Declaring yourself bored by a movie full of explicit sex may sometimes mark you out as a dreary pseudo-sophisticate, but in this case it’s fair enough.
In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:23
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: In 1936, in the midst of rising Japanese militarism, a former prostitute, Sada, goes to work as a maid in a brothel. The house's handsome owner, Kichizo, soon begins to court her, and Sada eagerly... In 1936, in the midst of rising Japanese militarism, a former prostitute, Sada, goes to work as a maid in a brothel. The house's handsome owner, Kichizo, soon begins to court her, and Sada eagerly returns his attentions. Their subsequent affair and constant lovemaking grow more and more intense, and their sexual obsession threatens to destroy them both. Nagisa Oshima's long-awaited erotic Japanese masterpiece (initially banned from the New York Film Festival in 1976) is finally available. Contains highly explicit content, recommended for adult audiences only. [More]
Starring: Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
Starring: Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Director: Nagisa Oshima
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Release:
Apr 28, 2009
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Letterbox
- Widescreen - 1.66
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono - Japanese
- Subtitles - English
Additional Release Material:
- Deleted Scenes: Deleted Scenes
- Audio Commentary: Tony Rayns, Film Scholar
- Trailers: U.S. Trailer
Interviews:
- 1. Nagisa Oshima, Director - 1976
- 2. Tatsuya Fuji, Actor
- 3. Fuji Matsuda, Actor
- 4. Eiko Matsuda,
- 5. Hayao Shibata, Consulting Producer
- 6. Koji Wakamatsu, Line Producer
- 7. Yoichi Sai, Assistant Director
- 8. Yoko Asakura, Film Distributor
Additional Products:
- Booklet: Essay - Donald Richie, Film Scholar / Oshima Interview
Reviews for In the Realm of the Senses
I still find In the Realm of the Senses impressive but it now puzzles and worries me.
Ai No Corrida is an undeniably powerful, stylish and impressive piece of work.
Unsanitised, worryingly convincing in its sadomasochistic detail, this is seriously provocative cinema, a telling reminder of what it really means to be dangerous.
As the soundtrack moans in sympathy while the deep crimson colours dazzle in delirium, the entire movie comes desperately close to approximating the pell-mell emotional turmoil of sex itself. Not porn, sex.
One of the most extraordinary moments in screen history. Oshima's film widens and deepens the sensual realm.
A graphic and extremely disturbing exploration of lust and love that deserves its reputation as a classic of world cinema.
It was made 33 years ago but Nagisa Oshima’s doomed lust classic doesn’t look in the least bit dusty. Quite the opposite.
I can only imagine critics at the initial screening ... marveling at a 20-foot penis taking up the entire screen: "Oh yeah, that totally represents the patriarchy."
Like his characters, Oshima is determined to explore and transgress sexual boundaries, if they even exist, by posing a challenge to conventional morality. [Blu-ray]
quickly becomes as monotonous as bluenoses accuse it of being prurient
To paraphrase a crack from Pauline Kael: light the incense, perverts.
Baring much more than bodies, Oshima delves deeply into subconscious carnal desires under the influence of society, and the eternal human contradictions between liberating sexual impulses and erotic enslavement.
At best it's a thinking person's XXX flick; at worst it's as repetitive as a porn video.
Latest News for In the Realm of the Senses
May 03, 2009:
Baring much more than bodies, Oshima delves deeply into subconscious carnal desires under the influence of society, and the eternal human contradictions between liberating sexual impulses and erotic enslavement. ![]()
More...
July 09, 2007:
Baring much more than bodies, Oshima delves deeply into subconscious carnal desires under the influence of society, and the eternal human contradictions between liberating sexual impulses and erotic enslavement. ![]()
More...
March 24, 2001:
Oshima, poses with In The Realm Of The Senses the philosophically seductive question: Does a form of government dictate the way people have sex? ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 67% 67% | Brüno |
| 47% 47% | My Sister's Keeper |
| 65% 65% | Is Anybody There? |
| 83% 83% | Thirst |
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