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Empire of Passion

Original title: Ai no bôrei
  • 19781978
  • RR
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Ai no bôrei (1978)
Trailer for Empire Of Passion
Play trailer1:53
1 Video
20 Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Romance

A married woman and her lover murder her husband and dump his body into a well. After a while, his ghost comes to haunt them while the local gossip grows stronger.A married woman and her lover murder her husband and dump his body into a well. After a while, his ghost comes to haunt them while the local gossip grows stronger.A married woman and her lover murder her husband and dump his body into a well. After a while, his ghost comes to haunt them while the local gossip grows stronger.

IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Nagisa Ôshima
  • Writers
    • Itoko Nakamura(story)
    • Nagisa Ôshima
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Fuji
    • Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    • Takahiro Tamura
Top credits
  • Director
    • Nagisa Ôshima
  • Writers
    • Itoko Nakamura(story)
    • Nagisa Ôshima
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Fuji
    • Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    • Takahiro Tamura
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 25User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 8 nominations

    Videos1

    Empire of Passion
    Trailer 1:53
    Empire of Passion

    Photos20

    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Tatsuya Fuji and Kazuko Yoshiyuki in Ai no bôrei (1978)
    Takahiro Tamura in Ai no bôrei (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tatsuya Fuji
    Tatsuya Fuji
    • Toyojias Toyoji…
    Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    • Sekias Seki…
    Takahiro Tamura
    Takahiro Tamura
    • Gisaburoas Gisaburo…
    Takuzô Kawatani
    • Hottaas Hotta…
    Akiko Koyama
    Akiko Koyama
    • Gisaburo's motheras Gisaburo's mother
    Taiji Tonoyama
    Taiji Tonoyama
    • Toichiroas Toichiro
    Sumie Sasaki
    • Odameas Odame
    Masami Hasegawa
    • Oshinas Oshin…
    Eizô Kitamura
    Kenzô Kawarasaki
      Akiyoshi Fujiwara
        Tatsuya Kimura
          Osugi
          • Danceras Dancer
          • (uncredited)
          Kei Satô
          Kei Satô
            Takaaki Sugiura
              • Director
                • Nagisa Ôshima
              • Writers
                • Itoko Nakamura(story)
                • Nagisa Ôshima
              • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
              • All cast & crew

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              Storyline

              Edit
              A young man has an affair with an older woman. He is very jealous of her husband and decides that they should kill him. One night, after the husband had plenty of sake to drink and was in bed, they strangle him and dump his body down a well. To avert any suspicions, she pretends her husband has gone off to Tokyo to work. For three years the wife and her lover secretly see each other. Finally, suspicions become very strong and people begin to gossip. To make matters worse, her husband's ghost begins to haunt her and the law arrives to investigate her husband's disappearance. —Kevin Risch <krisch@intranet.on.ca>
              • well
              • ghost
              • village
              • japan
              • 19th century
              • 38 more
              • Plot summary
              • Add synopsis
              • Taglines
                • The haunting of a passionate love.
              • Genres
                • Drama
                • Horror
                • Romance
              • Certificate
                • R
              • Parents guide

              Did you know

              Edit
              • Trivia
                While filming the scene where Toyoji tries to break into the burning house by ramming the door down, Tatsuya Fuji tore three ligaments in his shoulder and dislocated his arm. Three days later, he was back on the set filming the scene where he was being hung from a tree and beaten, with his arm still in a sling (although removed between takes).
              • Connections
                Featured in The Man Who Left His Soul on Film (1984)

              User reviews25

              Review
              Top review
              Empire of Passion
              Nagisa Oshima's second co-production with France, Empire of Passion (based on the manuscript of Itoko Nakamura's then-unpublished novel), is often falsely considered to be a sequel to his previous film, In the Realm of the Senses. However, despite featuring the same lead actor (Tatsuya Fuji), the two films are only loosely connected by some of the similar themes they share, making them a diptych of sorts.

              Empire of Passion is set in the Meiji era and, like the previous film, focuses on the nature of passionate love, or the consummation of sexuality and how it can offer an escape from the repressive outside world. However, the two protagonists in this film are doomed from the start because of this, as the fleeting sensations lead them to irreparable life choices which then take a heavy toll on their psyche. The film is much less sexually explicit than Realm, but is more disturbing and overall it's a much darker tale, with some kaidan (ghost story) elements. The appearance of a traditional Japanese depiction of a ghost fits into the whole "folktale" mood of the film, complete with a narrator voice of a creepy old lady.

              Unlike Realm, Empire is set in the natural world. Thus, the film is defined by seasonal shifts (it actually goes in reverse, Winter-Autumn- Summer-Spring) and the two main characters are left in mercy of the chaotic, indifferent world of nature. Some of the most beautiful shots from the movie are in fact landscapes, or seen from under a well. Toru Takemitsu's soundtrack is quite good as usual.

              Unfortunately, the film seemed to meander a bit, and some of the ghost scenes are pretty cheesy. The theatrical acting was a bit too much in several parts (lead actress Kazuko Yoshiyuki is beyond cute here, though) and overall, the film didn't quite click with me.
              helpful•3
              1
              • mevmijaumau
              • Jan 3, 2016

              Details

              Edit
              • Release date
                • March 26, 1979 (United States)
              • Countries of origin
                • Japan
                • France
              • Language
                • Japanese
              • Also known as
                • In the Realm of Passion
              • Filming locations
                • Japan
              • Production companies
                • Argos Films
                • Oshima Productions
                • Toho-Towa
              • See more company credits at IMDbPro

              Technical specs

              Edit
              • Runtime
                1 hour 45 minutes
              • Sound mix
                • Mono
              • Aspect ratio
                • 1.66 : 1

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