"Masters of Horror" Imprint (2006)

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Daisuke Tengan (teleplay)
(more)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

25 February 2006 (Season 1, Episode 13)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

In the 1800s, an American returns to Japan to find the prostitute he fell in love with, but instead learns of the psychical and existential horror that befell her after he left.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Japan | Island | Journalist | Suicide

Cast

Billy Drago	...	Christopher
Shihô Harumi	...	Laborer #1 (as Shihou Harumi)
Michié	...	Komomo (as Michie)
Magy	...	Laborer #2
Shin'ichi Tokuhara	...	Laborer #3 (as Shinichi Tokuhara)
Takao Handa	...	Yoshi, Laborer #4
Hiroshi Kuze	...	Boatman
Miyuki Konno	...	Dead Woman
Yutaka Matsuzaki	...	Gate Keeper #1
Hiroshi Fujita	...	Gate Keeper #2
Sachiko Matsuura	...	Shamisen Player
Noriko Eguchi	...	Whore #1
Megumu Takada	...	Whore #2
Yuno	...	Whore #3
Miho Harita	...	Whore #4
Yûki Kudô	...	Woman
Toshie Negishi	...	Madam of the House
Mame Yamada	...	Touter
Tokitoshi Shiota	...	Elderly Woman
Risa Uehara	...	Girl with Blue Eyes
Kumiko Imai	...	Mother
Hôka Kinoshita	...	Father
Miho Ninagawa	...	Pregnant Woman
Suzuno Nomura	...	Girl in Woman's Flashback
Seriyu Ichino	...	Buddhist Priest (as Seiryu Ichino)
Shinichi Tanaka	...	Pimp
Yasushi Tomobe	...	Woman's Customer
Shimako Iwai	...	Torturer Woman
Katsuyuki Shimosugi	...	Boy #1
Haruo Fukuhara	...	Boy #2
Keita Murase	...	Boy #3
Dong Wook Min	...	Prison Guard #1
Takumi Matsumoto	...	Prison Guard #2

Directed by
Takashi Miike

Writing credits
Mick Garris		(creator)
Daisuke Tengan		(teleplay)
Shimako Iwai		(novel "Bokkê, kyôtê")

Produced by
Keith Addis	....	executive producer
Bo Altherr	....	producer: special features
Rie Arikawa	....	associate producer
Morris Berger	....	executive producer
Stephen R. Brown	....	executive producer (as Steve Brown)
Ben Browning	....	co-producer: Industry Entertainment
Andrew Deane	....	executive producer
Mick Garris	....	executive producer
Adam Goldworm	....	co-producer: Industry Entertainment
John W. Hyde	....	executive producer
Fumio Inoue	....	producer
Takeo Kodera	....	associate producer
Elizabeth Kushman	....	associate producer
Jennie Lew Tugend	....	producer
Yosuke Nakamura	....	co-producer
Danielle Reardon	....	associate producer
Lisa Richardson	....	producer
Tom Rowe	....	producer
Lauren Weissman	....	producer (as Lauren C. Weissman)
Akira Yamamoto	....	line producer

Original Music by
Kôji Endô		(as Kozy Endo Jr.)

Cinematography by
Toyomichi Kurita		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Yasushi Shimamura

Casting by
Nancy Nayor		(as Nancy Nayor Battino)
Tsuyoshi Sugino
Kelly Wagner		(as Kelly Martin Wagner)

Production Design by
Takashi Sasaki
Hisashi Sasaki		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Hiroshi Tanaka

Costume Design by
Michiko Kitamura

Makeup Department
Masao Fukuda	....	assistant special effects makeup artist
Jun Furukawa	....	assistant hair stylist
Jun Furukawa	....	assistant makeup artist
Tsukushi Ichikawa	....	hair stylist
Tsukushi Ichikawa	....	makeup artist
Kayo Ito	....	assistant hair stylist
Kayo Ito	....	assistant makeup artist
Satoshi Ito	....	assistant hair stylist
Satoshi Ito	....	assistant makeup artist
Kayoko Kinjyo	....	assistant hair stylist
Kayoko Kinjyo	....	assistant makeup artist
Hiroyuki Kusaka	....	wigs: Woman & Girl
Kennji Makita	....	chief assistant hair stylist
Kennji Makita	....	chief assistant makeup artist
Marou	....	assistant hair stylist
Marou	....	assistant makeup artist
Yûichi Matsui	....	special makeup effects artist
Norihiro Miyoshi	....	assistant special effects makeup artist
Hiroshi Nishigai	....	hair dye
Kaori Tokuda	....	assistant special effects makeup artist

