SYNOPSIS In 1920s Japan, Akemi (Meiko Kaji) is the dragon-tattooed leader of the Tachibana yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat, along with the eye-victim, then pursue Akemi’s gang in bloody revenge, leaving a trail of dead yakuza girls, their dragon-tattoos skinned from their bodies…
From Japan's The King of Cult director Teruo Ishii (opens in new tab), Blind Woman’s Curse (opens in new tab) (which literally translates as Ghost Story Rising Dragon) is a thrilling supernatural action adventure featuring kimono-wearing gangsters, psychopathic hunchbacks and deadly female assassins, and stars genre favourite Meiko Kaji (opens in new tab) in her first role. Kaji later found fame in the Stray Cat Rock series of girl gang films (also due out from Arrow later in 2014) and is best known to Asian film fans for Lady Snowblood, in which her singing was was borrowed by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill.
THE UK ARROW VIDEO RELEASE Teruo Ishii's delirious blend of the female yakuza film and traditional Japanese ghost story, gets a first-time UK dual format (Blu-ray/DVD) release from Arrow Video (opens in new tab) on 31 March 2014, featuring a new high-definition digital transfer of the film prepared by Nikkatsu Studios. The deluxe edition includes new artwork by Gilles Vranckx, an audio commentary by author and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp (opens in new tab), trailers for the Meiko Kaji-starring Stray Cat Rock series, and a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes.
Read an interview with Jasper Sharp who gives his verdit on Blind Woman's Curse, its director and star by clicking here (opens in new tab). http://youtube.com/v/v82lry7HeUI
