Venue: Star and Shadow Cinema
Dates: Thursday 25th March
Time: 7pm & 9pm
Director Ôshima Nagisa / Japan 1976 / 109 min
Certificate 18 / In Japanese with English Subtitles
Director Ôshima Nagisa / Japan 1960 / 96 min
Certificate 15 / In Japanese with English Subtitles
When asked to explore the idea of rulebreaking filmmakers, Newcastle’s Star and Shadow Cinema team immediately decided to present a retrospective of the work of Nagisa Ôshima.
In the Realm of the Senses is Ôshima’s famously banned portrayal of the intense affair between a married man in the Meiji restoration period and his chambermaid and is based on an actual scandal.
It is a very explicit film but the sex scenes are used to create an unparalled depiction of love and desperate escape from repression in the stifling environment of Japan in the run up to World War II.
Made by a 28 year old Ôshima, Naked Youth is a staggering portrayal of doomed teenage love which drew comparisons to the French New Wave on its release. The film is a requiem of disillusionment where youth is a dead-end: materially, socially and spiritually.
Tickets see both films for £6 /£5 available to buy online at Skiddle
Anonymous 
In ‘The Realm of the Senses,’ sees ex prostitute and all round wild girl Sada Abe finds tackling the ancient question of phallis worship, with admirable determination.
Explored under the power of 1936 imperial japan, the voyeur finds herself floating around traditional architecture and costumes, not yet coloured or confused by western homoginisation.
This cultural background cements the watcher in a dramtically different, and appealing eastern alien landscape.
Although this sexually explicit 1976 Misha special features graphic unsimulated sexual activities, the style is not overtly pornographic and feels true story driven all through.
While being similtaneously appalled and stimulated throughout by the fantastical gymnastical bedroom extremism, I found the film’s undistracted focus appealing. There was nothing held back, the actors consumtive desires were fully exploded and displayed.
As Sada and Kishi’s sexual experiments become more extreme, Sada becomes increasingly obsessed with Hotel owner Kishi and jelously guards his every caress.
The triumphant maid climaxes indulging in strangulation power play, plateauing with the ultimate bloody expression of penis envy.
The film continues in the ancient traditon of the Japanese death fetish, Japanese erotic art often featuring highly morbid climatic conclusions.
Originally banned from the New York Film festival, ‘In the Realm of the Senses’ folky display of obsession gone bad was at times uncomfortable viewing.
Nevertheless, it’s originality and breathtaking bravery make it something to be admired as high art.
Although Sada was recieved at the time with sympathy as a folk hero by Japan, my own sympathies remain with the dead eunech hotelier and his sore neck.
by Jeremy Anbleyth
In the Realm of the Senses
The seemingly controversial film left with me a beautiful feeling of desire mixed with a bitter taste of mad sexual obsession that is often a typical attribute of passionate love.
The intense sexual relationship between a married man and his servant girl ends with a cruel, but in the same time tender murder.
The movie is based on the true story from the 1930’s and maybe that is why its impact goes beneath audience’s skin.
The excessive deconstruction of sexual taboos accompanies the audience all the way through the film. The repetitive acts quickly become the main theme of the narrative and therefore reveal and emphasise the insanity of sexual obsession and the mutual visceral fervor of the lovers.
The predominance of their relationship seems to be taken by the female character, but in my opinion the male possesses adorable strength and completely voluntary devotion to die for his lover’s lust.
In short, the movie is beautifully obscene.