Director Kosaku Yamashita was a wonderfully creative cinematic artist, a prolific contract director for Toei. who transcended the familiar boundaries of the genre film. Multi faceted tales, deeply drawn characters and with tremendous style Yamashita's unobtrusive mise-en-scène, frames his action with sumptuous detail..
Ooku emaki is an excellent film which takes us behind the Edo castle walls to where the new shogun emperor is in the process of auditioning young women, collecting his "perfect harem". The Ooku or "great interior" refers to the harem of Edo Castle which was built circa 1607. Completely separated from the outside world this inner chamber was the place where all the women connected to the reigning shogun resided. A noblewoman living in the Ooku could not leave the castle without permission, and none of the women within the Ooku could have a relationship with men.
A corridor of bells, Osuzu Roka, was the only route which connected the Ooku to rest of Edo Castle, usually secured, no male adults were admitted onto the floor of the Ooku without the presence of the shogun.
Within this secretive setting the outstanding historical melodrama unfolds. Insightful, sensitive and richly textured, the excellent film tells the tale of three beautiful sisters who find themselves vying for attentions in the claustrophobic world of the Ooku "Inner chamber".
Beautifully composed highly entertaining, Highly Recommended Classic Japanese cinema....
