This companion piece to Nagisa Oshima's controversial In the Realm of the Senses (recently given an NC-17 rating), played in theaters under the title Empire of Passion, and is quite different, in many respects, from its predecessor (making the marketing link between the two titles both unnecessary and potentially damaging). Where Senses dealt with the modern day psychology of sex in a graphic manner, Passion is an old-fashioned morality play in "ghost story" garb. Set in 1895, the film features Senses star Tatsuya Fuji as Toyoji, a young man who falls in love with an older, married woman named Seki (Kazuko Yoshiyuki). When Toyoji pleads with Seki to agree to help murder her husband, an older rickshaw driver, she agrees. After strangling the husband and depositing his body in a well, Seki is haunted by her husband's ghost; while Toyoji finds himself magnetically drawn to the damning well again and again. Eventually, the suspicion of the villagers is aroused, and an inspector arrives to investigate the disappearance of the rickshaw driver. Winner of a Best Director honor at the Cannes Film Festival, In the Realm of Passion features superb cinematography, top-notch performances from the leads, and a quite unexpected strong sense of humor. Very accessible, and carrying easy-to-read yellow subtitling, this foreign gem is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
In the Realm of Passion
color. In Japanese w/English subtitles. Fox Lorber Home Video. (1978). $89.95. Rated: R Library Journal
In the Realm of Passion
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