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Elle s'appelait Scorpion

Original title: Joshû sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô
  • 1972
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Meiko Kaji in Elle s'appelait Scorpion (1972)
Trailer
Play trailer0:37
1 Video
37 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

After spending a year in solitary confinement, Matsu escapes from prison with six more convicts, followed by the guards led by the vengeful warden who wants her dead at all costs.After spending a year in solitary confinement, Matsu escapes from prison with six more convicts, followed by the guards led by the vengeful warden who wants her dead at all costs.After spending a year in solitary confinement, Matsu escapes from prison with six more convicts, followed by the guards led by the vengeful warden who wants her dead at all costs.

  • Director
    • Shun'ya Itô
  • Writers
    • Shun'ya Itô
    • Fumio Kônami
    • Hirô Matsuda
  • Stars
    • Meiko Kaji
    • Fumio Watanabe
    • Yukie Kagawa
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    3.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Shun'ya Itô
    • Writers
      • Shun'ya Itô
      • Fumio Kônami
      • Hirô Matsuda
    • Stars
      • Meiko Kaji
      • Fumio Watanabe
      • Yukie Kagawa
    • 40User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Female Prisoner 701 Scorpion
    Trailer 0:37
    Female Prisoner 701 Scorpion

    Photos37

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    Top cast52

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    Meiko Kaji
    Meiko Kaji
    • Matsu (Sasori)
    Fumio Watanabe
    Fumio Watanabe
    • Inspector Goda
    Yukie Kagawa
    • Tomiko Yasuki
    Kayoko Shiraishi
    • Hide Ôba
    Eiko Yanami
    • Harue Wagatsuma
    Hiroko Isayama
    • Asako Noda
    Kuniko Ishii
    • Rose Miyako
    Yuki Aresa
    • Kimiyo Oikawa
    Hideo Murota
    • Okizaki
    Kyôichi Satô
    • Tadokoro
    Shinzô Hotta
    • Furuya
    • (as Shinzo Hotta)
    Fudeko Tanaka
    Fudeko Tanaka
    • The Old Woman
    Hiroshi Hasegawa
    Nenji Kobayashi
    • The Young Man
    Kôji Miemachi
    Akira Kuji
    • Kazama
    Reiko Kasahara
    • The Young Woman
    Sakae Itami
    • Director
      • Shun'ya Itô
    • Writers
      • Shun'ya Itô
      • Fumio Kônami
      • Hirô Matsuda
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews40

    7.13.6K
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    Featured reviews

    8Tom-116

    Amazingly Beautiful and Funny... Evil Dead meets Stalag-17

    It's difficult to describe a movie like Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41. First let me say that I saw it in a film class that concentrates on the visual styles of several films. In this same class I have seen Touch of Evil and several other "classics." I was amazed to see that this film only had 6 votes(7 including mine), so I had to add my own comment.

    This film is masterfully shot in a classic Japanese style that emphazises color and full use of the widescreen presentation. The film also has a bit of a campiness to it that adds a flavor that is unusual for a foreign film. Most foreign films that are thought of as being campy usually are just not well done. This is not the case with Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41. The campiness that I refer to is the same campiness that has made the Evil Dead series such a success. Exaggeration of many shots and the characters themselves.

    The story itself is very unique, following a group of escape female convicts lead by an awesome character named Scorpion. The filmmakers gave her a near godlike respect when shooting her, and she is very well developed even though she doesn't speak. She doesn't speak because she knows that actions speak louder than words.

    Anyway, I highly recommend this film for anyone who is a fan of foreign films, and I also recommend it to those who like stories based on comic books. I believe that this film is based on a series of Japanese comics; it is put together like a comic book, so it is obvious that many shots and the story are out of this world, as movies such as The Matrix have proved to the main-stream audience.
    itoll

    The CITIZEN KANE of crypto-post-feminist splatter movies

    Meiko Kaji plays the title role, a stone-faced badass in the Man With No Name mode, in this bizarrely stylized adaptation of a popular _manga_, brimming over with gore, nudity, gratuitous sadism, bad-trip fantasy scenes, chain-fu, spoon-fu, dog-fu, bus-fu, anything-they-can-get-their-hands-on-fu, and more castration imagery than one can -- pardon the expression -- shake a stick at.