Production Management
Margo Coughlin Zimmerman	....	production manager: IDT Entertainment (as Margo Zimmerman)
Tatsuya Mouri	....	production manager
Marie Norton	....	administrative manager: IDT Entertainment
Zaida Rodriguez	....	assistant manager: IDT Entertainment
Stacey Jade Smart	....	executive in charge of production: IDT Entertainment

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kentaro Horie	....	trainee assistant director
Shinjiro Nishimura	....	third assistant director
Masato Tanno	....	first assistant director
Yoshitaka Yamaguchi	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Youji Daitoku	....	set constructor
Shinsuke Kojima	....	art designer (as Shinnsuke Kojima)
Kazuta Matsunaga	....	property master
Hitomi Nimura	....	set dresser
Mika Okamoto	....	credits designer: end title text
Satoko Saito	....	art designer
Hiromitsu Soma	....	storyboard artist
Hideki Takeuchi	....	credits designer
Jun Tsukane	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Yukido Hotozuka	....	boom operator (as Yukio Hotozuka)
Masaki Ikeda	....	boom operator
Minako Imai	....	cable person
Takashi Kosaka	....	studio operator: Aoi Studio
Kenji Shibazaki	....	sound effects editor (as Kennji Shibazaki)
Hitoshi Tsurumaki	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Yûichi Matsui	....	special effects makeup (as Yuichi Matsui)
Akira Sakamoto	....	gun effects

Visual Effects by
Aki Fujita	....	cgi artist: OLM Digital
So Hashimoto	....	compositing supervisor: OLM Digital
Takashi Hosokawa	....	cgi artist: OLM Digital
Kaori Ohtagaki	....	cgi director: OLM Digital (as Kaori Ootagaki)
Misako Saka	....	CGI producer
Yuichi Yamamoto	....	cgi artist: OLM Digital
Shingo Yoshida	....	cgi artist: OLM Digital

Camera and Electrical Department
Toshiki Fukase	....	third assistant camera
Tomoko Ishikawa	....	still photographer
Michiaki Kamochi	....	electrician
Masao Kanazawa	....	gaffer
Masato Kaneko	....	first assistant camera
Kosuke Kasai	....	second assistant camera
Kohei Kato	....	fourth assistant camera
Daisuke Komada	....	electrician
Hidenori Nagate	....	best boy electric (as Hidenori Nagata)
Akihiro Shimura	....	electrician
Yoshinori Ueno	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shinichi Fuyuto	....	wardrobe production
Setsuko Ishida	....	kimono stylist
Kazuhiro Sawataishi	....	wardrobe
Yuko Sugiyama	....	kimono stylist (as Yuuko Sugiyama)
Osamu Tsuda	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Yuriko Hosono	....	assistant editor
Shigeyuki Toriumi	....	telecine
Yoshinari Yamzaki	....	on-line editor (as Yoshinari Yamazaki)

Music Department
Sachiko Matsuura	....	music performer: nagauta music
Sachiko Matsuura	....	musician: shamisen
Ed Shearmur	....	composer: theme music (as Edward Shearmur)

Other crew
Tomomi Aizawa	....	double: Komomo
Tomoo Fukatsu	....	location manager
Gary Garfinkel	....	network executive
Kristin Harris	....	production coordinator: IDT Entertainment
Emiko Kondo	....	stand-in
Yuri Morikawa	....	production accountant
Hidetoshi Oneda	....	making video director
Shinya Saeki	....	production assistant
Louis Schwartzberg	....	stock footage
Eriko Shimizu	....	production desk
Christian Storms	....	on-set interpreter
Christian Storms	....	screenplay translator
Akihito Terada	....	production assistant
Nadia Venesse	....	dialect coach
Steven Vlasak	....	operations manager
Golan Ramras	....	director of development: Kadokawa Pictures, USA (uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mick Garris		creator

