Cruelty: Black Rose Torture
Encyclopedia
aka Black Rose Slave is a 1975
Japan
ese film in Nikkatsu
's Roman porno series, directed by Katsuhiko Fujii and starring Naomi Tani
.
. Two years later, during the war, the government confiscates Yumiko's estate, turning it into a torture chamber for the inquisition of prisoners. Yumiko and her maid are among those who are subjected to sexual indignities.
to work for them. Because Nikkatsu was reluctant to work in the SM genre, Tani's specialty, and Tani preferred to have starring roles in independent productions rather than supporting roles at Nikkatsu, she refused. When the studio agreed to film Tani's SM projects Flower and Snake
and Wife to be Sacrificed
(both 1974) and both became major hits, Nikkatsu officially entered the genre, with Tani as their SM Queen. With Cruelty: Black Rose, the studio created the "Black Rose" nickname for Tani, which they would continue to use in film titles starring Tani which otherwise had no connection. Some such titles include Black Rose Ascension (1975), Lady Black Rose (1978).
After Naomi Tani and Terumi Azuma had first worked together in Masaru Konuma
's Wife to be Sacrificed
(1974), Nikkatsu teamed the two women in several more projects, in which Azuma served in a supporting role to Tani. After Wife to be Sacrificed, Cruelty: Black Rose Torture was the second of these pairings. They were popular together, though they became rivals both on and off-screen. After Azuma began having starring roles of her own in 1976, she stopped appearing with Naomi Tani. The two were linked again in romantic scandal when Tani's manager-boyfriend left her for Azuma in 1977.
Director Katsuhiko Fujii had previously been assigned to sequels in the Apartment Wife and Eros Schedule Book series, without much success. With Cruelty: Black Rose Torture he found the dark style and SM themes which would become his career forte. He was again teamed with Tani and Azuma in their next SM and torture opus, Oryu's Passion: Bondage Skin
(1975), and went on to a career as one of Nikkatsu's most highly-regarded "Best SM" directors.
, "the film isn't as masterful as Masaru Konuma's legendary project". They judge that Fujii was an excellent choice to direct the project, and credit it with his putting his career into the SM genre.
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film in Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
's Roman porno series, directed by Katsuhiko Fujii and starring Naomi Tani
Naomi Tani
is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films with an S&M theme during the 1970s.-Early career:Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Naomi Tani moved to Tokyo at the age of 18. After arrival in Tokyo, she was featured in a photo layout...
.
Synopsis
In pre-war Japan, Yumiko, an aristocratic lady, accompanied by her maid, travels to Tokyo to visit her brother. Unaware that her brother has become involved in anti-governmental activities and left the city, the two women are captured, raped and tortured by the military policeKempeitai
The was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie...
. Two years later, during the war, the government confiscates Yumiko's estate, turning it into a torture chamber for the inquisition of prisoners. Yumiko and her maid are among those who are subjected to sexual indignities.
Background
Since first entering the softcore pornographic genre in 1971, Nikkatsu had been courting the "Queen" of pink film, Naomi TaniNaomi Tani
is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films with an S&M theme during the 1970s.-Early career:Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Naomi Tani moved to Tokyo at the age of 18. After arrival in Tokyo, she was featured in a photo layout...
to work for them. Because Nikkatsu was reluctant to work in the SM genre, Tani's specialty, and Tani preferred to have starring roles in independent productions rather than supporting roles at Nikkatsu, she refused. When the studio agreed to film Tani's SM projects Flower and Snake
Flower and Snake
aka Flowers and Serpents is a Japanese soft-core S/M film starring Naomi Tani, directed by Masaru Konuma and produced by Nikkatsu. Based on a novel by Oniroku Dan , Japan's best-known author of S&M fiction, Flower and Snake was the first of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno films to deal with an S&M theme...
and Wife to be Sacrificed
Wife to Be Sacrificed
is a Japanese soft-core pornographic S/M film starring Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. The film was produced by Nikkatsu studios as part of their Roman Porno series.- Background :...
(both 1974) and both became major hits, Nikkatsu officially entered the genre, with Tani as their SM Queen. With Cruelty: Black Rose, the studio created the "Black Rose" nickname for Tani, which they would continue to use in film titles starring Tani which otherwise had no connection. Some such titles include Black Rose Ascension (1975), Lady Black Rose (1978).
After Naomi Tani and Terumi Azuma had first worked together in Masaru Konuma
Masaru Konuma
is a Japanese director most famous for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s.-Early life:Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retains no memories of his father who was a teacher...
's Wife to be Sacrificed
Wife to Be Sacrificed
is a Japanese soft-core pornographic S/M film starring Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. The film was produced by Nikkatsu studios as part of their Roman Porno series.- Background :...
(1974), Nikkatsu teamed the two women in several more projects, in which Azuma served in a supporting role to Tani. After Wife to be Sacrificed, Cruelty: Black Rose Torture was the second of these pairings. They were popular together, though they became rivals both on and off-screen. After Azuma began having starring roles of her own in 1976, she stopped appearing with Naomi Tani. The two were linked again in romantic scandal when Tani's manager-boyfriend left her for Azuma in 1977.
Director Katsuhiko Fujii had previously been assigned to sequels in the Apartment Wife and Eros Schedule Book series, without much success. With Cruelty: Black Rose Torture he found the dark style and SM themes which would become his career forte. He was again teamed with Tani and Azuma in their next SM and torture opus, Oryu's Passion: Bondage Skin
Oryu's Passion: Bondage Skin
is a 1975 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Katsuhiko Fujii and starring Naomi Tani and Terumi Azuma.-Synopsis:When the boss of a yakuza clan in 1920s Osaka is assassinated, Oryu, his mistress, vows revenge. Her search for the killer takes her out of the city. The old...
(1975), and went on to a career as one of Nikkatsu's most highly-regarded "Best SM" directors.
Critical appraisal
In their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the Weissers give the film a three out of four rating, but note, in comparison to Naomi Tani and Terumi Azuma's previous pairing-- Wife to be SacrificedWife to Be Sacrificed
is a Japanese soft-core pornographic S/M film starring Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. The film was produced by Nikkatsu studios as part of their Roman Porno series.- Background :...
, "the film isn't as masterful as Masaru Konuma's legendary project". They judge that Fujii was an excellent choice to direct the project, and credit it with his putting his career into the SM genre.