Sunday, March 3, 2013

DVD Review: FEMALE TEACHER: IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS (1982)

FEMALE TEACHER: IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS (1982)  

Label: Impulse Pictures
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Region Code: 1 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 70 minutes
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Yasurou Uegaki
Cast: Rushia Santo, Toru Nakane, Toshiyuki Kitami


Well, the wife stepped out for a bit so once again it's time to throw on another naughty pinky violence film from Nikkatsu's Erotic Films Collection courtesy of Impulse Pictures, purveyors of fine filth. This time out it's Yasurou Uegaki's Female Teacher: In Front of the Class (1982) starring the exquisite Rushia Santo as a young school teacher named Reiko at a very weird high school where the rape pretty teachers seems to be at the very least an extra curricular activity worth a few extra credits. 

One day while showering after tennis practice Reikio is assaulted and raped by a man wearing a stocking over his face, in the aftermath she is left a wet drippy mess on the floor of the shower, a clue to the rapist's identity is left behind, a nondescript puzzle piece. Reiko, for reasons unknown, does not report the crime, she instead sets about sleuthing the identity of the rapist herself, which leads down a head-scratching path of questionable decisions and further acts of rape, some of which turns arguably consensual after the initial shock of being raped! The film seems to attempt to explore the fetishistic aspects of rape, a subject that has curdled my milk, from my first viewing of Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) truly makes me squirm in my seat, call me nutty but it's just hard to enjoy rape. Given the option I would much prefer the rape revenge aesthetic of Meir Zarchi's I Spit on Your Grave (1978) wherein the victim is allowed to exact some much deserved revenge upon the perpetrators, with this film we get something quite a bit different. This entry of the Female Teacher series is a challenging watch, Reiko is raped but then she endures further rape, humiliation and even torture in pursuit of the culprit behind the initial shower room rape, it's weird stuff that falls into the realm of violent sexploitation, it forces you to squirm a bit while you digest the dark, erotic delights, if you can given the context of the sex acts. As with all the Nikkatsi erodoctions from Impulse Pictures this is a censored cut of the film. Japanese censorship laws at the time forbid genitalia and pubic hair, as such it demanded strategic placement of the camera or the more intrusive digital scrambling of the image, creating a white fog over the offending parts, the image of a snatch apparently so offensive but semen oozing down a woman's inner thigh apparently not quite so much, gotta love the Japanese kink. 

DVD: Impulse Pictures DVD presentation looks quite good presenting the film in it's original anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) presentation, transferred from a nice print with very few instances of dirt and scratches, colors are strong and black levels are decent. The Japanese language Dolby Digital mono audio sounds very nice, too. Dialogue is clear and the score comes through nicely, newly translated optional English subtitles are also available.

Special features are pretty slim, we get a very nice widescreen presentation, the original theatrical trailer and the usual informative liner notes from film historian Jasper Sharp, while short on features this is yet another solid release courtesy of Impulse Pictures. 

Special Features:
- Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) Transfer
- Newly Translated Removable English Subtitles
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Liner Notes from Japanese Film Scholar Jasper Sharp


Verdict: This seedy slice of Asian perversion features quite an array of bizarre and dark scenarios that will have you scratching your skull, the material can be a bit challenging but there's no denying the allure of this lurid Nikkatsu rape-fantasy film. 2.5 Outta 5