Life story of a woman born in poverty trying to succeed. Through her many schemes, she faces her ups and downs in a cyclical nature, fueled mostly by self-interest.
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Title: The Insect Woman (1963)
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12 wins & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
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Emiko Aizawa | ... | Rui |
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Setsuko Amamiya | ||
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Tomio Aoki | ||
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Tomoko Aoyagi | ||
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Emiko Azuma | ... | Kane |
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Hyôe Enoki | ||
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Kazuko Fujii | ||
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Makiko Fujisawa | ||
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Makiko Fukamachi | ||
| Masumi Harukawa | ... | Midori | |
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Yûzô Harumi | ||
| Sachiko Hidari | ... | Tome Matsuki | |
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Jôji Hidehara | ||
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Daisaburô Hirata | ... | Kamibayashi |
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Jirô Hiratsuka | ||
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Taglines:
...the most daring and shocking film ever to come from Japan! See more »Genres:
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Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
30 June 1964 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Insect See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1Contribute to This Page
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Made directly after Pigs and Battleships, pretty much a furious diatribe against the occupying American forces, this has a wider aim of attack. Indeed this angry young man, at the forefront of the then Japanese New Wave, seems to take a swipe at everyone. He is, understandably, particularly cynical as regards the treatment of women but also of the way those women seem to not only accept their subservient position but help to perpetuate the horrors with their own connivence. As is so often the case with Japanese cinema, with so little knowledge of the cultural background it is difficult to fully appreciate what might be going on here. Certainly Imamura is still pushing against the old accepted ways of his country's cinema and with stop frames, screen titles and a rough and tumble technique that flies in the face of tradition. Not an easy watch but there is enough here with a time span that traverses the first half of the 20th century from the First World War to the confusion of Korea.