2019 Blind Spot Series: In the Realm of the Senses

Written and directed by Nagisa Oshima, In the Realm of the Senses is a film based on a real-life incident in 1930s Japan involving a destructive love affair between a man and a woman during a tumultuous time in Japan. The film is an exploration of a torrid affair between a maid and her abusive boss as it turns into a wild experiment of sexual pleasure that later takes on some new extremes. Starring Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui, Meika Seri, Kanae Kobayashi, Taiji Tonoyama, and Kyoji Kokonoe. In the Realm of the Senses is an eerie yet provocative film from Nagisa Oshima.

Set in 1936 Tokyo, the film revolves around a real-life incident involving a former prostitute working at a hotel and its owner as their sexual affair becomes a chaotic and toxic relationship that pushes their sexual and emotional yearnings to great extremes. It’s a film that explores two people who are married to other people as they become fascinated with one another and then carry on a secret affair that eventually becomes tumultuous and perverse. Nagisa Oshima’s screenplay doesn’t really much of a plot as its first act is about how Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) meets the hotel owner Kichizo Ishida (Tatsuya Fuji) after watching him having sex with his wife Toku (Aoi Nakajima) while is working as a waitress for the hotel despite having to share rooms with other employees as she works to fulfill a debt her husband is trying to finish off.

Ishida becomes fascinated by Abe as well as see her as another sexual conquest that eventually becomes a secret affair where the film’s second act has them move away from the hotel and somewhere in the middle of Tokyo. The affair would intensify into elements of sadomasochism and other explicit sexual acts that would disturb people working at another inn or hotel. To make money to stay in those places, Abe would return to prostitution where she would find new pleasure in sadomasochism as it would add to greater extremes in her relationship with Ishida where it would become destructive and chaotic.

Oshima’s direction in the film does have bits of style but it is in the way he presents this toxic relationship between Abe and Ishida that is unsettling in terms of what he does as it relates to sex. Shot on various locations in nearby areas of Tokyo, the film does play into this world of growing imperialism where Japan is changing yet its morals are becoming unruly as this affair between Abe and Ishida would later be described as scandalous for its time. Some of Oshima’s compositions are stylish in some of the wide shots along with high and low angles to get a look into a room or a location yet much of his direction is intimate as it’s often set inside a room where there is a claustrophobic element but also a place where Abe and Ishida can isolate themselves from a world that is judgmental but also ever-changing in this emergence of imperialism. Some of the dramatic moments in the film including scenes where Abe and Ishida are walking in the rain showcase a couple having some fun although there is also a sense of danger into what are they doing. Especially as it relates to their sexual relationship as they would continuously push themselves for pleasure to the point of obsession.

Oshima definitely goes into places in his presentation of explicit, non-simulated sexual content that is confrontational but also blurring the line of what can be considered pornography or what is perceived as art. One notable scene of Abe and Ishida having sex in front of a group of young geishas that eventually leads to an orgy is an odd scene where the orgy is happening while an old man is doing a traditional dance to traditional music. It’s among these extravagant set pieces that Oshima creates including moments where Abe would offer herself with Ishida watching and going along with it or Abe having sex with an old man and asking him to slap and pinch her just so she can get off. The act of sex would get shocking as geishas, waitresses, and maids would often be shocked by the sight of Abe giving Ishida oral sex or the couple just having sex with full-on penetration being shown. Even in parts where Oshima would go into extreme close-ups of their genitals including Abe’s vagina at its most extreme.

Oshima’s direction also amps up the sexual content as it would play into the drama and obsession between the two where even something like erotic asphyxiation becomes a regular thing for the two. Oshima definitely raises a lot of question into how this relationship became scandalous during this time where Japan becomes an imperialist nation. The film’s final minutes aren’t just the most shocking aspects of the film but it also shows how fucked up love can be. Overall, Oshima crafts a riveting yet visceral film about an obsessive and chaotic love affair between a hotel manager and one of his maids.

Cinematographer Hideo Ito does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful and vibrant look with some unique lighting schemes by Kenichi Okamoto for many of the film’s interior setting as it add to this air of beauty and chaos in the film. Editors Keiichi Uraoka and Patrick Sauvion do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and extreme sexual content. Production/costume designer Jusho Toda and co-costume designer Masahiro Kato do amazing work with the look of the sets that Abe and Ishida would live in where it is lavish in some parts but small in some places while the costumes consist of these colorful robes along with bits of clothing that would play into their erotic appetites.

