Based on a true story set in pre-war Japan, a man and one of his servants begin a torrid affair. Their desire becomes a sexual obsession so strong that to intensify their ardor, they forsake all, even life itself.
I wish I could report that Eiko Matsuda’s groundbreaking role led to a long and distinguished career, but the truth is that her role as historical murderess Sada Abe had a negative effect on her career. She was reviled by the Japanese public, rejected by directors, and in some cases wasn’t even allowed to audition. She eventually escaped to live in France, made one minor film there, then abandoned her acting career just six years after this film was the toast of Cannes. She died before her 60th birthday.
It is very sad that this was the reaction.
Typical Japanese uptightness about sex. Tentacle porn OK, man/woman stuff no.
Also, when he’s going at her with that egg, is it a *jade* egg? Inquiring Paltrows want to know.
I read the article, but it reads that she did ‘In the Realm of the Senses’ then ‘pink’ movies, then left Japan. Looking at her IMDB, she did 5 movies in Japan after that film, and of course the French comedy film at the end.
Now while three of those five are in the ‘pink’ sub-genre, two are not one is a ganster/yakyza film & the other is an crime-action film directed by the acclaimed Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) and starring the one and only Sonny Chiba.
Looking at her career though she was a fresh movie actress with only two films before that, one an of the time, action film & the other another crime-gangster film.
Also, the real event would have been fresh in the public consiousness at the time, since it would have been only ~36 years removed from the time it happened.
She honestly reminds me of Margo Stilley (9 Songs) but unlike Margo, who managed a career for 16 years after that film (but was a complete unknown when it was released) had a similar impact to her personally.
The mores of early 70’s Japan being what they were added to the stigma of Matsuda leaving Jpaan and her career halting, but if she would have continued to work, push past the stigma, she could have had a long, distinguished career, but we’ll never know.
Unfortunately even with the scant interviews available with her, we’ll never know how she moved on, what she continued to do with her life past that initial 10-15 year period that was covered.
On the other side, she is immortalized in this film and given its notoriety will be remembered long after now that she has passed away.
I have this film on DVD (with a future upgrade to Blu-Ray coming soon along with another Oshima film in “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) as this was fucking intense. I don’t know if I’d want to see this as it is not a film to be turned on by as it just goddamn shocking.
I’ve never seen the film, but of course have heard about it for years. But today I was inspired to read the Wiki on the real-life Sada Abe.
And . . . Jeebus. Just Jeebus.
Also, interesting how the real-life Abe strangely seemed to be more accepted by the Japanese public than the actress playing her.
I don’t know the facts, but I’m guessing that Matsuda was ostracized for performing a real sex scene, not a fake murder.
Well, yeah, that’s the point. Matsuda acts in real sex scenes and gets ostracized, while Abe, 40 years before, actually kills someone (and has lots of kinky sex along the way) but was relatively less stigmatized.
Although interestingly it seems that a lot of the anti-sex/nudity attitudes in Japan were actually a postwar development.
The movie was financed by French producers since Japan would not sign off on the explicit sex, I still don’t think it’s been screened uncut there
Finding that movie at a West Coast Video (remember those?) in the late 80s was mind-blowing, especially since this was before our Sada, Lorena Bobbitt