is a

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese film in

Nikkatsu is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). ...

's ''Roman porno'' series, directed by

Kōyū Ohara was a Japanese film director known for his popular '' Roman Porno'' films, '' Fairy in a Cage'' (1977) and the ''Pink Tush Girl'' series (1978–1980). One of Nikkatsu's most versatile and prolific directors, filming eight movies in 1979 alone, ...

and starring

Naomi Tani is a Japanese pink film actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's ''Roman Porno'' films with an Sadism and masochism, S&M theme during the 1970s. Life and career Early Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Hakata w ...

Synopsis

Akiko is the heir to a yakuza clan. Hitoshi, who has been kicked out of the rival Hono Clan after attempting to seduce Akiko, kidnaps her at the behest of Hanamura. Hanamura has formed a new gang and intends to use Akiko as a hostage to take over her clan's territory. During the torture and abuse sessions which follow, Akiko comes to enjoy the treatment and forsakes her gangland empire.

Cast

: Akiko * Nami Aoki: Machiko * Hirokazu Inoue: Saiji * Hitoshi Takagi: Hitoshi Hanamura * Kenji Fuji: Gorō

Background

''Rope Hell'' was based on

Oniroku Dan was a Japanese author who has been called, "the most celebrated writer of popular SM novels in Japan." Many of his stories have been filmed, most notably by Nikkatsu studio in their '' Roman Porno'' series. Dan had a close professional associa ...

's novel . Like much of

's works, ''Rope Hell'' uses the theme of a character who is changed through S&M sessions. At the same time that he was creating such dark torture-fests as ''Rope Hell'',

was also directing the bright and upbeat ''Pink Tush Girl'' films, which were popular with women as well as men. Ohara had previously worked with

in '' Fascination: Portrait of a Lady'' (1977), and had teamed her with her on-screen tormentor in ''Rope Hell'', Hirokazu Inoue in ''

Fairy in a Cage ''aka'' ''Woman In a Cage'' is a 1977 Japanese pink film in Nikkatsu's ''Roman porno'' series, directed by Kōyū Ohara and starring Naomi Tani. Synopsis During the latter part of World War II, Judge Murayama, head of the Japanese military pol ...

'' (also 1977). Both of these films had also based on Dan's writings.

Critical appraisal

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

judges ''Rope Hell'' to be an inferior film compared to ''

''. In their ''Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films'', the Weissers also write that ''Rope Hell'' is not up to the quality of Ohara and Tani's previous work together, but comment positively on Ohara's visuals. The Weissers judge Oniroku Dan's story to be more objectionable than some of his others, with the message that a woman will choose submission and reject self-expression if given the choice, to be clearer than in his other scripts.

Availability

''Rope Hell'' was released theatrically in Japan on June 24, 1978. It was released to home video in VHS format in Japan on February 6, 1998.

Bibliography

English

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Japanese

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Notes

{{Kōyū Ohara 1978 films Films directed by Kōyū Ohara 1970s Japanese-language films Nikkatsu films Nikkatsu Roman Porno 1970s Japanese films Films scored by Hajime Kaburagi