commentary by Tom Mes

  
  

  Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:45)

• Abashiri Prison II

  Audio Commentary by Chris Poggiali

  
  

  Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:50)

Disc Two (Abashiri Prison III)

• Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:21)


• Break Out: Jasper Sharp & Mark Schilling Discuss Abashiri Prison (HD; 29:26) is a really enjoyable conversation between these experts which covers the franchise as well as Ishii.


• Interview with Tony Rayns (HD; 30:41) offers more insight from the always informative Rayns, talking here about elements of the films included in this set, but also in a more wide ranging look at the series and in fact "series" as a concept in the Japanese film industry.

Additionally, a nicely appointed insert booklet contains a good essay by Mark Schilling. Packaging features an O card slicpase.

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the participants in the supplements included in this set mention this third outing as their favorite, though it's another film that seems positively divorced from the first aside from its focal character. The use of blackface is probably going to cause reactions for better or worse, though in that regard, it's kind of interesting to think of Ishii perhaps reaching for some kind of "racial" content to mimic the potent subtext of The Defiant Ones. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements well done. Recommended.