The makeup work of Koji Takemura is fantastic for the look of the geishas and the style of makeup they had to wear. The sound work of Tetsuo Yasuda is superb for its approach to sound effects and setting an atmosphere in the locations as well as in sparse ambient sounds. The film’s music by Minoru Miki is incredible for its usage of traditional Japanese string music that help play into the drama and unsettling tone of the film with its usage of the shamisen string instrument along with a few lush string orchestral pieces in the film as it one of the film’s major highlights.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Kanae Kobayashi as an old geisha who is not shocked by Abe and Ishida’s exploits, Taiji Tonoyama as an old beggar who is eager to get sexual pleasure from Abe, Naomi Shiraishi and Komikichi Hori as a couple of geishas, Kyoji Kokonoe as a schoolteacher whom Abe would sleep with for money, Meika Sera as a hotel maid, Yasuko Matsui as an inn manager, and Aoi Nakajima in a terrific small role as Ishida’s wife Toku. The performances of Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji are phenomenal in their respective roles as Sada Abe and Kichizo Ishida as couple having an affair that becomes intense and chaotic with the former as someone that is eager to have an orgasm better than the last one she had and the latter as a man who is into kinky sexual acts where they both love each other but also grow to get more provocative in their thirst for sexual and emotional pleasure as their performances are daring in terms of what they do to provoke and confront love at its most primal.

In the Realm of the Senses is a tremendous film from Nagisa Oshima that features great performances from Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji. Along with its gorgeous visuals, mesmerizing music score, and an eerie take on a real-life story that explores sexual passion and taboos that would shock people during the time of Imperial Japan. It’s a film that is definitely uneasy to watch in terms of its graphic depiction of sex as well as what two people would do to push themselves to the limit. In the end, In the Realm of the Senses is a spectacular film from Nagisa Oshima.

Nagisa Oshima Films: (Tomorrow’s Sun) - (A Street of Love and Hope) - (Cruel Story of Youth) - (The Sun’s Burial) - (Night and Fog in Japan) - (The Catch) - (The Rebel) - (A Small Child’s First Adventure) - (It’s Me Here, Bellett) - (The Pleasures of the Flesh) - (Yunbogi’s Diary) - (Violence at High Noon) - (Tales of the Ninja/Band of Ninja) - (Sing a Song of Sex (A Treatsie on Japanese Bawdy Songs)) - (Double Suicide: Japanese Summer) - (Death by Hanging) - (Three Resurrected Drunkards) - (Diary of a Shinjuku Thief) - (Boy (1969 film)) - (Man Who Left His Will on Film) - (The Ceremony (1971 film)) - (Dear Summer Sister) – Empire of Passion - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - (Max, Mon Amour) - (Taboo (1999 film))

© thevoid99 2019

Empire of Passion

Based on the novel by Itoko Nakamura, Empire of Passion is the story about a married woman and her younger lover conspiring to kill the woman’s husband where they deal with the horrifying consequences. Written for the screen and directed by Nagisa Oshima, the film explores the world of extramarital affairs at its most intensity where two lovers deal with their passion and the aftermath of murder. Starring Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Tatsuya Fuji, Takahiro Tamura, and Takuzo Kawatani. Empire of Passion is a chilling yet evocative film from Nagisa Oshima.

A former soldier named Toyoji (Tatsuya Fuji) who has arrived in a small town as he finds himself attracted to an older Japanese barmaid named Seki (Kazuko Yoshiyuki). The two eventually have an affair as Toyoji wants to get rid of Seki’s husband Gisaburo (Takahiro Tamura) where Seki buys numerous amounts of alcohol to get Gisaburo drunk where Toyoji later kills him. After dumping him in a well, nothing happens for three years until Gisaburo’s ghost starts to appear scaring Seki as their secret affair become troubling. Even worse is when an inspector named Hotta (Takuzo Kawatani) arrives to asks questions where Toyoji tries to figure out what he’s doing leading to he and Seki to give in to pressure about what really happened.

Extramarital affairs often make stories that are interesting when it involves an older married woman and a younger man. When it involves murder during the late 1890s in Japan, that’s when things get really interesting when this couple have this very passionate affair that they try to hide from the locals. Yet, three years would pass as the locals begin to ask many questions while rumors would also swirl about the appearance of a man’s ghost that starts to haunt his wife and later her lover while a police inspector also arrives to cause trouble.

