:
Eiko Matsuda,
Eiko Matsuda,
Tatsuya Fuji,
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:
Nagisa Oshima,
Nagisa Oshima
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Criterion
: Drama, Foreign, Japan, Erotica
: 105 min.
: Japanese
: English
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Based upon a true incident in 1930s Japan, Nagisa Oshima's controversial film effectively skirts the borderline between pornography and art -- making Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris of four years earlier look like children's programming in comparison. The story concerns servant and former prostitute Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) who becomes sexually obsessed with her employer Kizicho (Tatsuya Fuji), a businessman, after seeing him making love to his wife. After making love to Sada, Kizicho becomes obsessed with her as well. As their love-making becomes more and more intense, they find themselves unable to separate themselves from each other, until every waking hour is spent in more and more dangerous sexual acts with Sada becoming more and more of the aggressor. Finally, for the ultimate in eroticism, Kizicho agrees to be strangled during sexual ecstasy for the ultimate in orgasmic fulfillment. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
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| not your typical erotica
by wb1831
October 5, 2006 - 12:17 PM PDT
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2 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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This is not typical "Erotica". This movie is actually a sexually explicit drama, and not suitable for inclusion in a romantic evening with one's significant other. One reviewer advises not to view this movie on a first date -- i advise not to consider this movie suitable for any date.
The movie has a very shocking ending. so much so that my wife refused to watch the final scene.
The director's bizarre decision to include actual footage of naked pre-school-age children being fondled by an adult did nothing for the story line and even if it had aided the story line, the director could have found more socially appropriate ways to film it.
on another note, the clunky film editing forces the viewer to make certain inferences that may or may not become clear later in the film. (i.e. are they in a hotel or another room of their house? etc.)
on still another note, i found the plot, story line, and cinemetography to be engaging (notwithstanding the above discussion), hence the rating of 7.
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| Amazing
by NBoeger
July 6, 2006 - 2:57 PM PDT
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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This movie is not borderline anything. It is pornographic, disturbing, wicked, and excellent. Love is a tricky thing and sex is even tricker. Some men fear being consumed by women, and in Japan this is an old myth. This movie shows how a women can consume a man. Almost every language has words like succubus. And this movie is a good example of how such words came to be.
Mind you, this movie is not for the faint of heart. I would also not recommend watching it on a first date. However, if you have time and an open mind, sit back, sip some Sake, and enjoy.
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| Love and war
by MrEricSir
March 16, 2005 - 6:47 PM PST
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6 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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Note: My review is of the subtittled version of the film, not the cheesy, completely dubbed version GreenCine carries. They even dubbed the moans and groans. (Don't let their movie info fool you -- it's pulled from AMG and has nothing to do with the DVDs they carry!)
Imagine yourself as a Japanese man during wartime who could get drafted at the drop of a hat. All around you are reminders of the horrible fate your country has in store for its young men. Do you happily march to your recruitment office to perform your civic duty?
Not if you're like Kichizo, the main male character in this film, who instead opts to stay inside all day and cheat on his wealthy-yet-boring spouse with one of her attractive young maids.
While this film could be viewed as merely pornographic because of the almost constant sex, it's actually a very emotional film based on a true story. The cinematography is modeled after classic Japanese art and it's among the best I've seen in any film.
My only complaint about this film is sometimes the subtitles seem a bit lacking. This film makes me want to learn Japanese so I can understand it more clearly.
I'm not going to give away the shocking (yet true!) ending, but if this film appeals to you rent it now and discover for yourself why the slightly crazy Sada was revered in Japan for years.
(Thanks to Prof. Steier at San Francisco State University for introducing me to this film.) |
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