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The Insect Woman

Original title: Nippon konchûki
  • 19631963
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Nippon konchûki (1963)
  • Drama
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Shôhei Imamura
  • Writers
    • Keiji Hasebe(screenplay by)
    • Shôhei Imamura(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Seizaburô Kawazu
    • Kazuo Kitamura
    • Tanie Kitabayashi
Top credits
  • Director
    • Shôhei Imamura
  • Writers
    • Keiji Hasebe(screenplay by)
    • Shôhei Imamura(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Seizaburô Kawazu
    • Kazuo Kitamura
    • Tanie Kitabayashi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 34Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 12 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos36

    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Buta to gunkan (1961)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)
    Nippon konchûki (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Seizaburô Kawazu
    Seizaburô Kawazu
    • Karasawaas Karasawa
    Kazuo Kitamura
    • Chujias Chuji
    Tanie Kitabayashi
    Tanie Kitabayashi
    • Madamas Madam
    Teruko Kishi
    • Rinas Rin
    Emiko Aizawa
    • Ruias Rui
    Emiko Azuma
    • Kaneas Kane
    Sumie Sasaki
    • Enas En
    Hiroyuki Nagato
    • Matsunamias Matsunami
    Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
    • Hondaas Honda
    Asao Koike
    Asao Koike
    • Sawakichias Sawakichi
    Sachiko Hidari
    Sachiko Hidari
    • Tome Matsukias Tome Matsuki
    Jitsuko Yoshimura
    Jitsuko Yoshimura
    • Nobukoas Nobuko
    Masumi Harukawa
    Masumi Harukawa
    • Midorias Midori
    Daisaburô Hirata
    • Kamibayashias Kamibayashi
    Setsuko Amamiya
      Tomio Aoki
      Tomio Aoki
        Tomoko Aoyagi
          Hyôe Enoki
            • Director
              • Shôhei Imamura
            • Writers
              • Keiji Hasebe(screenplay by)
              • Shôhei Imamura(screenplay by)
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
            • All cast & crew

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            Storyline

            Edit
            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? —<jhailey@hotmail.com>
            • bastard
            • incestuous relationship
            • sucking breast
            • work
            • weaving
            • 66 more
            • Plot summary
            • Plot synopsis
            • Taglines
              • She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong.
            • Genre
              • Drama
            • Certificate
              • Not Rated
            • Parents guide
              • Add content advisory

            Did you know

            Edit
            • Trivia
              This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #473.
            • Quotes

              Midori: Tome, what do you think of George?

              Tome Matsuki: I don't know anything about Americans.

              Midori: But he's nice, right?

              Tome Matsuki: Yes, he is. But he's so huge.

              Midori: Big body, big heart. Big Japanese men are kinder too.

            • Connections
              Featured in Century of Cinema: Nihon eiga no hyaku nen (1995)

            User reviews9

            Review
            Top review
            The Profound Desires of Shohei Imamura
            Insect Woman seems to be Imamura's Trojan horse in the world scene. Not the stunning debut of a young up and coming director that catches everyone unawares, Imamura had quite a few films under his belt by that point. Not even the film that cemented his reputation because if critical recognition and prestigious awards predate rather than follow public awareness then Imamura is only in the past 10 years beginning to earn his due.

            But with Insect Woman he emerged not only as a preeminent auteur and bright hope of what is known as the Nuberu Bagu movement, who would be twice decored with the coveted Palm D'Or in time, this perhaps a status that is often subliminally associated with notions of a haughty intelligenzia hermetically removed from the populus whose struggles and follies it purports to address, but also an artist equal parts humane and cynic who picks his characters from the lowest strata of society and examines their lower instincts with care and affection. Moral judgement is absent from the film. The life and misadventures of a poor farmer's illegitimate daughter who travels to Tokyo and becomes first a prostitute then the owner of a call-girl service is observed in a matter of fact way. He never allows the movie to careen in melodramatic shallows and moralistic histrionics. If Imamura has a case to make and premise to prove, it's of a political nature.

            Spanning almost half a century of Japanese history, the story of Insect Woman parallels the rise and fall of Japan in the years leading to and after WWII. The rise from humble beginnings to power and the subsequent fall with the bitter feeling of having been betrayed by everyone. Like other Imamura movies, Insect Woman can be tedious at parts, not because nothing happens. Superficially there is a succession of episodes. But really because little to nothing meaningful happens. Sprawling in nature and rarely stopping to examine motives and psychology, Insect Woman even at its most intimate moments places a certain distance between viewer and film and in doing so allows for an often comedic tinge to seep in. As such, it doesn't have some deep insight into human nature to depart but it's mostly pleasing to watch and Imamura's filmic language feels amazingly fresh and vibrant even to this day. The man was 20 years ahead of his time and his films have aged in all the right ways.
            helpful•25
            8
            • chaos-rampant
            • Aug 13, 2009

            Details

            Edit
            • Release date
              • June 30, 1964 (United States)
            • Country of origin
              • Japan
            • Language
              • Japanese
            • Also known as
              • Das Insektenweib
            • Production company
              • Nikkatsu
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Technical specs

            Edit
            • Runtime
              2 hours 3 minutes
            • Color
              • Black and White
            • Aspect ratio
              • 2.35 : 1

            Related news

            Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
            Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
            Dec 29Trailers from Hell

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