The Insect Woman (1963)
"Nippon konchûki" (original title)

Amorality in Japan. Tome is born into poverty in rural Japan, in the late 1910s. Chuji, her father, dotes on her; her mother is less faithful. Tome becomes a neighbor's mistress, works at ... See full summary »

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Keiji Hasebe, Shôhei Imamura

Stars:

Emiko Aizawa, Setsuko Amamiya, Tomio Aoki

12 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Emiko Aizawa	...	Rui
Setsuko Amamiya
Tomio Aoki
Tomoko Aoyagi
Emiko Azuma	...	Kane
Hyôe Enoki
Kazuko Fujii
Makiko Fujisawa
Makiko Fukamachi
Masumi Harukawa	...	Midori
Yûzô Harumi
Sachiko Hidari	...	Tome Matsuki
Joji Hidehara
Daizaburo Hirata	...	Kamibayashi
Jirô Hiratsuka

Storyline

Amorality in Japan. Tome is born into poverty in rural Japan, in the late 1910s. Chuji, her father, dotes on her; her mother is less faithful. Tome becomes a neighbor's mistress, works at his mill as World War II rages, and has a daughter. After an affair with a mill supervisor, Tome goes to Tokyo to seek her fortune. She leaves the child, Nobuko, in Chuji's care. Tome's a maid at a brothel, learns trade from the madam, enjoys the protection of a businessman whose mistress she becomes, and is soon herself the boss. As Chuji ages and Nobuko grows up with her own ideas, can Tome's self-preserving schemes provide continued comfort? Or will the mice scamper over her?

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Plot Keywords:

japan | poverty | 1910s | brothel | spanning generations | 

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Taglines:

She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

30 June 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Insect

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nikkatsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (1995)

User Reviews

THE INSECT WOMAN (Shohei Imamura, 1963) ***

THE INSECT WOMAN is essentially a rags-to-riches-to-rags story told in fragmentary style against a backdrop of significant historical events of 20th Century Japan. The film's title (it also goes by the more clinical name of ENTOMOLOGICAL CHRONICLES OF JAPAN!) remains obscure, however, unless the director wants to assimilate Japanese women to hard-working (i.e. slave-like) insects. Indeed, leading lady Sachiko Hidari (an excellent, award-winning performance) slowly rises from the position of simple prostitute in an exclusive brothel to that of - the equivalent of a Queen Bee, one assumes - madam of said establishment (eventually being replaced by her own daughter!). There is also a subtle hint of incest here, with the woman's father showing an unhealthy interest in her growing up - an affection which is then transferred to the daughter, once she leaves the country for the big city! Another interesting, if entirely gratuitous, touch is the director's idiosyncratic (since it is heavily featured in all 3 of his early films I've watched) use of freeze-framing as a means of transition from one scene to the next.