Zegen (1987)

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Shôhei Imamura, Kota Okabe

Stars:

Mitsuko Baishô, Bang-ho Cho, Yuki Furutachi

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mitsuko Baishô	...	Shiho
Bang-ho Cho	...	Komashitai
Yuki Furutachi
Shino Ikenami	...	Tome
Kozo Ishii	...	Kumai
Satoko Iwasaki
Kurenai Kanda	...	Otsuno
Chôichirô Kawarazaki	...	Kunikura
Chun Hsiung Ko	...	Wang (as Chun-Hsiung Ko)
Hiroyuki Konishi	...	Uehara
Leonard Kuma	...	Shop owner
Mami Kumagaya	...	Kino
Norihei Miki	...	Asanaga
Ken Ogata	...	Iheiji Muraoka
Sanshô Shinsui	...	Chota

Storyline

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 September 1987 (Japan)

Also Known As:

O Imperador dos Bordéis

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imamura Productions, Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Black comedy/satire about Japan and cultural imperialism.

This movie is black satire of Japanese imperial ambitions in the 20th century. In Meiji era Japan (1868-1910), the Japanese state sought to establish itself as an empire as a way to both catch up to and remain free from the West. These activities also lay the foundation for the disasters to come mid-century. This movie satirizes those efforts from a mid-1980s perspective, giving it an obvious subtext of being a commentary on the efforts of late 20th century Japanese businessmen abroad as well. The "hero" is a businessman who, realizing that the Japanese armed forces will likely soon be advancing across Asia, decides that they will require brothels wherever they go as well and so sets up shop in Southeast Asia. A very black comedy from one of Japan's finest film satirists (cf. "Pigs and Battleships," "The Pornographers") best known abroad ca. 1999 for "The Eel" and "Black Rain" (the film based on the novel about Hiroshima, not the Michael Douglas flick).