Ai no corrida (1976)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Nagisa Oshima

Writer:

Nagisa Oshima (writer)

Release Date:

1 April 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Based on a true story set in pre-war Japan, a man and one of his servants begin a torrid affair. Their...

Plot Keywords:

Desire | Pre War | Sexual Obsession | Obsession | Eating

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Tatsuya Fuji	...	Kichizo Ishida
Eiko Matsuda	...	Sada Abe
Aoi Nakajima	...	Toku
Yasuko Matsui	...	Tagawa Inn Manager
Meika Seri	...	Matsuko (Yoshidaya maid)
Kanae Kobayashi	...	Old geisha Kikuryû
Taiji Tonoyama	...	Old Beggar
Kyôji Kokonoe	...	Teacher Ômiya
Naomi Shiraishi	...	Geisha Yaeji
Shinkichi Noda	...	Old Restaurant Man
Komikichi Hori	...	Mitsuwa Geisha
Kikuhei Matsunoya	...	Hôkan jester
Akiko Koyama	...	Mansaki Geisha
Yuriko Azuma	...	Mitsuwa Geisha
Rei Minami	...	Mitsuwa Geisha

Also Known As:

In the Realm of the Senses (Canada: English title) (USA)
Ai no corrida 2000 (Japan) (reissue title)
Bullfight of Love (Japan) (literal English title)
Empire of the Senses
L'empire des sens (France)
The Realm of the Senses

Runtime:

UK:109 min | 108 min (original version) | Argentina:103 min | Australia:107 min (2000 re-release) | Norway:104 min | USA:101 min | Argentina:98 min (DVD version)

Country:

Japan | France

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1991) | Canada:R (Ontario) (1991) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Alberta) (1998) | USA:X (original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Iceland:Unrated | Finland:(Banned) (cut) (1977) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1976) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1978) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1997) | Hungary:18 | Italy:VM18 | Chile:18 | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) (2001) | Singapore:(Banned) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1992) | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) | Brazil:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:(Banned) (1992-2000) | Australia:R (re-rating) (2000) | Australia:X (original rating) | France:-16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:(Banned) | Japan:R-18 (re-rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 (1999) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Japan:(Banned) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Kyoto, Japan

Company:

Argos Films

Trivia:

The film was banned by Israeli censors in 1987. The ban was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court. See also Jenin, Jenin (2002).

Quotes:

Kichizo: I've got to pee. Okay with you?
Sada Abe: There's no need to leave. Do it here.
Kichizo: Where?
Sada Abe: Inside of Sada, all nice and warm.
Kichizo: You're mad! It's impossible to do both at the same time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La boum (1980)

Good!!

Nagisa Oshima has achieved what few other directors have managed in dealing with the very touchy subject of sex, in this instance, with sexual obsession. If you plan to watch this movie for a cheap sexual thrill, you will be most disappointed. Oshima has drawn from a real incident reported in a 1936 Japanese newspaper. The film centers around the love between two people expressed physically, graphically, into realms of the senses where few dare to tread. And with good reason. This is a very intense film as it progresses from the attraction of two people through increasing experimentation in an effort not only to express their passion but to try to find the outer most limits of passion itself. Oshima must have had something metaphorical in mind but the journey as chronicled in the film also has retained the feel of the specifics. It's quirkey and eccentric. The backdrop of the story is as interesting as the story itself. It is an amazing spectacle to observe, giving the viewer a perspective on Japanese life not usually rendered but often alluded to in some historical accounts. One wonders what this experience must have been like for the actors. Oshima has managed what I have always believed should be done in order to treat the subject of sex fully and without shrinking from its' less savory aspects. This is serious minded erotica and quite unlike anything else on screen. The only other film I can recall that compares at all is "Taxi Zum Klo" which was autobiographical and starred a number of actual people playing themselves.Obviously a different catagory in that regard from what is going on here, but both films draw much of their power from explicitly sexual scenes without compromising the integrity of the story being told. This is a film experience that should not be missed.