Nagisa Oshima’s screenplay not only explores the world of extramarital affairs but also the guilt that starts to come for these two people once they kill the woman’s husband. Notably as the appearance of Gisaburo’s ghost and the arrival of a police investigator starts to arrive in the film’s second act where it definitely has Seki delve into paranoia along with other strange situations. Even as she tries to stay away from Toyoji in order to keep both of them safe but events would happen where the town begins to learn about their relationship. Toyoji even starts to have things around him come into question where he would do things that would raise the suspicion of the entire town as it leads to some serious revelations about what happened to Gisaburo.

Oshima’s direction is very stylish in terms of his presentation of late 19th Century small town Japan where it is about this community of people that know each other. When this affair starts to happen in secret, things become questionable to the locals as the film features brief voiceover narrations from an unseen local. The look of the small town is lush and gorgeous in its many seasons but in the aftermath of Gisaburo’s death, there is a sense of disturbance by the array of mist that appears in the town in the mornings and at night. It’s part of the atmosphere that Oshima wants to create where this affair and murder eventually starts to seep into this small world where everything is peaceful. Things eventually get more intense by the time Inspector Hotta arrives where there’s moments where Oshima places the camera around a trio of old ladies gossiping about what is happening.

The direction also has Oshima create some chilling moments of suspense such as Seki accepting a ride from the ghost of Gisaburo that would have some eerie implications into whether she’s dreaming or not. It’s Oshima maintaining that unsettling atmosphere where he would even create some exotic moments such as the scenes at the well where the camera is placed looking at the sky. There’s a moment at the well where it would play to this sense of horror and intrigue where Oshima would find ways to not delve into convention about what is there or what’s going to happen. The film’s ending is poignant for not just what Seki and Toyoji do but what they have to face once a lot of truths are unveiled. Overall, Oshima creates a very captivating yet hypnotic film about guilt and passion.

Cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful photography from the exotic look of the daytime exterior scenes with the sun and at the forest during the fall to more eerie looks at night and at dawn along with some gorgeous shots of the scenes at the well. Editor Keiichi Uraoka does brilliant work with the editing to play up the suspense as well as slowing things down to build it up along with some rhythmic cuts for the more intense moments. Production designer Jusho Toda does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the houses and places the characters interact to the eerie look of the well where Seki and Toyoji dump the body.

The sound work of Tetsuo Yasuda and Alex Pront is terrific for the mood it creates in some of the film‘s chilling moments such as Seki‘s ride with Gisaburo as well other key scenes such as a dinner between Seki and Toyoji. The music of Toru Takemitsu is amazing for the mood it creates with its intricate and unsettling approach to string instruments along with the eerie sound textures it uses to maintain that air of suspense.

The film’s cast is wonderful for the small ensemble that includes notable small roles from Akiko Koyama as a landowner’s mother and Takuzo Kawatani as the very determined Inspector Hotta. Takahiro Tamura is excellent as the husband Gisaburo who is a kind man that gets killed as he would create this very eerie presence to haunt his wife. Kazuko Yoshiyuki is superb as the wife Seki who is reluctant to kill her husband as she becomes consumed guilt once his ghost arrives as she starts to lose it. Finally, there’s Tatsuya Fuji in a terrific performance as Toyoji who leads the plan to kill Gisaburo only to be consumed by all of the problems that is happening around him as he does whatever he can to save the love he has for Seki.

Empire of Passion is an eerie yet remarkable film from Nagisa Oshima. Armed with dazzling visuals, an ominous soundtrack, and stellar performances. It’s a film that explores the dangers of extramarital affairs and the guilt that eventually comes in. It’s also a film that has a unique take on the Japanese ghost story as it plays to the traditional schematics of horror. In the end, Empire of Passion is an extraordinary film from Nagisa Oshima.

Nagisa Oshima Films: (Tomorrow’s Sun) - (A Street of Love and Hope) - (Cruel Story of Youth) - (The Sun’s Burial) - (Night and Fog in Japan) - (The Catch) - (The Rebel) - (A Small Child’s First Adventure) - (It’s Me Here, Bellett) - (The Pleasures of the Flesh) - (Yunbogi’s Diary) - (Violence at High Noon) - (Tales of the Ninja/Band of Ninja) - (Sing a Song of Sex (A Treatsie on Japanese Bawdy Songs)) - (Double Suicide: Japanese Summer) - (Death by Hanging) - (Three Resurrected Drunkards) - (Diary of a Shinjuku Thief) - (Boy (1969 film)) - (Man Who Left His Will on Film) - (The Ceremony (1971 film)) - (Dear Summer Sister) - In the Realm of the Senses - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - (Max, Mon Amour) - (Taboo (1999 film))

© thevoid99 2012