#467: OSHIMA, Nagisa: Empire Of Passion (1978)

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OSHIMA, Nagisa (Japan)
Empire Of Passion [1978]
Spine #467
DVD


With an arresting mix of eroticism and horror, Nagisa Oshima plunges the viewer into a nightmarish tale of guilt and retribution in Empire of Passion (Ai no borei). Set in a Japanese village at the end of the nineteenth century, the film details the emotional and physical downfall of a married woman and her younger lover following their decision to murder her husband and dump his body in a well. Empire of Passion was Oshima's only true kaidan (Japanese ghost story), and the film, a savage, unrelenting experience, earned him the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival.

105 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Japanese
1:66:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2009
Director/Writers


Based on a book by Itoko Nakamura.

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Thirty-two page booklet featuring an essay by renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns and a 1978 interview with Oshima.

Commentary

None.

Double Obsession: Seki, Sada, and Oshima

A video essay by film historian and critic Catherine Russell.
Interviews

With actors Yoshiyuki and Fuji.
Interview program

From 2003 featuring production consultant Koji Wakamatsu and assistant directors Yusuke Narita and Yoichi Sai.
U.S. trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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