Digi-Schlock: TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN IN JAIL: SEX HELL and DEBAUCHERY (Impulse Pictures DVDs)

Now that Severin has expanded its range of genres beyond erotica, Impulse Pictures is becoming the new king of vintage erotica specialists in the cult DVD world.  With releases like the Schoolgirl Report series and Aphrodisiac!, they have done a fine job of spreading the retro-skin flick gospel thus far.  However, their work reached a new level of importance in 2010 when they acquired the rights to release several "Roman Porno" titles from Japanese film studio Nikkatsu.  They whetted the appetites of fans with the amazing Nikkatsu Roman Porno Trailers Collection and since then, enthusiasts of the extreme have awaited the releases of the actual films with baited breath.Thankfully, the end results were worth the wait.  Impulse has released their first two titles in this line, True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Sex Hell and Debauchery, and the results are some of this label's most impressive releases.  Image quality on both titles is spot-on, with both films presented in anamorphic transfers that look ravishing.  True Story is presented in its original 2.35:1 scope format while Debauchery has 1.85:1 that accurately reflects its original theatrical ratio.  Each title is sharp and rich with color, with Debauchery looking particularly eye-popping thanks to its early 1980's rock video style and emphasis on the color red in a few key scenes.In terms of audio, these discs use the original Japanese mono soundtracks and present them with English subtitles.  Both sound good and the subs on each are easy to read.The main extra included with each disc is an insert booklet that features the original poster art for the film in question and a two-page essay for each title by Japanese pink-film scholar Jasper Sharp.  Sharp covers a lot of material in a concise and engaging manner for each film, discussing the careers of the actors and filmmakers involved in each film and supplying context for where each film fits into Roman Porno history.  The Debauchery disc also includes the trailer for the film, which sells its cavalcade of perversions in a delirious and eye-catching manner.Some might complain about the light amount of extras but it's worth noting that these are extremely rare films getting a premium presentation in terms of a/v quality.  You get what you pay for - and these discs offer a high level of quality in both the presentation and the liner notes for the cult film fan's dollar.  If you're a fan of Japanese exploitation/erotica, these are amongst the most important cult DVD releases of the year so pick them up a.s.a.p. and ensure that this promising new line continues.To read Schlockmania's film review of True Story Of A Woman In Jail: Sex Hell, click here.To read Schlockmania's film review of Debauchery, click here.