    And I'm not even going to TRY to describe the musical numbers.

    Truly this has to be seen to be believed, and even then it's going to take some effort.
    10carrienations

    Visually exciting...

    I was fortunate to see this film on the big screen and I was very impressed with the cinematography. There isn't much character development, but the simmering hatred between Scorpion and a rival inmate creates significant tension. Those who enjoy Eastwood's "man with no name" films, other unusual Japanese films from the same time period (Black Tight Killers, Ecstasy of the Angels, etc.) will find this interesting... my only caveats have to do with the rape scenes, which for some reason often find their way into offbeat Japanese films. Some of the scenes aren't entirely fulfilling... at times I wished for more (unbelievably) violence so the characters are more fully able to avenge themselves. Some of the editing is a little awkward, but there are a few scenes that have breathtaking cinematography... particularly in the hut toward the end of the film where the camera focuses on Scorpion as the contents of the hut rotate around her... and the amazing transition "dream" scene on the bus. Great stuff... I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will be buying on DVD....

    ___________________________________________________________________

    I wrote that review in 2001, but thought I'd add a comment four years later. This film has worked it's way into my subconscious and has become one of my all-time favorites. Not only do I own the U.S. DVD, but the Japanese Region 2 as well (the print quality is much higher... no English subtitles, though). I have since seen all four of the Sasori films, and this film (Joshuu sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô), the second in the series, is the best one.
    jmaruyama

    Dark, Grim and Surreal

    If looks could kill, then Meiko Kaji would win hands down. The Toei Series Joshu Sasori (aka Female Convict Scorpion) is based on a 70's comic series which ran in the Japanese Adult Manga Magazine Big Comics. Joshu Sasori Dai 41 Zakkyobou (Female Convict Scorpion-Jailhouse 41) is the second movie of the series (Kaji would star in two additional sequels). Matsu (Meiko Kaji) is the Scorpion of the title and is the near silent heroine of the movie. In classic Japanese exploitation fashion she is subjected to all sorts of cruelty and punishment at the hands of a sadistic prison warden and his equally sinister underlings. Matsu as we learn in narration was wrongly imprisoned and must fight to survive and escape imprisonment. During the course of the movie She joins a gang of other female convicts and escapes from prison. The gang creates all sorts of violent mayhem with Matsu silently watching on. Very bloody, grim and violent, Jailhouse 41 is atypical of the violent, sexploitation movies Toei released during the '70s. Directory Shunya Ito presents the movie in a surreal narrative that is both haunting and inventive. Kaji is captivating as the heroine although her character allows little for her to develop. For those who are fans of girls-in-prison movies this may be your cup of tea. On the other hand for those who are wanting more story and character development you might be better served to avoid this.
    8jimniexperience

    Prisoner Scorpion: Django Edition

    The Western of the series; Scorpion breaks out of a prison van with six other girls and they're all on the run from newly promoted Inspector Goda. Their adventure takes them through wooded forests, cursed witches, stakeout cabins in mountains, rapists by the rapids, bus jacking, police shootouts, and a second breakout

    Less boobage, more humiliation, dumber cops, less violence, more anime, still sexy, still bloody, still art-house

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Connections
      Featured in Shunya Ito: Birth of an Outlaw (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Urami-Bushi
      (Song of Vengeance)

      Written by Shun'ya Itô and Shunsuke Kikuchi

      Sung by Meiko Kaji

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    FAQ

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 30, 1972 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
    • Filming locations
      • Japan
    • Production company
      • Toei Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Meiko Kaji in Elle s'appelait Scorpion (1972)
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