Available on Blu Ray May 28th, 2024, from Eureka Entertainment
In this series of 10 movies (according to the internet today), the first three are being released on Blu for the first, bringing the story of Shinichi Tsukibana, from his time in prison, his escape, and his official freedom in later entries. The set presented here has 3 of the films, so we get to see limited adventures for Mr. Shinichi Tsukibana.
Written by Teruo Ishii and Hajime Itô and directed by the former, the series is a cohesive one (at least through the 3 entries available here) through the stories it tells and through the style, with the only exception being that the first film is in black and white. The films here are interesting, with the first and second being the strongest of the three. The third film has some issues which can be blamed on the era it came from, however, viewer discretion is advised for some racial stereotypes and use of what looks to be blackface. Other than this, the films are solid for the era and the story is good even when it makes from odd jumps from one film to the other, the lead character has an arc that is interesting to watch.
Speaking of the lead character, Shinichi Tsukibana is played by Ken Takakura who gives a strong performance, making the character his and imbuing him with a deep soul that gives the first film hope and the subsequent ones something extra that connects the character with the viewers. The rest of the cast on all three films are decent performers doing good work, each given more or less of a deep character to work with so of course this affects how they come across on screen. These are films that are all about the one character (and those who affect him to an extent) and the lead performance guides the story and really makes the film.
Technically speaking, this new release for the first three Abashiri Prison films is a great looking one in terms of packaging but also in terms of the transfer used here. The new transfer comes from original film elements provided by TOEI, so straight from the source basically and they look stunning here. The first film plays with black and white in a way that makes sense for a prison story that takes place in a remote, snowy location. The images look beautiful, and the cold can almost be felt through the screen. The second and third films are in color and look very much like the period they are from, representing the 1960s Japanese cinema quite well here. The score and sound transfer are fantastic as well.
In terms of extras, this limited to 2000 copies release has some solid inclusion here including new video appreciation of the series with Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling, new audio commentary tracks, newly translated subtitles, and a few others that feel like the minimal inclusions for re-releases (trailers, etc).
The Prison Walls series is an interesting one for sure, but definitely one more made for film collectors and connoisseurs. It’s not something all will love, but this re-release should please fans of the first three films.