It's a great shame that Dolls of the Shogun's Harem is not more widely known. It's brilliant. It may be categorized as a "pink" (Japanese: eiga) movie, but it is actually impeccably tasteful. All the core love scenes are tender and beautiful (except for the opening scene), and serves to underscore the movie's most important feature: Realism. Hard-hitting, uncompromising and highly believable realism. All the more interesting because it lucidly chronicles a part of history that we are seldom informed about in any clear way.
What we have is an immensely well-produced, nearly two hours long movie about what the life inside a shogun's harem is like. There are many complex characters (incl. the shogun), and several plot-lines which are all resolved beautifully by the end. We are made privy to every aspect of a concubine's life. Discovery, training, internal intrigues, what happens to them when the shogun dies, etc. It is a rare glimpse into Edo period history (~1680 A.D.), incl. a detailed portrayal of an abortion doctor. It is an incredibly worthwhile and satisfying movie in every way; a well-rounded period classic to rival any literary costume drama produced in the West.
The only thing about the story I would call contrived and perhaps gratuitous is when the doctor has to "work his way" through ALL the ex-concubines in order to determine which one smells a certain way when reaching ecstasy. It's funny, but probably not realistic. Everything else really is, though.
Overall this movie features great characterization, great acting, great writing and great production values. Certainly one of the very best and most complex Japanese movies I have ever seen. Any fan of Asian cinema and Japanese history will be thrilled to see this movie. On that you can depend.
(Edit 2013: I have just had the rare opportunity to watch this amazing movie again, and it wow'ed me at least as much as in 2006. I'm upping my rating from 9 to 10, and despairing at how few people have even heard of, much less seen, this great movie. As of this writing, only 46 people have rated it! In its way, this movie is as good as a great Kurosawa movie. Catch it if you get the chance, typically in an art house cinema. It's not available on a subtitled DVD. Let's hope it one day will be.)
10 out of 10.
What we have is an immensely well-produced, nearly two hours long movie about what the life inside a shogun's harem is like. There are many complex characters (incl. the shogun), and several plot-lines which are all resolved beautifully by the end. We are made privy to every aspect of a concubine's life. Discovery, training, internal intrigues, what happens to them when the shogun dies, etc. It is a rare glimpse into Edo period history (~1680 A.D.), incl. a detailed portrayal of an abortion doctor. It is an incredibly worthwhile and satisfying movie in every way; a well-rounded period classic to rival any literary costume drama produced in the West.
The only thing about the story I would call contrived and perhaps gratuitous is when the doctor has to "work his way" through ALL the ex-concubines in order to determine which one smells a certain way when reaching ecstasy. It's funny, but probably not realistic. Everything else really is, though.
Overall this movie features great characterization, great acting, great writing and great production values. Certainly one of the very best and most complex Japanese movies I have ever seen. Any fan of Asian cinema and Japanese history will be thrilled to see this movie. On that you can depend.
(Edit 2013: I have just had the rare opportunity to watch this amazing movie again, and it wow'ed me at least as much as in 2006. I'm upping my rating from 9 to 10, and despairing at how few people have even heard of, much less seen, this great movie. As of this writing, only 46 people have rated it! In its way, this movie is as good as a great Kurosawa movie. Catch it if you get the chance, typically in an art house cinema. It's not available on a subtitled DVD. Let's hope it one day will be.)
10 out of 10.