Makeup Department
Leanne Rae Podavin	....	special makeup effects artist
Sherry Van Gool	....	additional assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raj Uppal	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Martin P. Blaine	....	lead carpenter
Bill Morrill	....	lead carpenter

Sound Department
Kris Casavant	....	assistant sound editor
Dario DiSanto	....	foley editor
Talvinder Gill	....	assistant sound editor
Shawn Miller	....	sound mixer: second unit

Special Effects by
Ozzy Alvarez	....	lab technician: K.N.B. EFX Group
Jenny Wallace	....	special effects runner

Stunts
Byron Briscoe	....	stunt double
Clint Carleton	....	stunt double: Ethan Embry
Janina Dall	....	stunt double
Jim Dunn	....	stunt coordinator (12 episodes)
Ashlea Earl	....	stunt double: Bree Turner
Lani Gelera	....	stunt double
Jon Kralt	....	stunt rider
James Ralph	....	stunt double: William Forsythe
Jeff Sanca	....	stunt driver
Sharon Simms	....	stunt double
Eli Zagoudakis	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
John Brown	....	rigging lamp operator
Jeff Cassidy	....	second assistant camera
T.C. Chapman	....	rigging gaffer
Glen A. Dickson	....	camera operator: "b" camera (episode: "Deer Woman")
David Gray	....	still photographer
Gary Stamford	....	gaffer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dawn Grey	....	dresser

Music Department
Amanda Sobeck	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
John Sorenson	....	driver
Larry Tardif	....	driver: camera car and process trailer

Other crew
Ron Buck	....	technical advisor: military
Simon Chin	....	extras wrangler
Andrzej Dec-Williams	....	assistant location manager (odd episodes) (as Andrzej Dec)
Pancho Mansfield	....	network executive
Sandra Montgomery	....	script supervisor: second unit
Rainer Scheelisch	....	special equipment
Stephen Sobisky	....	interactive designer
Ryan Steacy	....	armorer

Production Companies

• IDT Entertainment
• Industry Entertainment
• Kadokawa Herald Pictures
• Kadokawa Pictures
• Nice Guy Productions
• Reunion Pictures

Distributors

• Kadokawa Herald Pictures (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Bravo Television (2006) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinemax (2007) (Hungary) (TV)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• IDT Home Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2008) (Finland) (TV)
• Paris Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• SBP (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Vertice Cine (2007) (Spain) (DVD)

Special Effects

• OLM Digital (CGI)

Other Companies

• Aoi Studio  audio post-production
• BBC Motion Gallery  stock footage courtesy of
• Blacklight Films  stock footage
• Costa Abrams & Coate  legal counsel
• Getty Images  stock footage
• Thomas Cobb Design  main title design (as the Thomas Cobb Group)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | France:-16 | USA:TV-MA | Australia:MA | Australia:R (2007) (DVD rating) | Italy:VM14 (DVD release) | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-15 (TV rating) (self applied) (2008) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (self applied) (2007) | Chile:18 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Ashiocho, Tochigi, Japan

Company:

IDT Entertainment

Trivia:

This episode was originally going to be shown on Showtime in January 2006, but the station banned it shortly before the broadcast. It debuted in America on DVD on September 26, 2006.

Quotes:

The Woman:This island isn't in the human world; demons and whores are the only ones living here.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Masters of Horror: The Screwfly Solution (#2.7)" (2006)

very good though seems like a sumnation of miike's work!!!

IMPRINT is Takashi Miike's entry into the cable TV series MASTERS OF HORROR, and the one entry to be banned from transmission (in the US that is). Its certainly an impressive entry. The story follows an American man as he travels to Japan to find the prostitute who he fell in love with and whom he made a promise to, to take back to America and marry. He meets another prostitute who recounts the story of the women he is looking for and what happened to her fate. Told in flashback the story takes a rashomon-like approach as the womens story becomes steadily unreliable, until she reveals the true side to her tale. Cue scenes of torture, abortion and also hints of incest and child abuse and general weirdness, that those familiar to Miike will expect. Its a generally well made, and beautifully filmed tale, though at times it felt like a sumnation of the best bits of Miikes work, mainly the excessive extreme films, such as ICHI, DEAD OR ALIVE and AUDITION. Though Miike is always an interesting director to watch and his entry into this otherwise excellent series, stands out as one of the best. In some ways you can see why it was banned from television!