Prison Walls - Abashiri Prison 1-3 Limited Edition Blu-Ray

The famous Japanese Abashiriprison was built in the late 19th century to house political prisoners and served as inspiration for a popular and prolific series of yakuza films released between 1965 and 1972. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three films in this series, directed by "the king of cult" Teruo Ishii (Shogun's Joy of Torture) and starring a titan of Japanese genre cinema, Ken Takakura (The Bullet Train).

In Abashiri Prison, Takakura plays the lead role of Shinichi Tachibana, a yakuza sent to Abashiri as punishment for attacking a rival gangster. He plans to serve his time as a model prisoner until he is chained to the bullheaded Gonzo Gonda (K?ji Nanbara), unintentionally drawn into an escape attempt orchestrated by Heizo Yoda (T?ru Abe) and forced to face the frozen wilderness of Hokkaido. In Another Abashiri Prison Story, Tachibana has just been released when he stumbles upon a cache of diamonds recently stolen in a heist , attracting unwanted attention from both criminals and police. Finally, in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, Tachibana is reunited with his former yakuza companions, who are trying to go straight. At least until old rivals show up and want to cause trouble...Ken Takakura would reprise the role of Tachibana in seven more films under the Abashiri Prison banner—all directed by Teruo Ishii—before the series was relaunched as New Abashiri Prison in 1968, leading to eight more installments starring Takakura. It all began with these early films, which are now presented for the first time ever on Blu-ray from brand new restorations of the original film elements by Toei.

SPECIAL EDITION TV-DISC BLU-RAY CONTENTS:

Limited edition O-card slipcase with new artwork by Tony Stella [First edition of only 2000 copies] | 1080p HD presentation of all three films from restorations of the original film elements from Toei | Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release | Original Japanese audio (uncompressed LPCM mono) | Brand new audio commentaries by Tom Mes, Chris Poggiali, Mike Leeder, and Arne Venema | Tony Rayns on Abashiri Prison - brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns | Brand new video appreciation by Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling | Trailers | PLUS: A collection of newly written material by Mark Schilling

PRESS

"An exciting and action-packed film about prison breaks, which contains some elements of ninkyo eiga, mainly in the form of Takakura's stoic yakuza protagonist." - Smak av bio