Blu-ray Review: Orgies of Edo (1969)

I know what you’re thinking…and yes, pretzel Combos do suck…oh, and this film is probably a porno, what with the word “orgies” front and center in the title; but believe me, when I detail the subject matter at hand you’ll be thankful it’s just one of your average, run of the mill, unbelievably sadistic flicks featuring a parade of violence towards women. Phew, dodged a bullet there, eh boils n’ ghouls?
Anyway, Orgies of Edo is comprised of three tales, and we’ll be taking a brief look at each one.
After whatever the unholy hell the opening of this film is (I can tell you it features some sort of human drag queen marionette and a woman with four titties), we begin our first story which details the heartwarming adventures of Oito (Masumi Tachibana); a naive woman who is sold into prostitution, suffers torture and humiliation, and enters into a love affair with the man responsible for her miserable lot in life.
Right of the bat, this film presents us with a challenging and grim story of a heroine that really has zero chance in life, and because of her occupation as a sex worker Oito is considered sub-human by nearly everyone she encounters, before finally suffering the ignoble fate a woman of her position could succumb to in days past. While the story itself is filled with ugliness, the telling of it is anything but as the screen is filled with garish colors and costumes, and a set piece involving long pieces of vibrantly hued and patterned fabric is an achingly gorgeous jaw-dropper.
Next we have the tale of a wicked and wan woman named Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi); the daughter of a rich as balls merchant who craves perversion like a dog craves a bone. As her search for pleasure marches ever on, Ochise is raped by a leper…which turns her on (I guess…I don’t know; there’s some fucked up shit going on in this, and my brain was starting to go numb) and before long things get dark a as moonless midnight as an admirer attempts to give Ochise more of what she craves.
Shower break (I’m using a wire brush…you may wish to jump straight to Clorox in the eyes)!
Finally we have the story of Omitsu (Miki Obana), a member of the harem of a sadistic lord (Asao Koike) who gets all hot and bothered by her lust for torture and depravity. What follows is a bacchanal of bondabe, blood letting, a bull with flaming horns gorging people willy-nilly, and a woman covered in gold paint stuck in a room of mirrors surrounded by lapdogs…okay, what in the actual fuck…As is the way in this picture; things go south quickly.
While the film is heavy on sadisim, this Blu-ray release from Arrow Video is surprisingly light on extras as an interview with author Patrick Macias, who discusses the legacy of the film and it’s place in the Pinky Violence sub-genre of Japanese exploitation cinema, and the film’s trailer comprise the only bonus content included.
While Orgies of Edo definitely will not be to everyone’s tastes (hell it wasn’t even to mine); there is no denying the spectacular visual sense and artistry of Director Teruo Ishii, and the effective savage cruelty on display in these twisted morality plays, and is worth a look for exploitation fans with a lust for demented carnality!